Darkening a kangaroo whip

[winrichwhips]

I was at the Wild West Arts Club national convention last week. I got to hang out with Paul Nolan and Chris Camp, as well as Ben Hughes, the 5-time Australian men's whipcracking champion.

The convention went well for me; I won the speed and accuracy competition cutting 10 styrofoam cups in 10.38 seconds, took second in the single whip free-style routine competition, and third in the double whip freestyle. Chris Camp finished second in the double whip freestyle, and I couldn't have lost to a nicer guy I was also awarded the WWAC John and Vi Brady Whipcracker of the Year award, which is quite an honor, since either Ben Hughes or Chris Camp could have easily walked away with it this year.

Anyhow, Ben Hughes told me that when he would get a whip that was too light he would rub in olive oil to bring up the weight. He said that it would also darken the leather. So, since I didn't sell the one kangaroo Indy whip that I took with me to Claremore, I went home and did a little experiment.

I rubbed in three heavy coats of olive oil, though I tried to take it easy on the handle as too much oil might cause it to loosen. Here's before and after pics:

BEFORE:

AFTER:


I should note that this whip was pretty much brand new before I put in the olive oil, so it is the oil that's about 100% responsible for the color change. Also, the leather used in this whip was not drum-stuffed, or oil-impregnated, like a lot of roo is, so there was more 'room' for the olive oil.

I would have sold this whip at the convention for $300, but nobody wanted it. Now that I 'fixed' the color it's back up to the regular retail price of $400. FYI, it's a 10 footer.

-Adam, www.winrichwhips.com

[Mike]

mmm... tasty.



I'm really impressed with the results Adam.

[whiskyman]

Wish I had the money.. I'd happily take it of your hands!!

If you end up hanging on to it for a while, please let us know how the colour develops - whether it fades again or continues to darken.

Hmmm maybe I should give some more thought to trading in my Morgan...

[Herr Jones]

Congratulations to you guys for placing so well are there any pics of the event or maybe a video clip of you guys performing?

The original color looks almost white or is it the just lighting? Olive oil eh . . . I wonder if the antioxidants in the oil will help give it a longer life . . . . "and I even like the color."

Best,
Herr Jones

[racerx]

Man! Adam you kicked butt, Congradulations!

Sorry to hear no one took that sweet whip off you hands, but I figure if you take it to Annie Oakley, it'll get snabbed up if you dont' sell it by then.

Incidently, are you going to the Ohio convention?

P''ditty Nolan told me that he liked the way the whip cracked, when he got to try it out,
so good onya my Brotha.

Well, I see my neighibor out cutting grass, making it nice for me to throw some, gotta go.

Laters.





Jim J.

[Dr._J]

Won't olive oil turn rancid after a while? I've heard of people not using neatsfoot oil for the same reason. I know it's not great for the leather, but I've heard of people "tanning" their whips in moderate sunlight for short periods at a time and using Pecards leather dressing to seal in the moisture.

Regards,

Dr. J

[Bufflehead Jones]

Dr. J, I was just about to ask the rancid question myself, but you beat me to it.

[winrichwhips]

About the rancid question, I don't know. I know that Simon Martin has a pair of whips made by Russell Schultz that were used by Ben Hughes and treated heavily with olive oil. Maybe Simon can chime in about how the whips are doing.

Actually, I've always wondered about using lard in plaiting soap, since I'd figure that lard would also go rancid, but the best plaiters in the world still use it as an ingredient. (though, if not lard, at least some kind of fat). I think natural oils only go rancid when they haven't been properly rendered. So it would be the impurities from other parts of the animal that went rotten, making the fat go rancid.

Yes, the whip would have darkened with exposure to the sun, but I also wanted the whip to be heavier. I love the way my 10 ft Morgan cracks, and I've come to the conclusion that it cracks well because it is totally loaded with grease, making it more dense than your average whip. So, I loaded this whip with oil so it would crack more like my Morgan. And after greasing it, it does crack more like my Morgan.

Another note about fat and neat's foot oil, a whipcracker and roper from Ohio, Eddie Rosco, has a few whips made by an American named Jim Schowe. I saw Eddie's whips last summer and got to crack them. Eddie uses a mixture of half mutton fat and half neat's foot oil on his whips. The whips were at least 30 years old and still cracking strong. So, I would say that using a light oil on a whip doesn't mean the death of the whip (all whips die sometime, anyhow), but the oil has to be used in moderation. I bet if you greased your whip with neat's foot oil, you'd only have to do it once, and very lightly at that. But that would only be when you absolutely can't get anything better, like Pecards.

I'm probably not going to go to the Ohio convention this summer. There's a really cool event closer to home the same weekend, and I could probably sell more whips there. I'm thinking of going to the New Jersey WWAC convention, and I suppose if I do I could meet up with Jim Markell.

Also, Ben Hughes gave me some really good tips on how to tune a whip, all of which I've put to use since I got back from Oklahoma. Ben told me about olive oil. I think the best whipcracker in Australia (if not the world) would know what will make a whip fall apart and what won't.

-Adam, student of the whip, as well as jizzive, dizzawg

PS: I want my whips to crack well, and I want people to crack them. After having made whips for lots of people, I've realized that if a whip doesn't crack well for a person, they won't crack it. Of course, if they don't use the whip, it will probably last forever. With this whip, I'd rather oil it and have it crack great for 5 years, get used ALOT, and get worn out than have it not crack great, not get used, and last 100 years. It's all about the crack, people.

[ecwhips]

I'm probably not going to go to the Ohio convention this summer. There's a really cool event closer to home the same weekend, and I could probably sell more whips there. I'm thinking of going to the New Jersey WWAC convention, and I suppose if I do I could meet up with Jim Markell.



-Adam, student of the whip, as well as jizzive, dizzawg

Hey Adam,

That would be great if you came out this summer. The only thing is, the NJ WWAC convention is not the best by any means. One because it's held outdoors at this little pretend western town, and if the weather is bad there's no alternative venue to hold it in so it just gets cancelled. The other reason is that very very few people come out to crack whips. I've been there a few times and there are rarely more than 5 or 6 whip crackers. There were about 12 the first time I went, but it's usually half that amount if you're lucky. But keep me posted if you're coming and we'll make a good time of it.

Jim

[BullWhipBorton]

Adam, First of all Congratulations on such an excellent showing at the W.W.A.C. convention. The John and Vi Brady award especially is a very high honor, you should be very proud of that accomplishment and recognition. What kind of whip did they present you with?

Olive oil has long been used as a leather lubricant and conditioner. You can even melt beeswax into it to make it more like a paste or balm. A little tends to goes a long way though and it is known to soften leather. The main trouble with olive oil is that oxygen, heat, and light will cause it to go rancid and like all vegetable oils it will eventually go bad. In addition to the foul smell, it becomes sticky an gummy. As with neatsfoot oil, light oils (The kind that are liquid at room temperature) can easily over saturate leather causing the fibers to swell and loosen, weakening it in a similar way that water can. If you use too much you might get mushy, oily leather. Not to mention the fact that it is more likely to hold moisture which can start to rot the leather and act as a food source it making mold a potential issue as well. Vermin are also attracted to the smell. I have heard that light oils also tend to evaporate faster out of the leather, so you have to reapply them more often. Basically, when it comes to leather if you have to use oil, a little is ok in moderation but a lot is very bad. The same can be said with hard fat type leather dressings as well though, you dont want to over dress your whip.

There many schools of though on what will and won't hurt a leather whip when it comes to leather dressings and oils. With all the things I’ve heard of people using on their whips, from various tallow recipes, steak fat to neatsfoot oil and even neutrogena soap, nothing really surprises me any more. Some people (including a few well known whipmakers, will even tell you not to use anything with petroleum based products (I.e. Pecards) on leather whips. For the most part though whips tend to go the distance better, not so much due to what the owner is conditioning them with (Within reason), but rather that the owner is conscious and consistent about taking care of them.

Ben Hughes being a five time Australian whip cracking champion and unquestionably one of the best sport crackers in the world only tells me the he knows how to crack whips and he know how to get the most out of them. Not that he’s an expert on leather care or keeping his whips in great shape for years and years to come. Now I don’t mean that disrespectfully I only know him by reputation and that is a good one at that, but I don’t know where he leaned that trick, the use of olive oil tends to be one of those old timers tricks, before they knew better and didn't always have 'the right stuff' available to use.

About twenty years ago I had an old latigo bullwhip, it was nothing special, but it was tough and was my primary whip at the time. I had been using for a few years already with out giving it much looking after (this was long before the internet and information wasn’t so easily available back then). It was getting dry and looking a bit rough so I asked a local “old timer” who seemed to know a thing or two about leather care, what I could use on it, he said just rub the entire whip down real good with vegetable oil. Well I did just that and it worked great the first few times, it added some weight, darkened the leather up and made it look shiny and nice. However the oil in the leather eventfully went bad and the leather started to stink of rancid vegetable oil. It also seemed to speed the deterioration of the whip as the leather started to break down faster after I oiled up, at least faster then it would have if I just left it alone. Well I cleaned it up as best I could but stopped using that whip for those reasons. It wasn’t till a few years later when talked with David Morgan, and learned about Pecards products that I was able to stop the damage I had done, and stabilize and restore the leather enough to keep it as a heirloom of sorts.

Now, I don’t consider my self the know it all source on leather care or whips so I won’t contradict you or Ben. I do know what works for me and I am sorry to say, I wouldn’t pay 400 dollars for that whip knowing that it had been soak with olive oil, no matter how well it cracked. That might sound a bit harsh, but a great whip maker should be able to make a well-balanced whip that cracks with fluidity and ease with out using a short cut like weighting it with a lot of oil. I have never heard of Joe Strain, Mike Murphy or Janine Fraser etc. oiling up their whips like that and I would be surprised if I did. Certainly everyone has their own personal preference on how a whip should feel, some like them light and quick others heavy, but that’s why you have a whip maker work with you to make a whip that fits your individual needs. Oils and dressing should only have to be used to keep the leather in good shape. With that said, They are your whips so do with them as you please, if it works for you and there are not ill effect, thats great more power too you and if it doesn’t work out you can always make new ones. If someone else is thinking about they trying this with a new $800 Morgan bullwhip to make it look more like Indy’s or use it on a $700 matched pair of Mike Murphy stockwhips to try to get a lil extra oomph out of them, then its something I would recommend investigate deeper by talking to other whip handlers and makers first before just jump in feet and try it. Anyway, that’s just my 2 cents on the matter for what ever its worth. Hopefully I didn’t ruffle any feathers as that was not my intent.

All the best

Dan

[Paul_Stenhouse]

Well put, Dan.

Adam, do you know for sure that your Morgan whip is saturated with dressing, and that's why it cracks? Or, is it a personal theory of yours? I had a Morgan whip awhile back. I thought it was well balanced, and did crack well. I only oiled it a couple times a year with Pecards in the two years I owned it. Just curious as to why you stated that about your Morgan.

Best Regards,

Paul Stenhouse

[winrichwhips]

Hi Dan,

Thanks for your input.

What I will say about Ben is that he is hard on his whips, as he is a strong whip cracker who practices a lot. As a whipcracker, his main interest is to get a whip to crack the way he wants, regardless of how long it will last.

I guess I could have gotten input from other whipmakers/crackers before I went and put olive oil on this whip. Probably the best thing I can do now is keep it in my collection and see what happens to it. I wasn't going to grease it again, but I might start Pecarding it.

Yes, you are right about how a good whipmaker should be able to make a well-balanced whip without resorting to tricks. With this whip that I oiled, the customer (who cancelled his order) wanted a whip with a handle that looked 'long' so that meant making an Indy whip with a small diameter. That meant sacrificing balance for cosmetics. Now I'm sacrificing longevity for balance with the olive oil. If I had made it the way that I wanted, with the diameter that I wanted, I wouldn't have had to use olive oil.

Call it a $400 experiment. Now I'm going to go outside and crack the heck out of it, and maybe crack some of the oil out of it too

Paul,

I'm not totally sure about my Morgan, but after comparing it to other Morgans the leather in my whip seems greasier, and my Morgan whip does the flick better than about any other Morgan that I've picked up.

-Adam

PS: For anybody worrying about my sanity as a whipmaker, this is the ONLY whip I've ever put olive oil on, and with all my other whips I only grease them with Pecards, and with the whips I make I dress each layer with Pecards before putting on the next layer.

[The_Edge]

Adam,

Congrats on the speed challenge win! If you don't mind, please indulge my curiosity...

I'd like to know the specs of the whip you used in the speed competition. Thong and handle length? fall length? Balance? (light? medium?) Plaits? Number of Bellies? That sort of thing.

Also, what technique did you use? Straight forward cattleman's or overhand casting or cross cutting, etc..? Did you pull the whip back at you during the cut for a rapid recoil and return? Or do a complete follow through and reset?

Thanks.

- Kyle

[IndyTaz]

Adam, Congratulations on such an brilliant showing at the W.W.A.C. convention. God on ya mate:)

Regards
TAZ

[winrichwhips]

Hi Kyle,

I used the same bullwhip that I used when I attempted the Guinness record for the most bullwhip cracks in a minute.

Here are the specs:

6 ft 3 inch bullwhip, 12" handle, 30 inch fall, 8-plait veg-tanned cowhide, one plaited belly, two bolsters (one over the steel rod, then one over the plaited belly). It's pretty light weight. PM me your email address and I can send you a pic of the whip.

I used the straight forward cattleman's crack. For practice I used the smallest dixie cups I could find and put them on my target stand. Come competition time the styrofoam cups looked huge.

Dan,

I just got done cracking the 'olive' whip for about 45 minutes, and it almost seems that the oil is coming out of it. When I first oiled it, the point did look like it was 'wet.' Now it the color is getting lighter and no part of the whip looks 'wet.' I think the hardest thing with this whip will be not selling it. There is just this innate drive in me to sell any whip that I've made.

-Adam, www.winrichwhips.com

[midwestwhips]

Hi Dan,

Thanks for your input.

What I will say about Ben is that he is hard on his whips, as he is a strong whip cracker who practices a lot. As a whipcracker, his main interest is to get a whip to crack the way he wants, regardless of how long it will last.

I guess I could have gotten input from other whipmakers/crackers before I went and put olive oil on this whip. Probably the best thing I can do now is keep it in my collection and see what happens to it. I wasn't going to grease it again, but I might start Pecarding it.

Yes, you are right about how a good whipmaker should be able to make a well-balanced whip without resorting to tricks. With this whip that I oiled, the customer (who cancelled his order) wanted a whip with a handle that looked 'long' so that meant making an Indy whip with a small diameter. That meant sacrificing balance for cosmetics. Now I'm sacrificing longevity for balance with the olive oil. If I had made it the way that I wanted, with the diameter that I wanted, I wouldn't have had to use olive oil.

Call it a $400 experiment. Now I'm going to go outside and crack the heck out of it, and maybe crack some of the oil out of it too

Hi Adam,

Man that was a fun week. I agree with you Ben is very hard on his whips, that is for sure, and boy is it a joy to watch him crack. I quite enjoyed him and his father Charlie's company as well.

I was very surprised when he said that about the olive oil, but it does make sense for him. I know that just greaseing them with regular pecards or Fiebings can add a little extra weight to them.

I'm not with you on that sacrificing longevity for balence though. I cracked that whip at the convention before you used the olive oil and I thougth it cracked great! It's actually one of my favorite 10 foot indys that I've ever cracked. I'd be interested to give it a crack now.

Regards,

Paul Nolan
MidWestWhips

Ps- And congrats again on sweeping the competitions along with Chris and Ben, all three of you were in great company, each others, ;-)

[winrichwhips]

I have never heard of Joe Strain, Mike Murphy or Janine Fraser etc. oiling up their whips like that and I would be surprised if I did.

Dan,

Those whipmakers probably wouldn't oil their whips the way I oiled this one, and if I were making a whip for somebody I wouldn't oil it like I oiled this one. However, there might be a whipCRACKER out there who WOULD oil his whip like this (such as Ben Hughes, who used olive oil on a pair of Schutlz whips, oh the humanity! or whipanity, or whatever). So, my oiling this whip as an experiment was not done as a whipmaker, but done as a whipcracker.

As a whipmaker, I think a whip is about as perfect as it's going to be the moment I get done with it, aside from maybe being lovingly broken in. As a whipcracker I learned that just about any new whip might have to be tweaked and tuned before it does what you want it to.

So, now it's a battle between who knows whips: the whipmaker or the whipcracker. I think it will result in my developing schizophrenia.

Oh, and Dan, don't worry one bit about ruffling my feathers. In my other life I'm a blues harmonica player, and the older musicians ruffle my feathers ALL THE TIME! Never a gig goes by when I don't get my knocks. So, with all that practice, I had better be able to get my feathers ruffled in the whip world. I'm young, I can recover

-Adam

[Simon Martin]

Man it's taken me half an hour to read all that's been written Hopefully I haven't missed anything, but WOULD have tended to agree with Dan. But since I have known Ben Hughes, and he uses olive oil quite often, I have found it doesn't seem to have any effect on the whips apart from making them heavier(which is what Ben Hughes likes because they give a louder crack, which is important in competition). The ones of Russels that I got off Ben were used to win the 2001, 2002 and 2003 Australian Championships. There is nothing wrong with the leather on these whips at all apart from the keepers, but that is becase Ben cracks his whip with a lot of power and puts a lot of strain on the keeper area. When he first got me to make whips for him I came up with adding a plaited keeper over the top of the normal keepers for extra strength, which I have found out Peter Jack was actually doing well before I was. Anyhow the whips are around 6years old, but that is not a lifetime. It would be interesting to see how long the leather would last if they were continued to be used.
Personally I would rather use something like Pecards, Oakwood or Jay-el. Whatever you do keep away from neatsfoot oil as this is known to rot the leather.

Back to Ben Hughes, He is the best whipcacker in the world without a doubt, but he needs to learn how to look after his whips better. I know him well enough not to offend him if he reads this. Also he would be the first to admit that he doesn't really look after them very well. He called into my shop yesterday and it was great to find out all the happenings at the WWAC convention and all about the top whipmakers whips in the US.
I really wished I have been able to go to the convention. Next year I am definately going to try and make it. He said it was very hard to leave and come back as everyone was so nice to him.

As to Adam's whip I would not have a problem buying it even if I knew it was loaded with olive oil. Anyway it looks very nice!!

Indy Taz.
Your really going to have to come along to our next get together in Devonport on the 3rd of June because I'm sure you would enjoy it. If Ben's not back in the US he will definately be coming along. Also both of us will be up at Agfest, my site is in the craft shed at J12. He will be cracking whips in the central arena all three days.



Kind Regards

Simon

[IndyTaz]

Thanks Simon for the invite. I am sure I would enjoy it. I have been meaning to come along but any trip is a logistical nightmare with 4 kiddies lol. Plus I was waiting for my own whip before I show. I'm going with a 10ft 12 plait Indy from Giovanni for my first. He's done such a great offer for COW folk I finally bit the bullet. Hopefully you guys can show me how to use the thing as I have no idea

Regards
TAZ (Christian)

[Simon Martin]

Hi Christian

There's no need to have you own whip as there is plenty of mine to borrow. It would be better for you though if you could learn on the one you are going to use. Do you think you will have it before the 3rd of June, as it would be great to see it.

See you round.

Simon

[ecwhips]

,


PS: For anybody worrying about my sanity as a whipmaker, this is the ONLY whip I've ever put olive oil on, and with all my other whips I only grease them with Pecards, and with the whips I make I dress each layer with Pecards before putting on the next layer.

Hey Adam,

Maybe you're onto another whole area of marketing whips. You could sell a whip and a whip kit consisting of a fall, crackers, olive oil, fresh ground pepper and a loaf of Italian bread! All kidding aside, I think the whip will probably be fine. I know this was already mentioned here, but I can't imagine it being any worse for the whip than some of the fats used in plaiting soap. But only time will tell, I suppose.

Jim

[BullWhipBorton]

No worries Adam, Consider it a learning experience that’s generated some really great discussion. I just didn’t want come off sounding like I was scolding you or something. (You know, Bad Adam, you oiled your whip, now go to your room ). Experimenting with what works and what don’t is big part of whip cracking and whip making. There is a lot of information to take in, some good, some not so good. Just have to sort though it all and find what works best for each individual. I’ve know whip crackers to put worse stuff on whips with out to much ill effect, so It’s not like that bullwhip is ruined. Ironically at times i've recommended doing much the same thing with those Mexican whips by telling people who really want them that soaking the them in neatsfoot oil for a day or two and letting the excess drip off it will help give the whip the added weight and flexibility to practice with it while they wait for their real whip to be made.

We probably all do things at one time or another that is hard on our whips and I thought that might be the case with Ben. At that level of sport cracking you want whatever extra push you can get and I certainly can understand that point of view. Being able to go through pair after pair of whips with out worrying about them in the long run is a luxury many don’t have though. I was more concerned with the one of the more impressionable whip crackers reading that, and thinking “hey that sounds like a good idea, I think I’ll try it” and suddenly they are searching the pantry for that bottle of extra virgin olive oil with out thinking it through. I am glad to hear that there hasn’t been any noticeably a problem with the whips Simon has. As I mention Olive oil has been used for years on leather, some people swear by it others avoid it. If your happy with the way the whip is, great, no doubt it’s a fine looking whip. It’s just that I’ve had bad experiences with light oils in the past, so I tend to veer away from that school of thought on leather care. Still, if you wanted to sell it and the olive oil was a sticking point, you could always degrease it and use pecards to add back the better oils and the weight, as well as help to neutralize any negative effects of the olive oil could have in the long run.

If that don’t work, soak the popper in vinegar and start target-cutting vegetables…. “For my next trick, I’ll whip up a salad”

Dan

[jabahutt70]

Adam,

Congratulations on the speed & accuracy competitions, as well as the Brady Award. I've never been to one of those conventions, yet anyway, but it sounds like a blast! I'm curious about the 'olive oil' whip~ you mentioned that some of the oil seemed to be coming out of the whip after cracking for 45 mins. What about the weight difference now~ does it seem a bit 'lighter' again? Does it still feel closer to the weight of your Morgan as when you first put the oil into it?

Simon,

I hear congratulations are in order for you as well in the Sydney Royal whip-making competition. Did you finish third in the stockwhip & bullwhip categories? Also, I was wondering if you, or anyone for that matter, had some pics of those whips that you could post.

Steve.

[Simon Martin]

Thanks for the congratulations Steve. There is just so many fine craftesman in this country that one has to keep striving to improve all the time. Here's the results to the plaiting.CLASS: 232 Plaited Leather Stock Whip. Measurements of stock whip must be stated on the Application for Entry.

STOCKWHIP:
1st 2646 MR CHRIS - ARCADIA VALLEY VIA INJUNE QLD 4454
2nd 2648 MR BILL GLASGOW - TOOWOOMBA QLD 4350
3rd 2649 MR SIMON MARTIN - DEVONPORT TAS 7310
Highly Commended 2647 MR PETER ELLIS - COOROY QLD 4563


CLASS: 233 Plaited Leather Whip other than a stock whip, e.g. buggy whip, bull whip, dog whip, riding crop etc.

1ST 2654 MR BILL GLASGOW - TOOWOOMBA QLD 4350
2nd 2656 MR MICHAEL MURPHY - MUNDARING WA 6073
3rd 2655 MR SIMON MARTIN - DEVONPORT TAS 7310
Highly Commended 2653 MR PETER ELLIS - COOROY QLD 4563

I don't have picture of the others (although I know Chris has a photo of his VERY NICE stockwhip on his website) whips but here is mine:




The stockwhip is a 7ft, 24plait thong and 32plait handle with "DOWN UNDER" plaited in the handle. The bullwhip is a 40plait with a map of Tasmania plaited into the handle and a emu leg leather ferrule with crocidile teeth fitted in.


[/img]http://www.whipmaker.com.au/images/Bullwhip55%20[/img]


Hope you enjoyed looking.
Kind Regards

Simon

[Condor]

Cheer, it is superb!

[winrichwhips]

Jabahutt,

Well, when I first greased up the whip, the point had a wet look to it, but now it looks dry. Either the olive oil soaked into the whip or it evaporated. Either way, I think the whip still cracks better than before I put the oil on it. Maybe cracking it helped the oil move further into the whip or something.

If there wasn't all this controversy about olive oil, I'd try making a whip with the bellies greased with olive oil to see how it would make the whip crack. I think the whip would crack louder as the grease would add extra weight. Right now I grease all the layers in my whips with Pecards, but Pecards isn't a very heavy leather dressing.

Simon,

Nice looking whips! Reminds me that I'm gonna have to get working on my next 24-plait bullwhip pretty soon.

-Adam, www.winrichwhips.com

[jabahutt70]

Simon, those whips look fantastic! I checked out Chris' Website as well~ top notch looking stockwhips. The competition must be incredibly fierce, just looking at the photos makes my jaw drop. I' sure they handle just as superbly. I noticed Mike Murphy placed 2nd for, I assume, a bullwhip entry, but didn't place in the stockwhip category. Did he enter a stockwhip? Anyway, I'm always thoroughly impressed seeing photos from makers like you and others from Australia and COW. Thanks for the enjoyment, and nice job!

Steve.

[midwestwhips]

Jabahutt,

Well, when I first greased up the whip, the point had a wet look to it, but now it looks dry. Either the olive oil soaked into the whip or it evaporated. Either way, I think the whip still cracks better than before I put the oil on it. Maybe cracking it helped the oil move further into the whip or something.

If there wasn't all this fxxxgxn' controversy about olive oil, I'd try making a whip with the bellies greased with olive oil to see how it would make the whip crack. I think the whip would crack louder as the grease would add extra weight. Right now I grease all the layers in my whips with Pecards, but Pecards isn't a very heavy leather dressing.

-Adam, www.winrichwhips.com

Hey Adam,

There's no controversy, just difference of opinion.

And try making one with the bellies greased with olive oil, you don't need anyones permission or approval. If you want to try it out, go for it and do some experimenting! I'm curious to see how it would turn out.

Regards,

Paul Nolan
MidWestWhips

[The_Edge]

Hi Kyle,

I used the same bullwhip that I used when I attempted the Guinness record for the most bullwhip cracks in a minute.

-Adam, www.winrichwhips.com

Adam,

Thank you much. I was surprised by the whip being 8 plait cowhide with a single belly. Very interesting. Thanks again.

One of these days I might actually try and attend the WWAC. Sounds like a good time.

- Kyle

[Herr Jones]

I thought you were suppose to saturate the core and bellies of the whip with dressing as it acted like a reservoir and not let the whip dry out from the inside.

Simon congrats to you also, your whips look excellent. What kind of teeth are those on the bullwhip?

Best,
Herr Jones

[winrichwhips]

Herr Jones,

For my whips, there is Pecards and plaiting soap on every layer, but those dressings don't penetrate like olive oil does. But there is grease inside the whip, that's for sure. I feel that Pecards between the layers more prevents the leather from loosing any oil added during/after the tanning process.

If I did experiment putting olive oil on the inside of a whip, I wouldn't saturate each layer, as it's the saturation that ruins the leather. I'd only rub in a light coat of oil.

-Adam

[Robert Duke]

Adam Winrich wrote: I was at the Wild West Arts Club national convention last week. I got to hang out with Paul Nolan and Chris Camp, as well as Ben Hughes, the 5-time Australian men's whipcracking champion.

I feel I was snubbed

All kidding aside, I had a great time hanging out and competing with you all. Adam is by far the future of American championship whipcracking. You were good last year and much improved this year.

At least I got to beat Chris Camp out of 3rd place for the Single Whip Freestyle & Technique competition. Not near as satisfying as winning overall points for one & two whips last year though. Ben Hughes definitely took it all deservedly this year.

Folks, I saw Adam's 10 foot bullwhip mentioned at the convention, and it was a beauty. He was selling it for $300!!! That was a bargain, my gosh.

Adam, I see no rush to sell that whip in a hurry. I wouldn't discount it for the "mistake" of olive oil on it either. I seriously doubt that you hurt it in the smallest way.

I enjoyed the rapport with all of the competitors there this year. I got to know Chris Camp better and spent a little time with Adam Winrich and Paul Nolan. I never got to have that beer with Ben Hughes as we promised each other. Maybe next year mate?

Now that I'm over 50 the whipcrackers need a "Masters Division" because we get beat up so bad by the youngsters.

Congrats to Ben, Chris and Adam for the fine showing.

btw, did we ever have a "Most Cracks" contest? It got cancelled the one day and never heard about it again. Of course I missed the last day which is the most entertaining because I had a show to do in Texas at the Cattle Baron's Ball which was located at the Freeman Ranch in San Marcos.

Adam, for clarification, was the 8 plait cowhide whip what you used for the cups?
I used my 8 ft Joe Strain LoneStar to smash them and well it did, but by about the 6th cups on, that sucker got heavy. Next time I need to use a lighter whip. Still the 8 ft is the way to go to avoid the disqualification penalty for going over the line. Thats a new rule on me. Last year it was a 5 second penalty for each cup your foot was over. The 6 ft whips were barely making it and caused folks to lean over too much into the "dead zone".

[winrichwhips]

Hi Robert,

Here's what I wrote about the whip I used in the speed and accuracy competition:

I used the same bullwhip that I used when I attempted the Guinness record for the most bullwhip cracks in a minute.

Here are the specs:

6 ft 3 inch bullwhip, 12" handle, 30 inch fall, 8-plait veg-tanned cowhide, one plaited belly, two bolsters (one over the steel rod, then one over the plaited belly).

It's a 6 ft whip, but the difference is the 30" fall. I'd say I was at least 8 inches away from the line at all times. Mark Mulligan commented that it'd be better if they put up a kick board for the toe line like they do at the DFW WE gatherings. Then you could get by with a shorter whip and not worry as much about scratching. This year at the WWAC event you were immediately disqualified if you crossed the line.

With the 'olive whip', I like the color better now, and the olive oil gives me a good excuse to keep it. Now I'll have an Indy whip that I made to show at the events I'll be attending this summer.

This year at the WWAC convention was great. About the only thing I want to see next year is Chris Camp in the showcase. I think he could have been 'Whipcracker of the Year' for all the years he attended the convention if he had only done the showcase. And Chris, it doesn't hurt to pick up a couple Australians at the airport, either Seriously, Chris, DO THE SHOWCASE! I'm just a whipmaker, you're the performer.

So, everybody bug Chris to do the showcase next year.

-Adam

[astroboy]

That's a good diference...will try on my kangaroo whip as it felt a bit light lately...