Bosal tutorial

[Alan Bell]

Tracy, You are correct I am braiding down initially to skip the wrap and braid. I didn't have much success with the wrapping method when I first tried it, I've since learned to do it for quirt handles and such but then I am using enough strings that the first wrap is a complete cover leaving no gaps. The hard part of the wrapping method is to guage the spaces especially with a build up. i believe Gail Hought uses the wrapping method at least she did for a while. The hard part of the braiding method is the first turn back because it tends to put a slight twist to that end of the braiding. I've seen some Ortega bosals that show he struggled with the same problem and also make it pretty evident he used the braiding method at least for a while. My friend Nate Wald takes the works and puts a counter twist in there before he does the turn back. I'm trying to work half the strings in succession going one way and then the other to counter the twist maybe I'll have to do all of them counter to the way the twist goes if this way proves not to work for me all the time. Just find what works for you and stick with it. Maybe KAW or Mrs. Liggett can chime in anyone? The interweave works with the gaucho pattern it just looks different.

Vaya Con Dios, Alan Bell

No more crying, Good Lord hear me!

Bob Marley - Put It On

[shirleyz]

I have no idea what a bosal is used for, but I appreciate talent and skill, and great lacing. Awesome tutorial.

Plus anyone who loves Marley is cool with me.

ShirleyZ

[KAW]

Alan, nice tutorial, when you start braid down and are turning back make sure you go past your foundation so when you start your turn backs to make pairs you dont slip off your ends when interweaving and it allows you to counter twist the ends if you start to twist, the biggest thing with twist is to prevent it before it happens, for me I am consaintly checking for twists and correcting them as I go.

I use both methods alot. For working bosals I use the braiding method most of the time because it goes alittle faster, for finer collecter stuff I like to use the sprial method cause it works better for me with more strings, I also like to bury my ends staggered on each end so when your interweaving through the center you don't pull out your ends and if a horse rubs it on something (which happens some times no matter how careful you are.) it less likely to come out and won't leave any bumps where it contacts the horse, these are afew things I do and some things to think about when building using gear so things function properly.

Your strings are looking good and consistiant, how have you been makin your hides?

Hope this helps some,

KAW

Kevin A Willey

[Alan Bell]

Hey Kevin, thanks for the advice. I'll have to try the wrapping method again next time I make a finer strand bosal. Maybe you could post a tutorial on how you do it before I give it a try and I might make a decent go of it! All this string was made with a limed hide. I've got the equipment to do a hot water hide and will give that a shot next month when I have time to make rawhide. I'm cutting the string using my Hansen cutter and have gotten to the point where I just cut out and throw away anything that isn't right. I need some calfs to get finer strings and hopefully they will have some when I go there next month.

Vaya Con Dios, Alan Bell

Hear the children crying'! But I know they cry not in vain.

Bob Marley - Hallelujah Time

[rgerbitz]

Hey Alan this was awsome. Thanks for the time and effort to do it.

Rob

[Alan Bell]

OK so now I can try and post the rest of the story; Here we are putting the side buttons on. I have already braided a six bite casa over a leather collar and am starting the interweave with the contrasting color The first thing is I go under 4 to give me something to bury the end under. Eventually I pull all the string under that spot. This interweave is different because I decided that I want a single band of color on the bottom side of this button to frame the hanger once it goes on. On the six bite the single band braids in such a way that each of the 3 complete passes meets itself and you have to adjust by either crossing under double the space or using 3 separate strings. This knot is big enough that I felt I could just cross under double the space. So I follow the string to the left going up the knot making pairs of the 2 strings, cross under 4 and then I will follow the string on the right going down making pairs of those stringsand cross under 4 After I repeat that again I have made it back to where I started and have to go under double to reach the next pass. Because the knot is round i can't bend my needle so I will go as far as I can, come out of the knot with the needle and string and then re enter and go to the spot that is next in the pattern And here it is drawn all the way So I carry on the original pattern but I split the pairs when ever I come to them Here my fid shows the next pair to be spit going down the knot. . 2 B continued.....

Vaya Con Dios, Alan Bell

Some will hate you; pretend they love you now! Then behind, they try to eliminate you!

Bob Marley - Cap Fit

[Alan Bell]

Ok now we have established the pattern and now we are going up to the next pair and so on. This pass makes v's going up and down all around the knot and the last pass connects the v's. For the "pineapple" pattern the interweave formula highlights are to stay next to the string on the left going up and then stay next to the string on the right going down and to split pairs when you come to them. This holds no matter the number of passes or rings of color you are adding.

Vaya Con Dios, Alan Bell

But who Jah bless, know one curse! Thank God, we're past the worse!

Bob Marley - Cap Fit

[Alan Bell]

Of course you just repeat this for the other side button. I should mention that I could have tied a Spanish Ring Knot either for a foundation or sometimes as the side button itself. Now on the the heel knot. I'm not going to show the actual interweave but will show how I do the build up that will keep the heel knot from being pulled off. I tie a string around the bosal at the place where the hanger would be in order to get the cheeks 4 1/2" apart at the side buttons. The I measure down to where the cheeks will meet at a point anywhere from 10" - 12" from the inside of the nose band. I want the top of my spacer to be there so I will put reference marks on the spacer and the cheeks below that where they will eventually be covered by the knots. Next I nail my spacer to the inside of one cheek and then I fold it over and nail it again I put the cheeks together and tie them And add a Spanish ring knot I will lace each strand around the ring knot to anchor the heel knot and then I cut the extra core length and shorten the strand a bit to work with them. Not much more to go!

Vaya Con Dios, Alan Bell

When the moon gathers the rainbow; want you to know I'm a rainbow too

Bob Marley - Sun is Shining

[Alan Bell]

Finally, we come to the last bit the heelknot. When I started braiding I read where the heel knot builds itself. That as you start braiding THAT's when you decide what the heelknot will look like and how many bands of color it will have and I have found this to be the truth. You can kinda plan but once you start things can change a bit so I sill not really get into the braiding aspect of it, if you can do the side buttons then you can do a heel knot they are just larger and with more passes but fundamentally the same. I do a floral tape build up for my heel knots. I like a fairly heavy heel knot as this speed up the action of the bosal specifically the release and that is what matters to the horse! Add the foundation and then do what you feel. Hopefully the client is pleased with the end results. And hopefully this was a little bit of help to some of you and of interest to the rest. I'm in New Orleans now and will have to wait till I get back to Mi Casa to add the hanger and there are several ways to do that but I'll just save that for another day.

Vaya Con Dios, Alan Bell

If your tumbling down from above; help the weak if you are strong!

Bob Marley - No More Trouble

[rgerbitz]

Alan,

This bosal turned out nicely, I want to thank you again for going to the effort and showing us how you go about it. I would like to know what you used to dye your strings red?

Thank you

Rob