Members wlg190861 Posted February 20, 2017 Members Report Posted February 20, 2017 Good videos to watch on the Mexican round braid. Quote
Members Wowndeye Posted February 21, 2017 Author Members Report Posted February 21, 2017 Alright... So I got the black dye, Resolene, calf lacing and the lacing book from Tandy! Guess I should have scanned the book first because I ended up getting 3/32" lacing instead of 1/8". Will 3/32" work okay or should I exchange it? If I stick with the 3/32", should I punch a 3/32" hole or can I make it 5/64" (smallest hole my punch has)? I just don't want the foam to show through the holes because of the contrast, black leather over light blue foam. When it comes to the holes for lacing, how close should they be to the edge and how far apart from each other? I'll be using my rotary punch for the holes. When it comes to applying the dye and Resolene, do I get each piece cut to fit, holes punched and then dye followed by the Resolene before assembly? Or do I dye, assemble it all and then apply the Resolene? Thank you again both for the help and suggestions. I definitely want to try the Mexican Braid! Quote
Members cjartist Posted February 21, 2017 Members Report Posted February 21, 2017 You can probably get away with 5/64" hole but it will be a fight to get the lace through each hole twice. You may need to use pliers occasionally to drag the needle through. I went up a size instead of down, but the foam did end up being visible. The stitching went easy that way. If it was me I would probably make the holes 3/32". Keep in mind also, because it is round, you will occasionally have to go through a hole three times. The reason being is that you will have more holes on the side piece than you do on the top piece. As far as spacing, my 1/8" holes are spaced 5/16" apart. Mine are spaced at that distance because I made myself an arbor press jig that holds five hole punches to speed up the process and save myself the physical pain that rotary punching all those holes can cause. You will want your holes closer together with a thinner lace. You will want to stay under 1/4" on spacing. As far as spacing from the edge, keep it as close as you can without leaving it so thin that it could potentially rip through. I would punch holes, dye, then resolene before lacing. The resolene will help protect the leather. You may then decide on another coat after lacing. Be prepared, this will take some time and effort. But in my opinion, nothing else looks as good as the mexican braid. Quote Check out my Unique Marketing Strategy and see if it might also work for you to get paid for your art.
Members Wowndeye Posted February 22, 2017 Author Members Report Posted February 22, 2017 Excellent! I got my top and sides cut and getting ready to lay out for the holes! The Tandy Lacing book is great but I was anticipating it to be a little struggle at first but hopefully I'll find a groove. I'll be sure and post pictures when I'm done. Thank you again! Quote
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