Club Obi Wan

Major Mike

Most of the abuse in the whip comes at the tail end, and either a 12 or 16 plait will taper down to about the same at the tail. I like the look of the 16 plait, and if you are doing two-tone, there are some more options you can go with. I don't think the number of plaits really has much to do with h...

Major Mike

Reading some other threads here, I think what happened is the liner stayed the right size and the leather shrunk. I did have it pretty wet once, and layed it out flat to dry. So I wet it down again, rolled it in some towels to get rid of the extra water, and put it on. I kept pulling at the sleeves ...

Major Mike

I've had my FS Expedition for about two years and love it. However, I've noticed the liner sagging and creeping down to where it's hanging out of my sleeve. Has anyone else had this problem, and is this something that Flightsuits will repair?

Major Mike

550 cord or parachute cord are both names for the military issue green cord. There is a cheaper version out there with a bunch of dacron strands inside instead of the 7 separate cords, but either one will work. You'll get a flatter, smoother braid if you take the inner strands out. I tried one a few...

Major Mike

The CowWhip site (www.dallasdogsled.com/Whips/CowWhip.htm) has a pretty nice tutorial on how to make a nylon Florida Cow Whip. It talks about some of the different techniques used in making the nylon whips. I tried making one after making a number of leather ones and found out the following things. ...

Major Mike

I use spray shellac in an aerosol can. Not sure what the brand is because I'm not home right now. Just hang the whip up, shake the can and spray away. When it flakes off and you want to spruce it up, just spray on another coat. I shopped around several stores before I found it, so I don't think its ...

Major Mike

Tall sizes would be great (6'-3", 17.5"x37" shirt). Very frustrating finding a shirt that ends halfway down your arm, or ends up that way after washing. As to the extra wrinkly pleats, I've noticed that most pocket flaps, plackets (the front of the shirt where the button holes are) an...

Major Mike

Beautiful!! Stockwhip handles really let you get creative. That's one lucky performer.

Major Mike

Does the amount of extra length depend on the size of the core? The 1.5 rule works if the width of the strands and the width of the core match. For instance, if you had a consistent 3/8 in diameter core (for say a dog leash), your strands would all stay the same width, and so the length you would ne...

Major Mike

Got it. "The Diamond of Jeru", 2002.

Major Mike

I saw one in a movie that came out a few years ago starring Billy Zane as an American hunting guide in South America and Keith Carradine as a rich jealous husband looking for a diamond hidden in the jungle. I can't recall the name of the movie right now, but Zane's partner carried a Mark VII bag for...

Major Mike

I was talking with Mark Allen at the WWAC convention about whip construction and he was talking about a cable cored whip that I think Joe Strain was working on. The requirement was to have the cable slide through the whip (at this point I can't remember why), but the solution was to braid the whip o...

Major Mike

The achilles heel of a bullwhip is the transition from the hard handle to the flexible thong. There are numerous ways to make that happen inside, but the second belly adds opportunity to strengthen that joint. Weight is another reason. I've made some 4 foot bullwhips with just a single belly, and th...

Major Mike

Seigels of California sells alum tanned cowhide for falls. Their address is listed in the vendors page on Indygear main.

Major Mike

The plaiting looks good on it. I'd keep an eye on the transition between the plaiting and the fall. Just being tied on like that, its bound to come apart with hard use. How well does it crack?

Major Mike

I always thought that the shape of the shovel that Indy carried when they uncovered the Well of Souls was a bit odd, certainly different from US standards, but I often wondered if it was done as a unique period piece, or shaped like that for theatrical purposes. I'm currently in Djibouti, Africa wit...

Major Mike

I was visiting with David Morgan about a year ago and we got on the subject of amatuer whipmakers selling their whips. He said the problem is that there is not a discriminating marketplace out there that demands the quality like there used to be (way back when). People will buy anything. Among Indy ...

Major Mike

One of the things I found helpful from Mike Murphy's Fundamentals video is the three planes: side, front, and overhead. To learn the "S" crack, practice doing it in the front plane. Your normal cattleman's crack is done at the side, so the whip ends up cracking in front of you. To do it in...

Major Mike

It works good with jeans.

Major Mike

My sincere appologies, Janine, for getting your name wrong. I also take great pride in my name and heritage, but have one of those names that people mis-spell often. My last name is Moran, and people are forever writing it down as Morgan. Perhaps it was destiny that I became a whipmaker. Of course b...

Major Mike

of stockwhips. At the WWAC convention I was talking with Paul Nolan about whipmaking and of course, checking out the whips he had there. Then he pulls out a pair of Frasier Stockwhips and says "This is why I don't make stockwhip." They were BEAUTIFUL!. The handles were done in green, black...

Major Mike

Get yourself one of the pre-paid phone cards. It's the only way to go (after an $80 phone call from Norway one time). The bound journals are great. I bought the first two last year, and just ordered the other four. With the exchange rate I should have bought all 6 last year, but who knew? For the kn...

Major Mike

I was also at the WWAC convention, although I admit I spent very little time in the whip area. This year I had a breakthrough in my trick roping, and spent most of my time doing that. I did get a chance to talk with Paul Nolan for a while, and I watched Alex Green (whip coach) demonstrate the "...

Major Mike

If you're in St. Louis, get in touch with Paul Nolan. He's a whipmaker in your area and can probably walk you through the pros and cons of anyone's whips. He's on here occasionally. Look him up in the Member list.

Major Mike

I was going through the Tacoma newspaper on Saturday and came across and article about how the city finance director wanted to review the 157 page tax code to update it. In the code it talks about licenses required for different types of Theaters and Shows, such as vaudevill shows, moving picture sh...

Major Mike

Congratulations. Its always good to see someone succeed. I get a lot of joy from making whips, and I'd certainly like to be able to devote more time to it. Also good to see that the tradition lives on.

Major Mike

One thing I've noticed in my whipmaking is that with the higher plait, the strands are of course thinner and I can work them tighter around the core. Larger strands cover more area and float like wide tires on the beach. This makes for a tighter, stiffer whip intially, but the thight plaiting stays ...

Major Mike

Wow. The proportions are great. Beautiful work.

Major Mike

A young man was planning a hike through bear country and had done his research about what he should bring with him. He was told to put some small bells on his pack that would make noise and to carry pepper spray. Not long after he'd been hiking, he ran into an old hunter who'd been hunting in those ...

Major Mike

The hardest part of the strap is finding the right buckle, or webbing slide. Does anyone have a good source? I've been tearing up the electrons looking for one, but usually when I finally get it in hand, it just isn't right.

Major Mike

I believe it is a variety of people. Mark Allen has an interest in keeping the whipmaking skills alive, and so supports the work of numerous people. I don't know if there is a way to track who made a particular Lil Indy whip unless you talk to the folks at WSP and ask.

Major Mike

I seem to recall that Packer Tannery in Australia, who provides just about all the tanned roo-hide, has a fee they have to charge when they export to America for the cost of the paperwork to satisfy the government regulations here. This checks all the blocks for them to legitimately sell hides comme...

Major Mike

Robert covered it pretty well. $125 for the convention fee, $65 a night for a room, and meals are what you make of them. With a car, you can do a little shopping and have a bit more flexibility, but figure $20 a day for food, minimum. Part of your convention fee covers a banquet on the last day. Las...

Major Mike

I keep all my whipmaking tools in it.

Major Mike

Nice Job. I'm envious....

Major Mike

Wow, great to see I won't be the only one there.

Major Mike

It's like using hand cream. If you use too much, the extra just gets wiped off on something, and you can't use it too often (or so my wife tells me).

Major Mike

The Wild West Arts Club Convention is scheduled for 1-4 March 2004 in Las Vegas at the Tropicana Hotel. I went last year and had a hoot. Not much Indy stuff but plenty of whip cracking. I also met Sergei and Paul Nolan. I'm planning to go again, and was wondering if anyone also planning to go.

Major Mike

Another target idea are those door stops you see on bathroom doors. Its a small spring that screws into door down at floor level. Mount a few of them at different heights. When you hit them, they sproing (is that a word?), but you don't have to re-set them.

Major Mike

First off, practice slowly for technique, and don't worry about making a big crack. It hurts a lot less, and will help you develop the right habits. The whip should be moving in a line that is straight from rear to front. Imagine yourself standing on a set of railroad tracks. If you are hitting your...

Major Mike

Try using a laundry bag. Make sure the bag is large enough to fit over the hanger with the jacket on it. Cut a small hole or open the seam at the center of the bottom of the bag, just enough to fit the hook of the hanger through. Turn the bag upside down and slide it over the jacket and hangar. And,...

Major Mike

Paul,

Saw the movie, and the whips and whip work looked great. The whips look like they had some kind of metal skull ornament on the handle. Any idea what that is?

Mike

Major Mike

If I recall correctly, both Keppler and WSP sell the holsters for $75 so there isn't any savings. Because WSP buys in big orders and keeps things in stock, you may get quicker service from WSP.

Major Mike

Nice going, Paul. Can't wait to see the movie.

Mike

Major Mike

I was down talking with Marty at WSP about two months ago about this. He said that they try to keep a stock on hand, but had gotten a lot of orders a few months back, and sold out of what WSP had. When Marty tried to re-order from Kepler, there was a long delay. The order Marty placed had just come ...

Major Mike

Glad to be of help. Just passing on the kindness of those who helped me. It took my wife a few months to get used to this new wacky hobby, but I kept reminding her that I wasn't out on the streets, and its a whole lot cheaper to make 'em. Now that I'm getting better, I actually think she's kinda pro...

Major Mike

If it's just that one loose strand, you can take your fid and tighten that up from where it's loose and follow it around to the end of the strand. When you say you can move the head around about an 1/8 inch, you can try to tighten the whole turk's head, and the compression might help. Otherwise, the...

Major Mike

"Good judgement is what you get from experience. Experience is what you get from bad judgement". Some of the best advice I got from Paul Nolan was to keep a notebook with all the details of your whips and their construction. Draw pictures, take measurements, and write notes on what you did...

Major Mike

If you call between 7 PM and 3 AM East Coast time, you'll get Ron between 9 AM and 5 PM Queensland time.

Major Mike

The yearly membership dues are $36 Australian. The bound volumes of back issues of the newsletter are $33 AU each, so roughly $25 American for the membership and $20 American for each volume. I'm not really sure of the exchange rate now.

Search found 77 matches

FS Jacket Liner Creep

Raiders Shovel

Janine Fraser -- Man, does she have a pair....

Old Tax Code and Whip Cracking

WWAC Convention -- Anybody planning to go?