Want to start making whips.

drewtheman · Post by **drewtheman** » Thu Oct 20, 2011 1:35 pm

Now that i started whipcracking, i want to push the hobby further, and start making them. any advice would be greatful. im starting to get some tools a little at a time and do some reading. thanks!

riku1914 · Post by **riku1914** » Thu Oct 20, 2011 1:55 pm

Nylon? Leather? Type of leather?

I suggest you do not start with cowhide, yes its cheaper but it's easier to learn on roo ( if you're wanting to use leather )

drewtheman · Post by **drewtheman** » Thu Oct 20, 2011 2:39 pm

I was leaning towards roo leather. thanks for the info. do you also use roo for the bolsters?

riku1914 · Post by **riku1914** » Thu Oct 20, 2011 3:42 pm

drewtheman wrote:I was leaning towards roo leather. thanks for the info. do you also use roo for the bolsters?

I suggest that you DO NOT use roo for bolsters. The whip will more easily become a wet noodle. You should use these, they're not

kip, but they will work fine:

http://www.tandyleatherfactory.com/en-u ... 7-331.aspx

get the 2-3oz. They are one sale CHEAP this month. I'm considering getting some myself.

As for roo, I suggest you use this place:

http://www.charleshardtke.com/pages/fin ... 523b370603
Unless you live in Australia that is.

If you have ANY questions, feel free to ask and somebody here will know the answer

edit: what do you plan as far as cutting strands go? Are you trying your hand at freehand cutting, or do you plan on using a

strander?

drewtheman · Post by **drewtheman** » Thu Oct 20, 2011 5:09 pm

I plan to do freehand. im waiting for the david morgan whips and whipmaking and start reading, and get familiar with what exactly what i need, as far as tools, leather, ect. thanks riku for all your help.

Oildale Jones · Post by **Oildale Jones** » Thu Oct 20, 2011 5:25 pm

Thanks, riku. Very helpful indeed. I just got Morgan's book last week (plus "Let's Get Cracking!") and have been spending time just learning how to braid with various leathers. (Fundamentals!) I'm sure I'll have plenty of questions as well in the near future.

ShanghaiJack · Post by **ShanghaiJack** » Thu Oct 20, 2011 9:55 pm

Hey Riku, I just ordered a couple of whipmaking books and am about to give whipmaking a crack

, sorry for the pun but it was irresistable, and would like to take advantage of Tandy's sale but have no idea how much leather to buy for bolsters. I'd like to make an eight footer. Do you have any idea how much of the tooling leather I'd need to make the bolsters for that?

riku1914 · Post by **riku1914** » Thu Oct 20, 2011 11:01 pm

ShanghaiJack wrote:Hey Riku, I just ordered a couple of whipmaking books and am about to give whipmaking a crack , sorry for the pun but it was irresistable, and would like to take advantage of Tandy's sale but have no idea how much leather to buy for bolsters. I'd like to make an eight footer. Do you have any idea how much of the tooling leather I'd need to make the bolsters for that?

Just get as small a hide as you can, since you're new to whipmaking. Be sure to tell them you want it to be about 6 ft. long though,

which should mean at least a 15 sq. ft. hide. I have a 18 sq. ft. bolster hide right now and at the longest it was 7 ft. You want 6 ft.

because the second bolster on an 8' whip is around 6' long, and you want to avoid any splicing when possible. A single 18 sq. ft.

cowhide should give you enough leather for bolsters on, let's say 7+ whips. I've used this current hide I have for bolsters on two

8 ft. whips, and I still have a good 2/3 + left of the hide. If you have a safety beveler, it's helpful to thin down the last 6-8

inches of your bolster, just to avoid any lumps and bumps in the whip.

If you ever want to PM me, I could probably get back to you quicker because I have it set up where I get an email when I get a

pm, and I'm checking my email more than the forums ( especially the last couple weeks, I've been waiting for replies from a lot

of people, because I'm trying to find a supplier of some good kip )

Marhala · Post by **Marhala** » Fri Oct 21, 2011 8:50 am

drewtheman wrote:I plan to do freehand. im waiting for the david morgan whips and whipmaking and start reading, and get familiar with what exactly what i need, as far as tools, leather, ect. thanks riku for all your help.

Even though David's book is a classic, I'm afraid to say it is not a beginners' whipmaking book. You should preferrably get Ron Edward's Bushcraft 9: How to Make Whips. When you learn the very basics from Ron, you can move on to what David writes, as he gives insight into many different techniques and styles.

Another book you should buy is Morgan's Braiding Fine Leather. That book gives you the essentials for working (that is preparing and braiding) kangaroo hide, which is a delight to work with BTW.

It is good to know you'll start doing freehand. You'll see it is much easier that you'd think of.

In case you want to give a try to cowhide, you should get thicker leather as in (5 oz ~ 2mm), to make a coarser whip.

Have a great weekend,

Aldo.

PyramidBlaster · Post by **PyramidBlaster** » Fri Oct 21, 2011 9:21 am

I've been making my own whips since '94, and have worked with everything BUT Kangaroo. I'm looking to change that this year; this is some good info!

I'll add my own two cents, and definitely second the 'start with something other than cowhide' sentiment. My first three whips were cowhide, before I went to Latigo and redhide. They are now retired, as the leather has not held up as well. They're still crackable, but the leather is just too soft to beat on them too much. The redhide models have all held up very well.

I've been working with nylon since '06, and it's a great medium to get started quick, easy, and cheap, and come out with a useable result...It's always nice to do a couple of whips to work out the beginner mistakes and techniques before you get heavier into it....But that isn't to say you can't put together a nice 'roo whip if you're careful, methodical, and take your time to do it right.

Having done both hand-cut and lacer-cut laces, I'll never go back to hand-cut again. Sure, it's more traditional and when done right it's amazing...But a simple little lace cutter made a huge difference, and I came out with an infinitely better result. It would have taken me years by itself just to be able to effectively cut by hand, and it's not a skill i'm wanting to invest in, unless I have no other alternative. Just my two cents, you're welcome to do whatever suits you...No one size fits all.

PyramidBlaster

ShanghaiJack · Post by **ShanghaiJack** » Fri Oct 21, 2011 9:33 am

Thanks for the info Riku. I imagine I will have a lot more questions once I actually get started and will definitely send you some PMs. Thanks again.

riku1914 · Post by **riku1914** » Fri Oct 21, 2011 10:11 am

I'm happy to answer whatever I can

I haven't read david morgan's whips and whip making, or Ron Edwards book, but I have

always heard that when you're very new to making whips, reading david morgan's whips and whip making is like attempting to

translate a foreign language you've never seen before. I'm going to be buying these books very soon ( I've been bad about getting

these good books, all my extra money has gone to tools and leather

)

As for the freehand - strander, I personally use a Dene Williams strander, and I really do love it. Freehand does have some great

advantages over a this tool though, and I'm wanting to learn freehand to cut my second belly freehand. For one, with freehand, you

can cut any width you want, the strand has a maximum width. I've heard a few people say that to learn freehand, it took them

practicing on one, maybe two hides. About the price of a DW strander

Either way, both take a little practice to get used to, but both produce great results.

drewtheman · Post by **drewtheman** » Fri Oct 21, 2011 11:33 am

thanks guys for all your replys. i will plan to get other books including ron edwards. riku how exactly does your strander works. looks like an awsome tool thanks.

riku1914 · Post by **riku1914** » Fri Oct 21, 2011 12:23 pm

drewtheman wrote:thanks guys for all your replys. i will plan to get other books including ron edwards. riku how exactly does your strander works. looks like an awsome tool thanks.

I'll explain in a little while, just wanted to let you know I got this message...

riku1914 · Post by **riku1914** » Fri Oct 21, 2011 1:10 pm

Ok, first a picture of it:

Uploaded with ImageShack.us

That flat metal piece you see at the top holds down the leather. It is attached to a spring so that it can be lifted, in and out. This

makes it easy to cut strands out of a yoke ( preferred to just cutting one at a time )

Next, the screw you see at the left, is the stopper. This is a setting for the minimum width you want to cut.

The bigger screw you see on the right is a setting for the maximum width you want to cut.

The little rod coming out of this screw, is spring loaded. What this is for, is when you're cutting, you push in on this rod, and it

moves the maximum setting over, so that you can both taper your strands, and cut wider at the stretchy areas. You can see

this stopper thing that moves with it, going at a right angle to the flat piece that lifts up and down I told you about.

Watch this video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GtoD2jWg ... 44B0630534

It shows the strander in action. If you want to see this full segment ( this is only about half ) check how it's made, and the

episode had : whips, automatic pizza makers, incense cones, model jet engines. The show didn't even have all of whip making,

but it had a fair portion of it.

Something else about the strander, you hold the strander the same way you do when freehand cutting, so using the strander

helps to learn freehand. I freehanded the wrist loop strands on my most recent whip, and they all came out straight and uniform.

Only thing I'm worried about is freehanding at a taper. The reason I want to freehand my second belly is because a couple times,

because of the natural variation of leather, the width of everything has turned out wide enough, that the DW strander's maximum

setting wasn't wide enough for the strands, the first 3 or 4 inches had gaps in them. Normally I wouldn't bind a belly, but I did

about 3" of closed loop binding just to make up for these gaps.

You can buy the strander, and if you want, the hand splitter ( great tool, I'm wanting to get one soon ) also made by Dene

Williams, HERE

drewtheman · Post by **drewtheman** » Fri Oct 21, 2011 1:33 pm

that is a sweet tool! i will check them out the more knowledge i know going into whipmaking the better! i might take a ride to tandy leathers, its about a 3 hour drive. thanks

riku1914 · Post by **riku1914** » Fri Oct 21, 2011 2:40 pm

drewtheman wrote:that is a sweet tool! i will check them out the more knowledge i know going into whipmaking the better! i might take a ride to tandy leathers, its about a 3 hour drive. thanks

I have 4 tandy's within a 45 minute drive from me, but more often than not I still order them to ship to me, because of gas being

so expensive 12 dollar shipping works out cheaper than the $20 of gas it takes. Just be sure you call them and talk to them to be

sure you get exactly what you're wanting. Be sure you specify you don't want the hide you're getting riddled with holes and scars,

I said once that I want " a very clean hide" and they sent me a hide that had holes and scars, but the edges were clean and didn't

need a ton of trimming

So just be very specific with them. They think they know what whip makers want, but they don't!

Oildale Jones · Post by **Oildale Jones** » Fri Oct 21, 2011 3:24 pm

I was mistaken. It's "How to Make Whips" (Bushcraft) by Ron Edwards that I got. The illustrations are extremely helpful.

riku1914 · Post by **riku1914** » Fri Oct 21, 2011 3:29 pm

That's the one, read it well

drewtheman · Post by **drewtheman** » Fri Oct 21, 2011 4:09 pm

ill make sure to call them and let them know about what i want .thanks i was just going to place the order online.

PyramidBlaster · Post by **PyramidBlaster** » Fri Oct 21, 2011 6:44 pm

The strander I use came from Tandy...I got it almost 20 years ago, and they still sell it. It's notable in the fact that it has an adjustable thumbwheel that allows you to tweak the strand width easily while you cut---It was easy to taper strands with it. It will cut strands up to 1/2" wide...I modified mine by adding a thin engineering ruler with 1/32" gradations under the guard so I can tell exactly how wide i'm cutting. At $29, it's worth every cent.

Here's a link:

http://www.tandyleatherfactory.com/en-u ... 82-00.aspx" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

riku1914 · Post by **riku1914** » Fri Oct 21, 2011 7:27 pm

The DW strander is made by the person that made that strander's son. Dene Williams, it has many improvements to that one. It's a

lot more expensive but its worth it in the end.

PyramidBlaster · Post by **PyramidBlaster** » Fri Oct 21, 2011 9:25 pm

Did not know that! That's kind of cool.

drewtheman · Post by **drewtheman** » Sat Oct 22, 2011 5:37 pm

I wanted to know how whips can I make off 1 kangaroo hide thanks.

Cracker · Post by **Cracker** » Sat Oct 22, 2011 8:12 pm

drewtheman wrote:I wanted to know how whips can I make off 1 kangaroo hide thanks.

I'll be interested in hearing the responses to Drew's question. I can not get an 8ft whip out of one hide the way I cut out the strands. I'm looking forward to other's responses.

riku1914 · Post by **riku1914** » Sun Oct 23, 2011 10:26 pm

An 8' whip I use a 6 sq. ft. hide and an 8-8.5 sq. ft. hide ( the 8 - 8.5 I use only for the overlay ) The 6 sq. ft. I use for bellies,

knots, wrist loop, those type of things, and I have a fair amount left over , enough so that you don't have to worry if you'll have

enough for the knots or whatever.

drewtheman · Post by **drewtheman** » Sun Oct 23, 2011 10:58 pm

Thanks for the info. Well I was going to order online from tandys leather, and not knowing there is 2 tandys leather within 10 min from me. it was a nice store very friendly. I asked them about whips and whipmaking and referred me to some books thay had there. one of the books was fine leather braiding by Morgan, so I picked that book and thay also have kangaroo. It's nice to see the leather before you buy.

louiefoxx · Post by **louiefoxx** » Sun Oct 23, 2011 11:12 pm

I made this 8 foot Morgan Style bullwhip from a 65 dm or just under 7 square foot kangaroo skin:

That one skin was used for 2 bellies, the overlay, both knots, wrist loop and I had a bit left over.

There are more pics of that bullwhip being made and finished on my blog (http://bullwhips.org) at:
http://bullwhips.org/?p=4761
http://bullwhips.org/?p=4814
http://bullwhips.org/?p=4820

Louie

drewtheman · Post by **drewtheman** » Mon Oct 24, 2011 1:36 am

Thanks for the pic Louie awsome whip for sure!! I was looking at the leather strander at Tandy wow! there expensive tools. I was wondering what you guys use as far as tools. And what I really need to get started.

riku1914 · Post by **riku1914** » Mon Oct 24, 2011 10:28 am

drewtheman wrote:Thanks for the pic Louie awsome whip for sure!! I was looking at the leather strander at Tandy wow! there expensive tools. I was wondering what you guys use as far as tools. And what I really need to get started.

You could use the Australian Strander, but if you want a tool made specifically for whip making, go to the midwestwhips site,

and get the Dene Williams strander. If you aren't wanting to use a strander, just teach yourself to freehand cut. Read what you're

supposed to do in a couple whips, and learn. I could bring myself to cut up two roo hides to learn, even though the price of two

hides is about the same as the strander.

http://www.midwestwhips.com/Tools.html

As for a splitter, this isn't necessary at first, even with indy whips, as david morgan didn't even own a splitter. I'm thinking about

selling my bad bench splitter I have and buying a Dene Williams Splitter. If you're using cowhide or kip or bolsters, you don't

even need to split those, because when the hides are being tanned, somewhere in the process they are run through a massive

splitter to get the desired thickness, so they're pretty uniform already. I will eventually get a good bench splitter for other

reasons though, but it is in no way needed when you're first starting.

PS- Don't get the tandy leather crafttool splitter, it's very inconsistent, and I even had it slice a strand / bolster in half a few

times...

edit: unless it's cowhide for bolsters, and it's on sale, I would suggest that you do not buy leather from tandy. Their roo, for

example, is VERY expensive, and, even when I got it on sale for 11.29 a sq. ft. I didn't like the leather. The leather that you

would get from Packer Leather or Richard Taubman, or, more locally, Charles Hardtke, is in 2.5-3 oz. weight. The leather from

Tandy was in, well they advertised 2 oz weight, but the majority of it was .7-.79mm. Too thin or whips, in my opinion. Only time

I personally would use leather that thin, would be if I were going for a thinner than the usual whip. But but in that case, I'd just

split the bolsters down thinner, as I'd rather have a less sharp splitter blade than a broken strand to deal with...

drewtheman · Post by **drewtheman** » Mon Oct 24, 2011 10:40 am

Yea the price for that splitter is 250 ouch! Well I decided to get the strander, just like the one you got. I was just thinking you have to split the kangaroo also. So I'll just wait on that tool. Once again thanks.

riku1914 · Post by **riku1914** » Mon Oct 24, 2011 10:53 am

drewtheman wrote:Yea the price for that splitter is 250 ouch! Well I decided to get the strander, just like the one you got. I was just thinking you have to split the kangaroo also. So I'll just wait on that tool. Once again thanks.

You don't have to split roo. Though, it's not like cowhide, it comes off the animal thin, so they don't run it through a massive

splitter, and it's less uniform. But again, you can still make a good whip without splitting the strands. I got that splitter you were

talking about for $190, off a company on ebay that buys things at elite pricing then sell them at around gold pricing. I think I can

get about $150 for it, slightly used, then I'll buy a DW strander. Let us know how everything goes

ShanghaiJack · Post by **ShanghaiJack** » Tue Oct 25, 2011 11:02 pm

I've managed to get my hands on most of the supplies needed to get started but had a couple of questions before doing so.

Until I make some plaiting soap using Paul Stenhouse's recipe, much appreciated Paul

, I was wondering if saddle soap woul be an ok substitute.
Second, has anyone built a portable plaiting rack as described in Ron Edwards's book on page 88? If so, do you have any plans that you could share?
Lastly, what type of whip is best to start off with, a stockwhip, a bullwhip, a snakewhip?

riku1914 · Post by **riku1914** » Wed Oct 26, 2011 9:30 am

ShanghaiJack wrote:I've managed to get my hands on most of the supplies needed to get started but had a couple of questions before doing so.

Until I make some plaiting soap using Paul Stenhouse's recipe, much appreciated Paul , I was wondering if saddle soap woul be an ok substitute.
Second, has anyone built a portable plaiting rack as described in Ron Edwards's book on page 88? If so, do you have any plans that you could share?
Lastly, what type of whip is best to start off with, a stockwhip, a bullwhip, a snakewhip?

I've heard a lot of people say a snakewhip is a good start since there is not "handle" and you don't need to worry about evening

everything out. However if you know the forumla's, it's easy to get, my first whip was a bullwhip.

I don't know about Paul Stenhouse's recipe, but I use the recipe found here:

http://whips.wordpress.com/

Scroll down some. However, I multiply this recipe by 2.5, since the lard I get comes in 2.5 lb. tubs, and my container won't

hold the recipe multiplied by 3 ( lard also comes in 3 lb. tubs where I buy ).

As for a portable plaiting rack, I didn't do the one in Ron Edwards book, but what I did rig up...

You see, before I learned that I liked plaiting from a hook a million times better than a vice, I had bought a small vice just for

whip making, which I mounted on a 2x6 so I could clamp it down anywhere. I didn't want to waste the vice, so, I got a 2x4,

bought 3 hooks,and screwed them in about a foot apart from each other. Then, I got another 2x4, and cut a piece about 3" wide

from it, and screwed this into the 2x4 the hooks are into. I did screws on each side, just as overkill but I didn't want it ever

coming apart. Also in the 2x6 the vice is screwed into, I have my splitter ( soon to get rid of ). So, it's a very portable plaiting

station. When I was to make crackers, I take the hook board out, and I clamp a drill in with the vice, and make crackers that

way. It takes like 30 seconds to switch from one thing to another. Here's a picture:

Uploaded with ImageShack.us

edit: I forgot your mention of saddle soap. I suggest that you DO NOT use saddle soap. Plaiting soap is the best stuff. That's it.

IT strengthens the leather a lot, and it's a very good lubricant. It IS NOT difficult to make. On my first whip I used leather

dressing as a lubricant because I was afraid of making plaiting soap. I know nothing about cooking, and it was imposing. It's

dirt cheap, and it's VERY easy to make. You just heat water ( know the saying " can you cook? " " I can boil water ..." ) almost

to a boil, then you grate up ivory soap, and put little bits in at a time, until it's all dissolved into the water. Then, you just

scoop the lard out and plop it in there, let it melt for a minute then get your mixer and mix it all up until there isn't any lumps

anymore. Then you simply pour it into your container, and put the lid on. What I do next is let is sit for 15-20 minutes, then

I'll use the mixer on it again and mix it well, then I'll just put the lid on, and put it in the refrigerator. It will be cooled through

and ready to use within the next few hours. Easy peasy.

ShanghaiJack · Post by **ShanghaiJack** » Wed Oct 26, 2011 10:05 am

Thanks Riku. I was planning on making the plaiting soap, but haven't had a chance to pick up any lard yet so I thought the saddle soap I have on hand might be an adequate substitute. But now I'll wait until I get a chance to make some plaiting soap. I think I might make a snakewhip anyways as I have some leather on hand from a previous project, but not a lot, I think I do have enough to make a small snakewhip.

Thanks for the photo of your setup. I haven't mounted my hook yet, and am still trying to figure out the best place for it to go.

riku1914 · Post by **riku1914** » Wed Oct 26, 2011 10:34 am

ShanghaiJack wrote:Thanks Riku. I was planning on making the plaiting soap, but haven't had a chance to pick up any lard yet so I thought the saddle soap I have on hand might be an adequate substitute. But now I'll wait until I get a chance to make some plaiting soap. I think I might make a snakewhip anyways as I have some leather on hand from a previous project, but not a lot, I think I do have enough to make a small snakewhip.

Thanks for the photo of your setup. I haven't mounted my hook yet, and am still trying to figure out the best place for it to go.

It takes about 30 minutes total to make a pretty big batch of plaiting soap, that's including cleanup. And it's worth it a million times

over. I'm glad you chose to do the soap. If you are able to make a shot loaded core for your snake whip, it'd probably crack better.

http://www.em-brand-whips.com/snakewhiptutorial.htm

If not, it probably won't be hindered too much, just the extra weight helps with the lack of a handle leverage.

ShanghaiJack · Post by **ShanghaiJack** » Thu Oct 27, 2011 12:34 am

Thanks for the link to the snakewhip tutorial.

Yup, I am planning on picking up some shot and lard for the plaiting soap this weekend. I might not actually have time to get started on the whip until next week though. I'm looking forward to getting started.

drewtheman · Post by **drewtheman** » Thu Oct 27, 2011 1:02 am

Let us know how your whip turns out! I should be getting my leather, by sometime next week.

riku1914 · Post by **riku1914** » Thu Oct 27, 2011 9:41 am

Definitely, I'd like to see how you guys start out

ShanghaiJack · Post by **ShanghaiJack** » Mon Nov 07, 2011 9:27 pm

I finally got around to making the plaiting soap today, but am wondering if I messed something up. What kind of consistancy should it have? Mine is really goopy, kind of like runny mashed potatoes. Does that sound right, or should it be harder? I would love to get started, but I am still looking for the lead shot for the handle, at a halfway reasonable price. Does anybody have any tips as to sources for lead shot other than gun shops?

riku1914 · Post by **riku1914** » Mon Nov 07, 2011 9:33 pm

Why do you want lead shot? Just use a leather core. As for loading the handle with lead, use this stuff here:

http://www.rotometals.com/product-p/leadsheet2pound.htm

The only time I use a short loaded core ( unless requested specifically ) is on snake and signal whips. Leather has plenty of weight

for the core of the whip.

riku1914 · Post by **riku1914** » Mon Nov 07, 2011 9:43 pm

Oh wait you're making a snake whip first right?

http://www.ballisticproducts.com/Lead-M ... oducts/68/

get number 12 lead shot.

I haven't ever bought my own shot, I have a bunch of 16 gauge shells but only one 16 gauge gun that I rarely use, so I've always

just taken the shells apart and put the rest of the shell in the gun and shot the firing pin ( be sure to do this because lets say it's

in a trash compactor in the truck and it goes off, it could start a fire ) . It wasn't number 12 shot, but it was small enough. I

should get some number 12 shot soon....

Oh darn that site doesn't have it in stock. Lemme find another. You could always just look in a phonebook for a reloading store.

I bet some people are thinking " who uses a phonebook when you have the internet "

can't seem to find any online, so find yourself a reloading store. I suppose anything as low as #8 would work ok. I think I even

used #7 in one of mine once, it didn't compact well as if I had use #12. You get a lot more weight in there using the #12

shot.

ShanghaiJack · Post by **ShanghaiJack** » Mon Nov 07, 2011 10:04 pm

Thanks Riku. I'll try calling some local shops tommorrow and see what I can turn up.

riku1914 · Post by **riku1914** » Mon Nov 14, 2011 10:48 pm

FOUND ONE!!! It's on back order... for February of 2012

It's a start though right

http://www.midwayusa.com/product/814885 ... -10-lb-bag

lol, anyway here, it has #11 lead shot available :

http://www.midwayusa.com/product/966591 ... -10-lb-bag

It'll work fine. I'll ask a couple whip makers where they get #12 lead shot.

ShanghaiJack · Post by **ShanghaiJack** » Tue Nov 15, 2011 12:04 am

Thanks Riku!

I've been busy, but am itching to get started. I'm a little worried about cutting the strands but think I am otherwise ready to get started, once I find some shot.

riku1914 · Post by **riku1914** » Tue Nov 15, 2011 9:39 am

ShanghaiJack wrote:Thanks Riku! I've been busy, but am itching to get started. I'm a little worried about cutting the strands but think I am otherwise ready to get started, once I find some shot.

Cutting strands is always the most difficult thing when you first start. I'm finally starting to get the hang of it where I don't have

to "think" too much about it. I still have to think a lot about it, but, well, I can't really explain it. You'll see once you get it.

When you need to do, to make your strands uniform, and to make the cutting easy on yourself, is measure what your plaiting over

every 6 inches or 12 inches. If it's a core, or something 4 ft. long or less, I tend to measure every 6 inches, for anything long

I tend to measure every 12 inches. You measure the diameter of this, a caliper is VERY helpful, then, you multiply this number by

4.5, then divide this by the number of strands you're using. Then, make a mark on your hide every 9 inches, if you measured

what you're plaiting over every 6 inches, or a mark every 18 inches if you measured ever 12 inches. This lets you know where

you need the width of each individual strand to be, because of cutting around the hide the strands will be different lengths. I

cut with the flesh side up because of this, just be sure you know where the bad parts of the hide are, it's easier for me to see

them on the grain side.

Also, because of the stretch of the strands, the 18" mark may actually be 20" after stretched, this is ok, because when you bevel

and resize the strands, you take off more. Remember, don't be too careful, you can always take off more, but can never add

some. Bernie Wojcicki said in one of his recent videos that if you're troubled by wasting leather, you should just quit. He says

that he's found over the years that being really careful with how you use the leather just doesn't pay.

Let me know if this makes sense, I'm not sure it will, but I promise you it works!