braiding

[skinner]

I knew an old timer named charlie lampman who was a great braider. He died of cancer in the 90's , but I had the chance to pick his brain one day. He showed me how he put the nose button on a bosal. He tied the strings on the cheek piece with one third to the left , two thirds to the right. Then set them up and braided the length of the nose button, then turned the ends back and with a fid , laced the final pass. I never was set up to try it and can only remember watching him do it. Hope someday to try it. Maybe some of you have done this? Charlie said it was way faster to put a nose button on this way. Regards, Skinner

[rawhide1]

skinner

I've never done that but it sounds pretty neat! Do ya remember how long his strings were. I think it would be pretty cool to try. I wonder if a fella could do that on anything that required a multi string knot. Let me know if you remember any more of the details. Thanks Mike

[Alan Bell]

That is the method I use. Yes it can be used for any long button. The other methods of tying long buttons are to either spiral the strings up and split the pairs down or to use one long string. With the braiding method your use 1/3 vs 2/3 on the 1st braid pass the you turn back the longer strands and follow a strand. Which strand you follow will be a factor in the type of finished braid (pineapple or gaucho). After this pass you have about equals lengths of string sticking out either end, so you turn those strands back toward the middle splitting pairs as you go. Which pairs you split is the other factor determining the braid type.

Vaya Con Dios, Alan Bell

Stir it up little Darling

Bob Marley - Stir it up!

[rawhide1]

Alan

Thanks for the info. How do ya figure the length for your strings and I take it it's a o1, u1 seq. going down.

Thanks Mike

[CWR]

Alan

Thanks for the info. How do ya figure the length for your strings and I take it it's a o1, u1 seq. going down.

Thanks Mike

Alan,

How and where do you bury the ends. I have used this method to make knife sheaths. But all my strings end up at the top. Do you build your parallels with half the strings from the top and half from bottom, then split them with the remaining two sets?

Thanks,

CW

[Alan Bell]

CW, Before you start to braid you have one third the length on the right and two thirds on the left. You start the braid by taking the top strand and weave it through the other strands in an over one under one pattern then do that for all the strands until you must wrap the last strand around your core. From there you braid over one under one for the desired length. You turn back with the longer strands that were on the left and this makes the pairs, you should have the left side strands sticking out the left side and once you've made the pairs you will have those ends sticking out the other end. Do a turn back and split pairs from both ends working towards the middle and bury the ends as you go around the core.

Vaya Con Dios, Alan Bell

My feet is m only carriage; so I've got to push on through

Bob Marley - No Woman No Cry

[Jae7]

"You start the braid by taking the top strand and weave it through the other strands in an over one under one pattern then do that for all the strands until you must wrap the last strand around your core."

Alan,

Is this referring to what Bruce Grant calls the cowboy button knot in his book?

[Alan Bell]

I had to go in my garage and dig out my copy of Grants book to answer that question and the answer is..... yes and no! This is the same as the start of what Bruce Grant is showing but after figure 2 ( of Cowboy knot in 'How to make Cowboy horse gear') you simply braid an over one/under one pattern the desired length. Grant is showing the spiral method and shows it to make a long button and for a noseband. I'm going to try and start using the spiral method just to add it to the things I can do but up till now I've used the braiding method for long knots.

Vaya Con Dios, Alan Bell

Fisher man row, you reap what you sow now

Bob Marley - Bend Down Low

[skinner]

Thanks to all who responded to this. It was just a different way to do a nose button. I will try it the next bosal I make. Alan's comments will sure help restore my memory.

Skinner