But without further ado:
This is my new 8' Nolan.
The specs: 8' 12 plait natural tan kangaroo that drops down to a 8 strand point.
8" spike handle, standard for an Indy, though the checkerboard pattern on the handle is somewhat short, so the transition knot is located about 6 inches up from where the handle begins at the butt knot, giving it a shorter, "Modern Dave Morgan" look. The butt knot has a slightly more orangy tint to it than the rest of the whip, as the hide used on the knot was a different hide than the one from the rest of the whip. I really like the contrast, though it won't last long with the way this thing is darkening. The difference was VERY noticable at first, not so much now, and lessening day by day. More on that later.
This is by far one of the nicest whips I've cracked, and considering all the Jackas, Morgans, Schultzes, Winriches, Murphys and Strains I've thrown around, that's something! Paul really outdid himself on this one!
It's still brand-new, so it's very hula-hoop like, but when it breaks in, it's going to be the pride of my past collection, (I've pared down on my whips lately.)
When I first saw this whip, it wasn't finished. No knots were on it. Paul was still in Ohio after the Annie Oakley Festival, and the weekend after that, he went with Gery and Barbara Deer and I up to an Independent Film Festival in Cleveland, where Gery and I were promoting the use of whip artistry in films, (for more on what we're doing, check out http://www.whipsociety.com) Paul and I roomed together at the festival, and he had his tools and this unfinished whip with him. Everything that was left to do to it was cosmetic, and I cracked it once without the knots, and decided that I needed to give it a good home.
Something that's kind of added to the "personal quality" of this whip for me is that I "helped" finish it, (though when I say "helped," I mean talked with Paul while he was finishing it to keep him from being too bored, held the strands for the knots while he beveled them, supplied an extra set of hands when needed, and held the whip while it was being shellacked.) Up until now, I've had no compunction about trading out, loaning out, or outright selling anything from my whip collection. This one's different. They'll bury me with this one.
Now the cautionary tale about color. When it was first finished, (knots, shellac, the whole 9 yards, it was only a little darker than the color of my skin, and as Paul, Adam and Cathy can attest to, I'm Conan O'Brian white, (though I was fairly lobster red after Annie Oakley.) In the three days since it was finished, (Paul finished it late Sunday afternoon. It's now Wednesday,) it is almost twice as dark as it was when Paul handed it to me. It has only seen moderate cracking and no leather conditioner at all, (theres still enough plaiting soap in it to keep it moisturized for a while.)
Natural tan darkens FAST. It seems to me that when whipmakers post pictures of newly finished whips that are getting ready to go out to their new owners, there's usually a feeling of disappointment because they're not that deep russet brown-red of the screen-used whips, so folks look to getting saddle tan instead. Within a year or so, with moderate use, saddle tan turns mahogany. Almost black at a distance.
Patience is a virtue, and with natural tan, you don't have to be THAT patient because after a week of cracking, your whip should look REALLY good, (if you're going for that "Indy" thing. I personally can appreciate that, but I'm more concerned with how a whip throws and handles and how beautiful it is unto itself, without comparing it to an on-screen icon that we're still debating the exact design specs of.)
I wish I'd taken some pictures of the whip at the festival and over the last couple days to really show "Before and After" pictures so you could actually see just how dramatic the change has been, but after whirlwind a month of being out of town EVERY weekend, and then recovery/planning for the next, I couldn't locate my digital still camera.
But I'll keep posting pictures of this one as it darkens so you can all see just how fast this happens.
Now, Saddle Tan is beautiful, and my next whip will probably be saddle tan with copper accents, (think the Zorro whip only russet red with copper instead of black with silver,) but if you're wanting an Indy whip, and just are worried that the color won't be dark enough, I think you'll be much happier buying a good natural tan whip from a good whipmaker and letting it age naturally than to go for instant gratification, and end up with a black whip a year or so down the road.
Just my two cents. All the best and happy cracking.
By the way. Thanks again to Paul Nolan. You're a brilliant whip maker, and an even better friend. Hey Hey, Kick a Dumpster...That's the thing to do!
-Dan
