My First Whip...a Strain Raiders 8ft

IndianaChris711 · Post by **IndianaChris711** » Thu Mar 20, 2008 8:14 pm

Well it is finally here, and I can tell you it was well worth the money spent. This whip was made by Joe Strain, and when I received it today I was extremely impressed by the work he did. Just an awesome whip, I can't wait to try it out.

I also purchased Whip Cracking Made Easy Part 1 since I am a beginner and want to learn how to crack the whip correctly and not loose my eye or my ear.

If anyone is looking for a great whip over $400 buckget one from Joe, he is a great guy and had great tips for my purchase. Its got a Poly-Pro Popper or cracker at the end, I know that is not screen accurate, but at least my crackers won't get tangled up. He did give me a Nylon as well and a extremely small tub of Pecards. Thanks so much Joe for the whip, just an excellent whip and just great work on the whip.

Just got to put some Pecards on the whip wait 24 hours and wipe that off and will start cracking next week. I do leave the Pecards on for 24 hours right? Here some pics for you guys.

Here is a link to some larger photos for those that need some more detail:
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2258/234 ... eafa_b.jpg
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3051/234 ... f843_b.jpg
http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2356/234 ... 2421_b.jpg

rjallen70 · Post by **rjallen70** » Thu Mar 20, 2008 8:44 pm

Now that is a thing of beauty...

Sergei · Post by **Sergei** » Thu Mar 20, 2008 9:17 pm

You know every time I see a Strain, I just can't pull my eyes away. They are all a work of art. Just look at that nice smooth taper with no visible transition points, nice straight seams... sigh...

IndianaChris711 · Post by **IndianaChris711** » Thu Mar 20, 2008 11:51 pm

Wow...I am glad you guys are enjoying looking at this whip. When Joe said when he was making my whip last weekend he said I this whip would be really awesome. I knew it would be awesome, but when it got here this morning it was just really awesome holding it and just as Sergei said it is a piece of art. Joe did a great job....no wait a fantastic job, so much I may get another one from him in the future.

His whips are great, and I just can't wait to crack this whip. Since this a piece of art maybe I should frame it on a wall or something and have people stare at it and pay money to see it.

Certainly would help pay the whip off.

I am going to put some Pecards on it in the morning and see how much of it will soak in over 24 hours and wipe the excess off and start watching that video. Thanks for the comments Sergei and rjallen.

IndianaChris

Cracker · Post by **Cracker** » Thu Mar 20, 2008 11:59 pm

Congrats IndianaChris, that is a beautiful whip !!!

Post by **BullWhipBorton** » Fri Mar 21, 2008 12:11 am

IndianaChris that is a beautiful bullwhip! Congratulations. Joe did a fantastic job as always.

Since your whip is brand new, it still has all grease in it from the plaiting soap as it was being made; there is no need to use any leather dressing on it just yet. It's going to be stiff for a while because of how tightly Joe plaits his whips, Just enjoy cracking it and break it in slowly. Use a little leather dressing on the fall after ever couple of practices, to keep it well conditioned. Also, You may find you want to switch to the nylon poppers before too long, especially if your only cracking one whip at a time. Polypropylene poppers work great and won't tangle up like nylon but their downside is they wear out quick. You are off to a good start though, utilize the video you purchased and if you have any questions let us know and we will do our best to help.

Dan

JMObi · Post by **JMObi** » Fri Mar 21, 2008 12:45 am

Wow! Excellent whip.

Sergei · Post by **Sergei** » Fri Mar 21, 2008 12:55 am

IndianaChris711 wrote:Wow.....Since this a piece of art maybe I should frame it on a wall or something and have people stare at it and pay money to see it. :...

IndianaChris

No need to do that... just print off your posted pictures, have Joe sign it and frame it. The actual whip deserves to be cracked. Not a wall display.

BTW... West Lafayette! I did my undergrad work there... good ol' PU!

Sergei · Post by **Sergei** » Fri Mar 21, 2008 1:53 am

I couldn't help it... I went to Joe's site. I haven't been there in awhile. Here's a picture of a 10 footer:

I have a 6, in fact a pair of his lone star 6's-matched, an 8 and a few 10's. Boy I am inching towards a 12.

BendingOak · Post by **BendingOak** » Fri Mar 21, 2008 2:01 am

congrats on you whip from Joe. It's a bueaty. Joe is a machine.

IndianaChris711 · Post by **IndianaChris711** » Fri Mar 21, 2008 12:44 pm

Thanks guys for your comments. It really is a great whip.

Sergei, I don't think I am hanging the whip on a wall I was just kidding with ya. You went to Purdue for your undergrad too. I just finished my undergrad here at Purdue, so I am a young gun here to the COW I guess. Good Ol' Purdue.

Lived here in West Lafayette for a long while since I grew up here most of my childhood. I will send Joe an e-mail and get a nice picture of the whip, will have to choose one of these pictures or I might take it outside for some pics.

Dan, thanks for the help on when I need to put dressing on it. Is it ok to put Pecards on it now or when is the best time to put dressing on the thong of the whip? I will start watching some videos on some whip cracks and start cracking soon. I remember Joe telling me over the phone the poly-pro crackers wear out fairly quickly I guess that is why he gave me like 4-5 extras. I probably will put the nylon on at some point, probably going to need help when I do that. Was glad he gave me one.

Thanks again guys for your comments guys, just can't wait to get cracking. Yes BendingOak, Joe is a machine.

IndianaChris

Nebraska Brad · Post by **Nebraska Brad** » Fri Mar 21, 2008 2:46 pm

Awesome looking whip! Joe does superb work and is a great guy. My Strain is my favorite whip and I can't wait to get a 10' from him.

-Nebraska

Post by **BullWhipBorton** » Fri Mar 21, 2008 6:17 pm

Chris, I have a couple of Joes whips too, I consider him one of my go to guys when I know someone needs a really great whip.

Regarding leather dressing, Its important to condition your whips, but its also just as important not to over condition them. You could put a light coat on it now, if you really wanted too it shouldn’t hurt the whip. A lot of people will get a brand new whip though for the first time and because its so stiff and new, think that it will help loosen it up by putting a coat of leather dressing on it right away. You don’t want to do that, you don’t want to try to force breaking it in buy using a lot of leather conditioner or bending the whip back and forth in your hands. It's best to just break it in gradually by using it. Right now too, there is still so much grease and oil in the leather from both plaiting soap and from the tanning process, the whip won’t realty absorbed much leather dressing right now, it doesn’t need too.

Basically treating them every 6 months is a general recommendation for whips in storage or for the casual whip cracker. You can condition them more depending on how much your using your whip and depending on the conditions you’re working under. You just don’t want the leather to dry out but you also don’t want the whip to feel greasy or sticky after its been wiped clean.

Also remember not to treat the plaited handles or the knots. A very light wipe on, wipe off is ok just to give it a little shine, but don’t let it absorbed into the leather. You want to keep these areas on your whip tight and secure, so that the overlay on the handle doesn’t start to shift, or that the knots start to come loose over time. The natural oils in your hands will usually be enough to keep the handle treated and you can use a little shoe polish on the knots from time to time, to polish them up if you like. You can read over my post here viewtopic.php?t=19880 for more do’s and don’ts. If you like.

Poppers are simple to make yourself and put on, sometimes it takes a little practice to get it just right, but I think we can help you when the time comes.

Dan

Tron7960 · Post by **Tron7960** » Fri Mar 21, 2008 7:12 pm

Beautiful! I want an Indy IV whip from Strain!

Now where did I hide my briefcase full of money...

Tron

IndianaChris711 · Post by **IndianaChris711** » Fri Mar 21, 2008 9:42 pm

Thanks for everyones comments, I really appreciate it.

Tron, I am not sure you need a briefcase full of money, but you need at least $500 bucks maybe more.

Hopefully you will be able to afford a Indy IV whip from Joe.

Dan, thanks for the tips on the leather dressing for conditioning a whip. I don't think I will put Pecards on it right now. I do know what you mean by the whip being stiff, and did feel that. I figured it was kind of natural, but heard that you should at least put Pecards on the thong of the whip. Just did not know when. I probably will start watching the video I got and then try to replicate the cracks as best as possible. I have to stop by Wal-mart or a hardware store and get some safety glasses first though just in case.

I will try to be careful in not trying to put too much effort in getting the whip to crack, but enough to get it to crack. I guess I will see what happens. Thanks for your help Dan I really appreciate it.

Thanks again guys for your input and comments.

IndianaChris

Tron7960 · Post by **Tron7960** » Fri Mar 21, 2008 10:05 pm

Still, I really should find that briefcase full of money!

Tron

dr. tyree · Post by **dr. tyree** » Sat Mar 22, 2008 12:22 am

Love my Strain!
That's a beauty; congratulations.
Sergei, WHY did you have to post the pic of that JS 10 footer (drool, drool)??

raider 57 · Post by **raider 57** » Sat Mar 22, 2008 6:30 pm

Tron7960 wrote:Still, I really should find that briefcase full of money!

Tron

Fabulous looking whip there IC711! I have also been seriously considering Strain's 8 ft Indy whip for my next buy. So..... there's a lost breifcase of cash in Winnipeg Canada? HHMMM............

IndianaChris711 · Post by **IndianaChris711** » Mon Mar 24, 2008 7:38 pm

Hey guys, I got to try out the whip today and I purchased some goggles and some towels to clean my whip off. The thong did not get to dirty, but the fall got grass stains on it. I was trying to get the Circus crack, I think I eventually got it, I had a lot of trouble at first, but at least I think I was doing it right. I went from 12 O' clock to 9 and was trying to get to 3 O'clock. I did get the whip to crack in midair quite a few time and when I did those it did not take much to get it crack and quite loudly I may say. It's hard for me to see if I am doing it right. It also hard to focus on something where I was at that was at 3 O'clock or an object, I eventually found a car and tried to turn my body so I was trying to aim at the car. I did hit myself a few times, at least there was no blood. I hit myself in my back leg a few times, my back on accident somehow.

I did not loose an eye or an ear, I'm alive....

One thing I did notice and I am not sure that this might be due to the weather outside, on the thong I noticed small crack, like kind of what you would see on shoes. When I took it home they went away was odd. Is the whip that stiff then? It was cold today but dry and I practiced for about an hour and called it quits after my wrist, arm and now my back are hurting.

Maybe I overdid it.

Dan those pro-poly poppers do wear out pretty quick. When I crack the whip a few times in midair I noticed parts of the cracker that came off floating in the air.

That normal, was I cracking too hard?? About 2/3rds of my cracker remains. I was not putting a whole lot of force on the whip, at least not trying to. I noticed the end of the thong was not giving a whole lot and looked extremely stiff at times. I guess that is normal for first cracking. I did try a hortizontal crack just to try and I did it on the first try

but then I could not reproduce it...and then I wrapped the whip around myself trying to try it again and I said that is enough of that.

Luckily I had my Wested jacket on. Anyways I really appreciate your guys help, I probably need to watch the video some more on that horizontal one. Thanks for all your help guys and I appreciate the comments too.

I think there is some lost treasure up there Winnipeg Canada somewhere, maybe if we take an adventure we could find it, right raider57?

IndianaChris

Barty · Post by **Barty** » Mon Mar 24, 2008 8:33 pm

Just got done with some good old practice with my 8ft Strain. I've had it for a few months, and finally just got down the forward throw. It's an amazing whip!

IndianaChris711 · Post by **IndianaChris711** » Tue Mar 25, 2008 7:45 pm

Barty the Strain is an amazing whip, you are practicing the forward crack right?? I am going to try to learn that one next and then try to combine it with the circus crack. That won't be until saturday though, was pretty windy here today so no whip practice today.

IndianaChris

indianalex · Post by **indianalex** » Tue Mar 25, 2008 9:17 pm

Congratulations to Indiana Chris for his whip.

Vegeta · Post by **Vegeta** » Tue Mar 25, 2008 9:32 pm

I have a 10ft strain.......It's awesome. I cracked it today!!