My Turk's Head

[McFly]

I won this nylon snakewhip in a raffle at the Fingerlakes summit and it originally had no Turk's Head on the butt (just a wrap of leather), so after getting materials from the original maker (I believe it was his first attempt at making a whip?) and talking to Bernardo del Carpio to get some tips and encouragement, I spent the day learning how to tie the 5-part, 4 bight monster of a knot and working on the whip. After a small mishap, a Mountain Dew, and 3 or 4 tries, here's the finished product! What do you guys think?





It's pretty tight, which is something I was trying hard to do after the 3rd try, but unfortunately it was SO tight that I had some gaps from the nylon being so taut, and the very butt of the whip had some electrical tape exposed and I had to go around and do another pass, so one part of the whip has a 4 over 3 pattern instead of the 3 over 3 it looks like everywhere else. Also that shiny looking part on the second picture is a piece where I melted the nylon to keep the last strand in place after I went back to cover up the bottom.

Shane

[Marhala]

Shane, I think you did a great job. One of the most boring parts in whipmaking, at least for me, is precisely tying the Turk's head (and shaping it correctly ). What you did is an intermediate repair, and is a great accomplishment as I see it.

It seems to me that you didn't roll it? Did you? You should gently roll the whip between two boards to smooth it further. That will help with the shape a bit, and place the strands where they need to.

It is a matter of taste, but you can let the strands near the thong sit one over the other to give a neater result. I don't know how it would turn out in nylon. At least it looks good in leather.

BTW, which source did you use to tie it? Edward's, Grant's, Morgan's?

All the best,

Aldo.

[McFly]

Hey there! Thanks for the comment. I'm really proud of it because I've never braided ANYTHING before! But after hours and hours practicing, I think I got that one knot.

If you see in the first picture there's that strand near the handle that looks like it's sticking up more. That strand is actually sort of overlapping near the top end of it. It definitely gets cramped around there! I used a diagram from a Ron Edwards book, which Master Del Carpio graciously supplied me with. I haven't rolled it yet, since I started working on it yesterday at 10am and only finished at like 3am. As soon as that knot was on there, I knew it wasn't coming off, and I had snipped the ends and melted it all on, I was done!!

I really enjoyed tying the knot (at least the first try!). It's really amazing to see it start to all shape up together. It's a beautiful knot!

I think if I have to do it again, I need to get the right tools. I don't have a fid or a jumbo sewing needle, so for this I used a big paperclip and bent it out of shape to hold the nylon and feed it through.

Shane

[PyramidBlaster]

Yeah, McFly...Not bad for a first time!!! These knots still give me fits...But I've got a little more practice now, at least...And yes, rolling the knot will help smooth it out!

[McFly]

Here it is after being rolled a little bit. It looks a little better, I think.




Shane

[Marhala]

I used a diagram from a Ron Edwards book, which Master Del Carpio graciously supplied me with.
I haven't rolled it yet, since I started working on it yesterday at 10am and only finished at like 3am.

Shane

Isn't Bernardo always so kind?

And yes, it looks way better after being rolled.

10am - 3am Wow! That's perseverance, my friend!

Keep at it Shane.

All the best,

Aldo.

[Cracker]

Excellent job Shane. That you did this in one day, with only one Mountain Dew is really impressive. It took me much longer and liquids other than soda ( to drown my frustrations) to tie my first one

Keep it up!

Jim

[gsolideogloria]

Nice job Mcfly I still don't like tying those darn turks heads. The rolling definitely smoothed it out some. I can't believe you did it with a paperclip! A jumbo sewing needle definitely makes it easier. Keep it up.

Ryan

[twilekjedi]

Oh yeah, that DOES look nicer after rolling. Great job! It's always a bit daunting to take up something you've never done before. So perhaps we will be adding "whipmaker" to "whipmaster" after your name in the near future?

Just wondering, do you have any "before" shots of the whip? I didn't get a good look at it at the Summit.

[McFly]

Ryan - Thank you, sir! Actually, the first 2 tries I tried it was using toothpicks and a pencil!! The paperclip was like inventing the wheel. It was only yesterday that I discovered I had tires in my closet - I found the jumbo sewing needle!

Jim - Thanks a lot! I was tempted to pop open a Guiness, but went with a good old Dew instead. I understand the need for those other liquids though, definitely!

Aldo - You may call working 10am-3am perseverance... but I call it not wanting to have to pick up the stupid thing and work on it the next day! I didn't want to give up, but I really wanted to see it through.

Oh yeah, that DOES look nicer after rolling. Great job! It's always a bit daunting to take up something you've never done before. So perhaps we will be adding "whipmaker" to "whipmaster" after your name in the near future?

Just wondering, do you have any "before" shots of the whip? I didn't get a good look at it at the Summit.

Thanks, Twilek! I've thought about making whips before, but it's more daunting than just putting on the Turk's head. I will admit though that after putting that on and rebraiding part of the end of the thong, I felt like it was something I could do!

Here's basically what the whip looked like before - only without the nails (there was a staple instead).


Shane