Cord Braiding

Aloha all -

Don't know if this belongs in the "carving" or "other" side of the creating tiki divide - but since carvers deal with this more, I'll put it here for now. My question is - where do you folks learn to do the fabulous braided cords for your carvings? Is there a secret website or book I should know about? Where do you get the materials? And finally - does anyone out there with mad braiding skills offer their services for $$? I ask all this because I'd like to braid one (or more) of my silver tikicoins into a necklace:

Mahalo for any advice, pointers, etc...

VanTiki

Hm... I just voted that this be moved to the "other crafts" side - as things seem a tad quiet response-wise over here S'okay - I wont take it personal - stiff upper lip and all that :)

Hey VanTiki, slow down a bit, things are still quiet from the holidaze. and besides most of us are still trying to learn how to do the cords properly. There is a book called Bone Carving and it goes into some detail about braiding with several pictures and diagrams. Find it at Amazon
http://www.amazon.com/Bone-Carving-Stephen-Myhre/dp/0790000393/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/102-5199221-5444948?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1186952155&sr=8-1
I found it a little helpful but not a lot for braiding.
But then I'm Old and slow!

myspace

[ Edited by: Benzart 2007-08-12 13:57 ]

There are plenty of websites that show you the various patterns, but I find the good old fashioned 3-plait the best and quickest - I can get a couple of feet of cord done in about 20 minutes. The secret to getting good results is tension...keep the non-working end attached to a hook or nail (tie a loop in it) and cross your threads over tight and hard. I pinch the area (with my left thumb and forefinger) I've just braided between each crossover to stop it unravelling from the tension. It's not easy to explain without being shown, but this may help. Lashings to finish the ends are another story - I learnt these from the book above. Keep it tight and practice, practice, practice!

van, try this stuff . . . artificial sinew

it's what i'm using and what paipo reccomended.

oh, and in case you want to do this while you watch tv or something like that . . . use a small pressure clamp. i don't want to put a nail into my bar, counter or coffee table. i use a mini squeeze clamp. works great.

Thanks everyone!

I'll put in a bid on some astro-sinew and get a-braiding.

You guys are the best!

EDIT - hey - I just headed out to "the bay" and was flummoxed by the various #'s of sinews offered. I am assuming that the # related to the thickness of the cord. What # do you folks recommend? Thanks again for the patient guidance! :)

http://www.vantiki.com

[ Edited by: VanTiki 2007-01-04 11:11 ]

I can remember what # I used, but it's extremely fine. I just twist as many strands as I want for weight into a single ply, repeat twice more and you're away. I did just hear from a friend in the US that he bought some of that stuff and had a skin reaction to it, after never having trouble with the ones I made for him...
This stuff (black waxed thread) is pretty good to use also.

15# is what i use. it makes about 1mil cord with three strands.

On 2007-01-04 13:44, pdrake wrote:
15# is what i use. it makes about 1mil cord with three strands.

Whew! Luck is with me - that is the size I got. Thanks again for all the advice - :)