Some thoughts on whipmaking...

Canuck Digger · Post by **Canuck Digger** » Mon Jun 23, 2008 11:11 pm

In an effort to get more weight down the thong, I decided to try something out; a different calculation of the proportions than what I used to do. I used to split everything down the middle, so that the first belly ended at 1/4 the length of the whip with the other 1/4 made up of the leftover strands, which would temselves be equally spaced out over that remaining distance. This gave me good bullwhips but with a rather lighter thong than what I was looking for.

So on the whip I'm presently making (a 6 foot, 12 plait black roo), I tried something different; making the first belly 1/4 the length of the whip, but excluding the handle length, so naturally the core is that much longer as well. The second belly still ends around the halfway mark, but a few inches after dead center. So far the taper is nice and flows gradually, but MAN! This thing's gonna have some power behind it when it's done! Wow! I just hope the overall whip doesn't turn out too heavy! I would hate to have to undo the entire overlay to correct belly proportions once I'm done.

Naturally, pics will follow...

Any thoughts from you pros out there?
Cheers,

Franco

SHoWhips · Post by **SHoWhips** » Tue Jun 24, 2008 10:42 am

Hi Franco,

I guess you can call this the whipmakers paradox

As a fledging
whipmaker, I've thought about the same thing when deciding how to "break down" strand/bolster proportions. What compounds the issue is what you described...having to undo a good amount of work to fix problems. Also, if you're on a limited budget, you've only got so much leather to experiment with if you have to re-cut.

The fun side to this is the unexpected results that you may find after making changes like these, some good, some not so, but always a fun learning experience.

I hope you get the results you're looking for and look forward to some pics!!

Scott

Canuck Digger · Post by **Canuck Digger** » Tue Jun 24, 2008 4:33 pm

Thanks Scott,
Well I'm at the 4 foot mark right now (it's a 6 footer I'm making), and it looks good so far. I think it's going to be a very powerful whip when finished and won't need much muscle at all to crack. I'll post pics when I'm done.
Cheers,

Franco

Canuck Digger · Post by **Canuck Digger** » Tue Jun 24, 2008 11:54 pm

So I finished plaiting the overlay with very little in terms of wasted lace; very proud of myself there.

I won't put up pics right now because it hasn't been rolled yet and the knots aren't even tied on, but I will as soon as it's done.

Some observations on this whip:

-There is always a bit of a learning curve whenever I'm trying new things out...

-My plaiting is getting straighter. Yayyyy!!!!

-My hands though pretty bruised up aren't in as much pain as they used to be (I haven't plaited a whip in a few months now).

-Using thicker skin makes a big difference in the outcome. This bullwhip is tough, rugged and feels like a real bull. It's probably the closest one I've made to a Morgan so far.

-I still have to go and re-tune the taper of the strands along the way sometimes: I used to taper them too fast and now I've swung the other way... No biggy, easier to take off leather than to add.

-This whip, though not perfect by any stretch, has taught me a lot about taper. For some reason I've had a harder time with this one than with the past few whips, which means (I hope) that I,ve stepped out of my comfort zone to try something totally new and learned tons in the process.

This is good.

Pics soon.

louiefoxx · Post by **louiefoxx** » Wed Jun 25, 2008 10:44 am

Franco,

My favorite thing about making whips is trying different things and seeing what happens...and going outside my comfort zone. I'm going to be trying out using a plaited rawhide belly in a bullwhip soon...I'll let you know how it turns out.

xoxo

Louie
http://bullwhips.org

jabahutt70 · Post by **jabahutt70** » Thu Jun 26, 2008 11:04 pm

Sounds pretty interesting, Louie. Can't wait to hear how it comes out.

Steve.

SHoWhips · Post by **SHoWhips** » Mon Sep 22, 2008 9:54 am

Hi Franco,

I was wondering if you ever finished this project? Are you happy with the results? If so, how about some pics! Look forward to knowing how it turned out.

Scott

Canuck Digger · Post by **Canuck Digger** » Mon Sep 22, 2008 2:57 pm

Dude, I completely forgot about this thread! Thanks for reminding me! Duh... You know how it is; life takes over and sometimes whatever isn't directly in front of you gets forgotten for a bit...

Anyway, yes, I did finish the whip. But I'm not entirely happy with it. I miscalculated ever so slightly the core and naturally everything else got affected by that after. It turned out a bit heavier than what I wanted, though that in itself is no big woop. The main problem is because I carried my core a bit too far, my proportions got a bit skewed and I ended up having to shorten the second bolster sooner than planned and with a more abrupt rate of taper. This made a less-than-seamless end of the bolster and this is mainly what bothers me. I like the first half of the whip, it feels really rugged without being too big in the hand, but the taper of the second half leaves something to be desired... But not in a catastrophic way. I mean it still cracks nicely, it's just that for me it's really simple; it's a professional level of craftsmanship or it isn't, and in this case it didn't quite make the cut (in my view). But it ended up as a birthday gift for a friend who didn't even want to accept it at first; she felt it was too much, hehehe. She DID ended up accepting it with a smile though...

But since it served as a learning experience it's all good; I don't make many short bullwhips, so I am not as used to tapering a 6 footer. Enough with the chatter, here's the pic (sorry it isn't better quality):
[img][img]http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e337/ ... hip006.jpg[/img][/img]

SHoWhips · Post by **SHoWhips** » Mon Sep 22, 2008 10:37 pm

I think we're all our own worse critics. Really, you did a great job dealing with the unexpected taper. On my next whip I plan on changing the weight similar to what you did i.e. bringing it out a bit further. I'll keep an eye on the change in taper. I hope

Scott

Canuck Digger · Post by **Canuck Digger** » Tue Sep 23, 2008 12:09 am

Thank you for the kind words of encouragement Scott, but I am a pretty hard critic of my own work, as I expect others would be if they had to pay for it. So my bar is set pretty high, unfortunately I don,t have an easy access to whipmakers in person that I can learn from, so it's emails and trial and error I'm afraid.

That being said, I had a feeling early on, I just ignored my instincts and kept on plowing ahead. I wanted to give to a friend as a birthday gift and I rushed the job, so word to the wise: listen to yer little voice and rushing a mediocre job is worst than taking a bit more time to do a really good job. At that point it isn't so much technique since I knew something was off, but rather work ethics. Eh you live and learn.

But I think if you plan things out ahead and keep a close eye, you should be fine.