6 plait braid

[Kanga]

I dont know if I'll be able to explain this because I dont know the correct jargon, but here goes. I use 6plaits alot for making dog leads. Anything more would be impracticle as far as selling it goes, most people cant appreciate the time & amount of leather that goes into them.

Usually (as far as I know) most people do under, over, so it comes out as a simple diamond pattern with a 6 plait, so it's a bit fiddly, although it looks nice enough.

I have a really old roo hide dog lead it's gotta be at least 50 years old & is responsible for me becoming interested in plaiting in the first place. It's a 6 strand but has a pattern, not just the diamond. I showed it to a friend of mine who said he'd never seen it before. He's a clever bloke though & within a few minutes had worked out how to do it.

Here goes: You start with your 3 strands each side. Take the top strand on the left, take it round the back & go under one, over two. Then from the right, take the next strand in the sequence round the back & go under two, over one. When you keep repeating this you end up with a pattern of diamonds stripes down the sides & a two strand jump ???( I am sorry, I dont know how to explain it) down the other sides.

I hope that makes sense.

Linda

Edited July 7, 2007 by Kanga

[rharris]

Sounds interesting. Could you sent a picture?

rharris

[Kanga]

goodie it worked! Ok you are looking at a sequence where I've just taken one from the left & gone round the back to go under one, over two on the right. The next move would be to take the right hand lace & take it round to go under two, over one.

Linda

[rharris]

Linda

Thanks for the picture. I will have to try it and see how it looks.

Russ

[Alan Bell]

Robert Woolery mentions that braid in his book on Cowboy Horse Tack. It is one of 3 ways to do a 6 strand round braid. If you are in Australia you should inquire about Ron Edwards. He has written more books on braiding than anyone else on planet Earth!

Vaya con Dios, Alan Bell

[One Good Thing About Music.... When it hits you, you feel no pain] Robert Nesta Marley

[Kanga]

I have several of Rons books but he's never mentioned this plait that I know of. The only place I've ever seen it before is on the very old leash that I have.

Can you show us the other type of 6 plait please?

Linda

[Alan Bell]

Hey Linda,

I guess I could braid something up showing the other 6 plait or I could just tell you that it is under two over one, and it is called a 'half round'. I've never found a reason to braid it but in Robert Woolery's book he claims it can be used to braid up a reata or lasso rope. When I met Ron here in the states he said you Aussies don't use a rawhide rope much and he explained how they dehair one if they make it by basically breaiding it up hair on and then tying it to the bumper of a truck and dragging it around the station (ranch) until it dehairs and softens! He also did some quick sketches for those of us in the class and he IS an exceptional artist. I use the under, over 6 plait for hobbles and fancy reatas but that is about all that is really practical to braid. I bet that the 'half round might make a nice bracelet or wrist band though.

Vaya con Dios, Alan Bell

[Don't worry about a thing cuz every little thing is gon' be alright] Bob Marley

[Kanga]

Thanks Alan, I suspect what you call rawhide, we call greenhide. I have a wonderful old horseman friend who is still breaking in horses at about 87years old. He still makes & uses greenhide ropes.

As to the different 6 plaits, I suppose they'd just be used cause they're a bit quicker to do than just the diamond pattern.

Linda

[The Major]

As to the different 6 plaits, I suppose they'd just be used cause they're a bit quicker to do than just the diamond pattern.

Linda

That is exactly the case. When I plait a whip, I will do do the long method of any plait for the length of the handle, and then switch to the quicker methods after that. You can hide the transition with the upper handle knot. Otherwise if you do the long method, by the time you get to the end of a 10 or 12 footer, you are ready to throw it out the window. But there is nothing wrong with it, it does look really nice.

Ron Edwards does mention this method in his Whips and Whip Making book.

Edited July 17, 2007 by The Major

[Raven]

This came up in a search and I thought I'd give it a go. Once you get the knack this is really easy! I just did a little demo piece -

I was fine until I realised I have absolutely no idea how to finish this off What do you do when you want to finish off a braid?

[JLD]

Hi,

The braid you are talking about sounds like a 6 plait herringbone. Hope this helps.

Johanne

[Bigtyme]

I'm making a Bikers get back whip out of three colors I want it to be a diamond braid, but I can't it started right. This may sound crazy, but it seems if I'm not working with multiples of fours i.e. 4, 8, 12, 16 it's hard for me to do if the leather is not one color.

[roo4u]

that braid is in bruce grants encyclopedia one of 2 or 3 six plaits he shows. it is the only one i use for 6 plait leashes as i do not like the way an o1u1 looks in more than 4 strands.

[KnotHead]

The braid you are talking about sounds like a 6 plait herringbone. Hope this helps.

Johanne

Yes, that is a nice braid when it is done with two colors.