Whip experts, please help. Simple question.

[agent5]

If I put a bull whip away in complete darkness, will it's color not darken?

I want to try to retain as much of the original color of one of my DM's as long as I can. I will take it out every few months to pecard and crack it a bit but basically I know nothing can stop it from getting darker even in indirect sunlight. So, is it the air that makes it darker, the sunlight, or both perhaps?

In short, what's the best way for me to keep the color?

[ecwhips]

As long as you don't take it out in the sun or dress it too often, it shouldn't darken too much. I made a whip for my daughter about 6 months ago in natural tan and purple (like the one I have on Ebay now), but she's not even 2 years old yet so I just put it on the wall in her bedroom until she's old enough to learn how to use it. In all that time the natural strands haven't darkened one bit. But if you really don't want it to change color too much, keep it out of the sun. It's amazing how fast a whip will tan even with minimal exposure to sunlight.

Jim

[Mola Ram]

yea,

but dont put in full darkness either. As after time,
"stuff" can grow on it.

Adam

[Paul_Stenhouse]

Dear Agent5,

I would think that a whip will darken mildly over time, in part at least, due to oxidation, regardless of whether it's exposed to sunlight or not. If you really want to be sure, put the whip in a bag that has been purged with nitrogen gas (it's inert) and keep it in the dark.

However, I've never tried this experiment, so take my advice with a grain of salt.

Best Regards,

Paul Stenhouse

[IllinoisJones]

I did this a while back with my third whip, it turned out alright. Go to a local leather store, if you dont have one an upperclass shoe store should also carry it, and pick up die for it. It givs you the control of how light or dark to go, with a chance of hurting the whip. Illinois