Mystery Braid Bracelets!

[Grey Drakkon]

Thanks to Nstarleather, I got my hands one some luscious Horween leather. Because I'm a newbie, I'm petrified of screwing up the nice big slabs I have and figured I'd start with something nice and small that would trim up the edges which would be waste material anyway. My guy has been making noise about a bracelet he can wear to work and I had been looking at mystery braids, so off I went. I think I'm on my fifth bracelet now, I might have a problem. First pic is of the latest one I made, nicely snug without cutting off circulation.

I decided to play with punches a bit, I think I need to sharpen them because the edges are a bit fuzzy. This wasn't an ideal scrap so it looks a bit rough, but I like the idea of a pattern like that.

I was on such a roll with mystery braiding that I decided to use up a scrap of thin veg tanned leather I had laying around and then spray it with two new colors of eco flow dye I had recently gotten. My guy is now clamoring for me to make a version of this for him. -_- I call it the joker bracelet for the colors used.

My biggest annoyance is the snaps, I have some line 24 snaps in different colors but the shafts on them are so long that I had to take a jewelry saw to them to shorten them up and it still ended up deforming the cap a bit (just enough so I noticed). The other snaps I'm using are from Joann fabrics and while they're just the right length, the hardware that is used for the top/bottom bits come in this weird plastic clamshell thing that you hit with a mallet, and of course being plastic it snapped at the hinge so now I have to wince while having my fingers way too close to the mallet to hold everything together.

[Grey Drakkon]

You had to show me that video, didn't you? Good thing I left my leather at home! ;D Any tips on cutting the straps? I've been using tape on the back of my leather to keep it from wiggling around as much and basically focusing my chi to cut that leather like it owes me money (which it does, come to think of it) but with five strands I worry about the leather flexing around too much.

Edited May 20, 2015 by Grey Drakkon

[Grey Drakkon]

I see what you did there.

[Tugadude]

Stips would be easier with a cutting wheel and a straightedge. Use a straightedge with cork on the back to prevent slipping.

[Thor]

What's the width of each strand? Either you have one of these http://i.ytimg.com/vi/-QNYBzv3TZs/maxresdefault.jpg or make a home made one yourself. That should do the trick. Saves you about $3000 for the clicker press and dies ;-)

[Grey Drakkon]

These are each 1/4" wide, mostly because I have a piece of 3/4" wide brass that I've been using as a template and that way it divides evenly into three strands.

[Grey Drakkon]

Just finished this bracelet. Soft vegetable tanned leather base dyed purple with a turquoise pig suede layer on top of it. The suede was glued around the edges and each strand was folded in half, then mystery braided with the purple layer. Now I'm wishing I got bought more of that suede when it was on sale!

[Grey Drakkon]

5-Strand bracelet: challenge accepted. Made a beefy 1 1/2 wide bracelet, the vudeo was invaluable for figuring out what I was doing wrong at every step. In any case, my guy is pleased with it, even with a couple of wobbles in the straps. (Really need to get my hands on a strap cutter)

[Dave Richardson]

Nice work Grey and thanks for the post, I learned a lot !

Dave

[Grey Drakkon]

Thanks, Dave!

Northstar, you did a great job in the video, it's visually very clear and voicing a rhythm to the pattern makes it much easier for me to remember. Every issue I had while making the 5 strand was user error.

Edited May 28, 2015 by Grey Drakkon