From falls & poppers to plaiting & cracking technique, this section is dedicated in memory of Sergei, IndyGear Staff Member and Whip Guru. Always remember to keep "Celebratin' Life!"
This is my JS whip, and the turkshead is coming loose. Is this going to be a problem? If not, I'll let it alone. If it is, then I may be able to retie it after I practice with some nylon first.
Also, the whole head will rotate just a bit (1/8" or so) from side to side, and can slide back off of the handle just a tad, as well (maybe 1/8"). If I need to retie, hopefully I can fix that problem, as well.
If it's just that one loose strand, you can take your fid and tighten that up from where it's loose and follow it around to the end of the strand.
When you say you can move the head around about an 1/8 inch, you can try to tighten the whole turk's head, and the compression might help. Otherwise, there are different ways to attach the weight and wristloop to the handle, and some ways are more secure than others. Since this is a Joe Strain, you might want to contact him to see if he thinks its a problem. He might have some method of attachment that you can't replicate. Also, if he does the repair, you would still have a totally Joe Strain whip, as opposed to a modified one.
Yeah, this rarely happens. I have seen this with some of my David Morgan turk heads. You can tighten like Mike suggests, but it may come loose again. I got this tip from other whip makers. Just apply a small dab of "crazy glue" and that should keep the lace from slipping. However, what's more important is how did that happen. I know that in my case, I might of over applied some Pecards on the knots. I would avoid placing any leather condition on any of the knots, unless you are seeing pronounced drying.
Segei, I probably applied too much Pecard's at one point or another. This was my first whip, and when I first got it some time back, I'm sure that I made several mistakes with its care. Overapplication of Pecard's is the most likely culprit.
You might try some Barge all purpose cement. I bought some at my local shoe repair store and I've also seen some on the internet. One of its specific uses is on leather, among other things. It holds really well and according to the package it "toughens with age." I only recommend this because with my experience in the past, super glue can have some odd effects on leather. I'm not sure what it does to Kangaroo leather though. Sergei, any input? Hope this helps with your whip.
Tim
Raider1138 wrote:You might try some Barge all purpose cement. I bought some at my local shoe repair store and I've also seen some on the internet. One of its specific uses is on leather, among other things. It holds really well and according to the package it "toughens with age." I only recommend this because with my experience in the past, super glue can have some odd effects on leather. I'm not sure what it does to Kangaroo leather though. Sergei, any input? Hope this helps with your whip.
Tim
Nope, I have had no problems with super glue. I fixed one knot that was slipping using super glue and that has been over 2 years. You can't tell that anything happened. In fact, I can't even remember exactly where on the knot the problem ocurred. The best thing to do to prevent the lace slippage is to just avoid conditioning the knots.
I once had a Lil INDY bullwhip come to me for repair.
Of all things, the story goes, the dog chewed the turkshead off.
When I got it, there was nothing but a stump left. No foundation or anything. I guess it's better than having the thong chewed up by a dog.
I once got a 7 foot snakewhip for repair that had several broken laces in the middle of the thong. That's highly unusual. I swear it looked like it had been run over by a lawnmower or run over in the street.
Most of the time you will see broken strands near the fall hitch. That is usually caused by hitting the ground in areas that are rough such as rocky, sandy areas, asphalt or concrete. Some people cannot help it because there is no grass around because of dry weather or geographically doesn't support grass (CA or AZ, etc)
I just repaired a Si Davey bullwhip last week that had one broken lace near the fall hitch and one Murphy bullwhip that did not have the fall hitch tied properly and was loose.
I don't do nylon whips. I have an old Billy Anderson nylon bullwhip that I've had for almost 10 years now. Someone asked me about re-waxing for them and I don't have a clue.
I think kangaroo is the only way to go with any good whipmaking.
Cowhide is good too but not my preference.
Gee, those kangaroos aren't so easy to catch are they?
sab04 wrote:How do you repair a whip with strands broken in the middle on the thong????
-Scott
That is actually covered in Rod Edwards book (I can look up the page number later). David Morgan has a picture of the process on page 60 of his old book, "Whips and Whipmaking". Also, Mike Murphy shows it in his whip maintenance tape ( I think).
How do you repair a whip with strands broken in the middle on the thong????
-Scott
It isn't easy.
You have to unplait the whip until the broken lace(s) drop out. Then unplait some more. I'd say unplait a few more inches and then drop the old lace in and replait over the broken lace for about 18-24 plaits and then bring it back in. The broken piece is hidden inside and can hardly ever tell it was done.
I hate to unplait a long way like that. But that is what has to be done on broken laces. Just hope it doesn't happen way up on your whip. Even if you break a lace near the point, more than likely you will lose a few inches in length because you will not drop in a lace.
Most of the time a lace or two may break around the fall hitch / point of the whip.
Is this going to be a problem? If not, I'll let it alone. If it is, then I may be able to retie it after I practice with some nylon first.
