kalliergo Report post Posted October 8, 2008 Greetings. I've recently registered here, after wandering around the site and forum and deciding that there's a wealth of information here, and good people hanging out. I'm already learning a lot. I'm new to leatherwork. I've done all sorts of handcrafts, for decades now, but I've hardly ever made or repaired leather goods. I've been fascinated with the craft for a long time, though, and I've decided to try it before I get too old to hold the tools ;^) I've done some braiding and knot work in association with earlier projects, and I've been amazed by some of the leather and rawhide braiding I've seen recently, including some of Gail Hought's work (just on her Web site) and some of the fine pieces shown by members here. Consequently, I've decided to start by learning the fundamentals of braiding leather and rawhide. I could tell, right away, that I wouldn't be able to maintain (or afford) an adequate variety of strings/thongs/lacing, so I've just purchased a Hansen string cutter, and I'm starting to figure out how to use it. It seems to be a very nice tool (and Darrell Jones, who sold it to me, has been *great* to deal with), but it's clear that I'm going to have to put in a fair amount of practice time before I can produce consistent results. So, that's my short story. Thanks for the super site and the interesting and valuable forum. -Doug Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rawhide1 Report post Posted October 8, 2008 Doug Welcome to a great site with great people. I'm always glad to see new braiders join. If ya have any ?'s fire away and well try our best to answer them. And as always pictures are encouraged. Mike Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rdb Report post Posted October 8, 2008 Hey It's great you found us here. We'll be looking out for your coming projects. There are some terrific braiders here, that I'm sure will be helping you out. What were your previous projects that needed braid/knotwork? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TomSwede Report post Posted October 9, 2008 Hi and welcome Doug! If you can locate a Tandy store be sure to pick up one of Bruce Grants braiding books. Alltough a bit hard to understand and follow the drawings I still think it's worth the money. Tom Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Davy Report post Posted October 9, 2008 Best sit on the net ! You'll love it here . Cheers , Dave . Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
ArtS Report post Posted October 9, 2008 WELCOME!!! This is a great bunch of folks and a lot of information here. Art Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kalliergo Report post Posted October 9, 2008 Thanks, everyone! This site was, clearly, a great find. rdb: I've done a number of carpentry/architectural woodwork projects over the years that included braided and woven rope elements -- fancy railings, storage "nets," stuff like that. Also, lots of woodsy-outdoorsy things with knotted and braided rope and paracord. The level of craftsmanship I've seen in fine leather braiding will be a big step up for me, but... challenge is good, right? Tom: I have begun tracking down and collecting the Grant books. Pretty amazing that they were the first thorough treatments of the subject and are still the best available references 40 and 50 years later. You're right about the drawings, but I'm figuring them out slowly. As someone said in a post I read around here, sometimes, a pattern that has been utterly confusing will suddenly make perfect sense. If that's a trend, I may be OK Now, if someone will just teach me to be an expert with my Hansen string cutter in three easy lessons... -Doug Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
