Broke the fall on the second day of owning a whip

[Chance]

Hi Folks,

First post to this forum. I have just discovered whips and I am having a blast .I'm still in the very beginning learning phase. I got a whip on Friday, worked with it for a couple of hours and then went to work with it again on Sat. morning. After just a few attempts this happened:
(link to picture)

http://i69.photobucket.com/albums/i48/s ... 1164560663



I know from the very usefull info in this forum that it isn't unusual to break a fall, but does it usually happen this quickly?

Any advice as to how to not have this happen, or should I just expect it?

Thanks,

Chance

[Canyon]

Hey Chance. Welcome to the forum.

I'm afraid I'm somewhat of a novice when it comes to whipcracking, but you will find plently of folk around here who can give you advice for your problem.

Welcome once again.

[Texas Raider]

Chance, that's no big deal, just untie the remaining on the popper and tie the popper back on the end. Yes this can happen occasionally, nothing out of the ordinary. Your fall DOES look a bit dry, though! Get some pecards or equivalent leather conditioner and put it on the fall before and after whipping sessions. This will help avoid the breaking of the fall, but it will still happen every now and then. After a while, the fall will just get too short, and will have to be replaced, that's all. Once again, no big deal! Get out there and have some fun!

TR

[Mola Ram]

As TR said,
Just wipe it down with some sort of leather dressing before and after you crack your whip. If you do this every time you crack your whip you will never have a problem. Just be sure to do it, if you don't it will break. And if you use your whip a lot, its always good to wipe it down with some saddle soap and water, (most grocery stores sell saddle soap next to the kiwi shoe polish) after a few months to take off some of the dirt. I've been caring for the falls on my whips since I started using them, and have never had a problem. One of the falls on one of my whips is about 5 years old, and has never broken. Its actually the first fall I ever had, and its still going strong.

What kind of whip is it?

Welcome to cow

Adam

[Chance]

Chance, that's no big deal, just untie the remaining on the popper and tie the popper back on the end. Yes this can happen occasionally, nothing out of the ordinary. Your fall DOES look a bit dry, though! Get some pecards or equivalent leather conditioner and put it on the fall before and after whipping sessions. This will help avoid the breaking of the fall, but it will still happen every now and then. After a while, the fall will just get too short, and will have to be replaced, that's all. Once again, no big deal! Get out there and have some fun!

TR

Thanks for advice. I was lucky I found the popper, it took a while. I used the instructions from this forum to tie it back on and we are back to cracking. I also followed your advice and applied some leather conditioner to the fall. Do I treat the rest of the whip every time I use it too, or just the fall?

Thanks again.

Chance

[Chance]

As TR said,
Just wipe it down with some sort of leather dressing before and after you crack your whip. If you do this every time you crack your whip you will never have a problem. Just be sure to do it, if you don't it will break. And if you use your whip a lot, its always good to wipe it down with some saddle soap and water, (most grocery stores sell saddle soap next to the kiwi shoe polish) after a few months to take off some of the dirt. I've been caring for the falls on my whips since I started using them, and have never had a problem. One of the falls on one of my whips is about 5 years old, and has never broken. Its actually the first fall I ever had, and its still going strong.

What kind of whip is it?

Welcome to cow

Adam

Thanks Adam. I appreciate the help. The whip is made by Victor "Skip" SanSoucie. He happened to have one in stock, a 5.5 in his measurement system. It turned out to be perfect for me, I really like it. Here are some pictures.

http://i69.photobucket.com/albums/i48/s ... 1164574760

http://i69.photobucket.com/albums/i48/s ... 1164574760

http://i69.photobucket.com/albums/i48/s ... 1164574760


Thanks,

Chance

[Mola Ram]

Nice!

I love victors whips.
That was a great choice.
That thing will last you forever.

[BullWhipBorton]

Hi Chance, welcome to Indy Gear and to whip cracking. That’s a great looking bullwhip!

This type of break isn’t all that uncommon, and it happens to all of us at one point or another as the popper pulls and wears just under that knot. It tends to happen more when your if your doing a lot of cracking, power cracking or if your fall is getting too dry. From the fuzzy look of the fall, it looks like it’s a bit dry so adding some leather dressing will help. If your popper blew off that quickly though, you are probably cracking your whip too hard. It’s a common problem people new to whip cracking have. Tone it down a little until you get a better feel for the whip, work on getting the control rather then seeking the loudest possible cracks. Later on you can add more energy to your motions to get louder cracks with less risk of losing a popper.

Try to condition your falls after every practice session or two, its a good habit to get into and will help keep them in good shape. Normally you won’t need to put leather dressing on the whole whip each time you use it, just as it's important to condition your whip, its equally as important not to over condition it. Don’t use any dressing on the handle or the knot work; you want to keep the plaiting on these areas tight. The occasional wipe on wipe off is ok, but don’t go overboard. Usually the oils in your hands are more then enough to keep these areas good.

You where lucky to find your original popper, most of them fly off never to be seen again, so make sure you know how to make yourself some new ones too.

Be sure to read though the archives here. I just posted information on whip care here www.indygear.com/cow/viewtopic.php?t=19864 that you might want to read over. Also check out Victor Tella's web site www.snakewhip.com and the Bullwhip FAQ at www.bullwhip.org for more information. If the FAQ site is down (which seems to be happening a lot lately) go to http://web.archive.org/web/200605012323 ... index.html

Dan

[Texas Raider]

Do I treat the rest of the whip every time I use it too, or just the fall?

Thanks again.

Chance

Chance, treating the whip every time is not really necessary. Personally, after whipping and putting Pecards on the fall, I have a bit of Pecards on my hands,,,I just swiff my hands all up and down the whip, rubbing this remaining amount (which isn't much at all) on the whip. Just working it from tip to handle, as the tip end will get the most wear anyway. It's hardly any 'conditioning' so to speak, but gets a little on the surface anyway...Works for me It's kind of a combination of the oils from my hands, and the Pecards at the same time..Just keep in mind that too much conditioning is not good for the thong, so keep it minimal.

TR

[Chance]

Hi Chance, welcome to Indy Gear and to whip cracking. That’s a great looking bullwhip!

This type of break isn’t all that uncommon, and it happens to all of us at one point or another as the popper pulls and wears just under that knot. It tends to happen more when your if your doing a lot of cracking, power cracking or if your fall is getting too dry. From the fuzzy look of the fall, it looks like it’s a bit dry so adding some leather dressing will help. If your popper blew off that quickly though, you are probably cracking your whip too hard. It’s a common problem people new to whip cracking have. Tone it down a little until you get a better feel for the whip, work on getting the control rather then seeking the loudest possible cracks. Later on you can add more energy to your motions to get louder cracks with less risk of losing a popper.

Try to condition your falls after every practice session or two, its a good habit to get into and will help keep them in good shape. Normally you won’t need to put leather dressing on the whole whip each time you use it, just as it's important to condition your whip, its equally as important not to over condition it. Don’t use any dressing on the handle or the knot work; you want to keep the plaiting on these areas tight. The occasional wipe on wipe off is ok, but don’t go overboard. Usually the oils in your hands are more then enough to keep these areas good.

You where lucky to find your original popper, most of them fly off never to be seen again, so make sure you know how to make yourself some new ones too.

Be sure to read though the archives here. I just posted information on whip care here www.indygear.com/cow/viewtopic.php?t=19864 that you might want to read over. Also check out Victor Tella's web site www.snakewhip.com and the Bullwhip FAQ at www.bullwhip.org for more information. If the FAQ site is down (which seems to be happening a lot lately) go to http://web.archive.org/web/200605012323 ... index.html

Dan

Hi Dan,

Thanks. I'll check out those sites. I appreciate your taking the time to provide the links.

Chance

[Chance]

Do I treat the rest of the whip every time I use it too, or just the fall?

Thanks again.

Chance

Chance, treating the whip every time is not really necessary. Personally, after whipping and putting Pecards on the fall, I have a bit of Pecards on my hands,,,I just swiff my hands all up and down the whip, rubbing this remaining amount (which isn't much at all) on the whip. Just working it from tip to handle, as the tip end will get the most wear anyway. It's hardly any 'conditioning' so to speak, but gets a little on the surface anyway...Works for me It's kind of a combination of the oils from my hands, and the Pecards at the same time..Just keep in mind that too much conditioning is not good for the thong, so keep it minimal.

TR

Thanks TR. Right after I posted I realized that someone must have asked about maintenance before and sure enough I found a ton of information. I appreciate you taking the time to make sure I had an answer.

Chance

[BullWhipBorton]

No problem, any more questions just let us know.

Dan

[Chance]

No problem, any more questions just let us know.

Dan

Trust me, there are way more to come.

Chance