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!"
I recieved my whip today, its really awesome and great but I've already lost the cracker and don't have any extras . I need to know where to get them fast and how to attach a new one. I have never even seen a whip before let alone crack one but I got a good crack within five or ten minutes . I had some help from the video "Whip Cracking with the Masters Vol. 1" which is really good and excellent at showing you how to not hit yourself (I've only hit my self really hard once). Is there a volume 2? I've gotten the vertical down but still need alot of work with the horozontal and diagnal but I want too know how to do more !!. I also need to know when and how often to Pecard my whip. I want to give a GREAT thanks to those who helped me in deciding which whip to get(especially KyleS). You were all very help full and did me a great favor. I probably would have been stuck with one of those Ebay whips , if you guys(and girl) hadn't helped me out. Thanks a bunch.
Cheers, Alex
Last edited by Indiana_Alex on Sun Aug 04, 2002 11:53 pm, edited 2 times in total.
If you're referring to the popper...and you want one fast...here is a link that shows you how to make your own poppers out of cord. I have NO IDEA whether or not they fit the bill...as I no virtually nothing about whips, but I just thought I would mention it. http://www.em-brand-whips.com/makepopper.htm...
-John
P.S...to all you whip masters...would using a home-made popper in this way be as effective as a premade popper?
JohnNdy,
You bet these home made poppers are as good as the store bought ones. Once you do about 10, you see how easy they are to make. And you save so much money. Thanks for pointing out the url to Alex. There is more than one source in the whip url section in IndyGear.
And BTW, Alex, you better make one quick. It's not a good idea to crack your whip with just the fall. Then you are going to ask real soon on how to replace a fall. Good luck.
Gee, Alex, and I did a couple of test cracks too! I'm waiting on another batch and will be on the road at five A.M. so I can't be of any help till at least Tue. Get ahold of Mark Allen Co. at 800-858-5568 and order pt. number WA02. They should be able to ship same day if you call early enough. Remember, "it's not the force, it's the timing"
Glad to be of service. Whip cracking is great fun but very misunderstood. I'm always happy to help those that are interested in it.
Dr. Brody is correct when he says it isn't about the force but, instead, the timing. I refer it as form. Don't swing the whip around and muscle it into the loudest crack possible everytime. Not only will that method get old real quick but you'll also break your fall and lose your popper darn fast too. As you've just learned. Instead, use the handle to throw the whip away from you in a smooth easy motion. Learn to make that whip role out along it's length and end in a sharp crack with very little effort. Remember that the end of your whip is going 750+ mph when it cracks so you want it to be as far away from you as possible. Build yourself some sort of target that you can aim at. You'll find that cracking comes much easier when you can focus on where the end of the whip is traveling. Buy a pack of spagetti for .99 cents and practice cutting those with the whip. Have fun and be careful.
Thanks John. What kind of cord or string do you use? He says you can use nylon cords but where do you find them at? And I'm not going to drive into the hill crountry looking for farmers anytime soon thanks for the input. Sergi, I did stop cracking as soon as I figured out that my popper was gone so don't cringe too much .
Cheers, Alex
Ok. As a quick fix I'm using some kitchen twine. I made the popper which isn't great but will do. But I can't find a way to get it tight enough on to the fall. It keeps coming off . Any suggestions?
Cheers, Alex
This is only one method but I use it most often. It makes for a streamlined transition from the fall to the cracker. Make sure your fall is well greased before attaching the cracker.
Thanks Kyle, I found that link late last night and forgot to post that I had. What do you grease the fall with? Pecards, Vasoline, burger grease ? Thanks again.
Cheers, Alex
Indiana_Alex wrote:Thanks John. What kind of cord or string do you use? He says you can use nylon cords but where do you find them at?
I got mine at Walmart in a po-dunk town in Oklahoma in the hardware section. Make sure you get Nylon (and not cotton-which tears and breaks easily). They had some wild neon pink Nylon cord, but I opted for the white. I would have bought black if I had to rewind back in time, as black doesn't show the dirt as much. For laughs, I'll mention that I made the mistake at first of buying Nylon thread in the fabric section...much too tiny and so was my popper.
OK. last question. Since at present I am lacking Pecards and haven't ordered any. Is there anything I can use on my fall until I get some Pecards? Sice Pecards is based on vasoline it seems that some vasoline would do the trick until I can get some of the real stuff. Thanks ITG, should me heading out to Indym...er...Walmart to get some Nylon string. I know what you mean about the cotton string. Just as practice I've been making poppers out of some kitchen twine so that I'll have some idea of what I'm doing when I get some good stuff. And I put one on my whip to see how it was..... and now my yard looks like Minnesota in the winter time. That cotton when't everwhere and gave my grass a nice "snowed on" look to it(its not because of the way I'm cracking either ) . Thanks guys
Cheers, Alex
Rab, that's hilarious...like you I kept envisioning the "doo-doo" not the "do-do". But yeah, you've got guts to post the pic! I'm afraid to say it but the 2nd pic kinda looks like a chocolate-covered pretzel...ewwwwwwww! I guess that would be one way to distr....oh nevermind. Double EWWWWW!
Does anyone know where the orgin of the idiom "went the way of the do-do" came from? schwammy?
Indiana Texas-girl wrote:
Does anyone know where the orgin of the idiom "went the way of the do-do" came from? schwammy?
I believe it's because the Dodo bird just happens to be one of the more famous extinct species. Hunted to extiction in fact. Hunted and there were other animals introduced to the island by humans that helped the dodos...well...go the way of the dodo . So...when something "Went the way of the Dodo." It's gone, extinct.
-Rabittooth
Last edited by Rabittooth on Thu Aug 08, 2002 9:45 pm, edited 2 times in total.
You can use some saddle soap and lard to temporarily condition your fall but I suggest halting the use of your whip until you can get some Pecards. You don't want to dry out your fall and break it off before it has a chance to be well conditioned.
Sorry bout that Rab. Problem solved. I probably posted that before I had my 4 shot grande mocha at Star Bucks. Either that or my spelling just really *****, probably a little of both. And I felt like quoting from the LC. But since my popper did land in a pile of dog doo doo then I guess it does make some sense .
Cheers, Alex
P.S. That color on Rabs second pic would make a good color for a ribbon on a Fedora . Maybe I could print that and take in to Joe Jr. and see if he could replicate that. Probably only after we had eaten at the Magic Time Machine
. I need to know where to get them fast and how to attach a new one. I have never even seen a whip before let alone crack one but I got a good crack within five or ten minutes 
. I had some help from the video "Whip Cracking with the Masters Vol. 1" which is really good and excellent at showing you how to not hit yourself (I've only hit my self really hard once). Is there a volume 2? I've gotten the vertical down but still need alot of work with the horozontal and diagnal but I want too know how to do more 
!!. I also need to know when and how often to Pecard my whip. I want to give a GREAT thanks to those who helped me in deciding which whip to get(especially KyleS). You were all very help full and did me a great favor. I probably would have been stuck with one of those Ebay whips 
, if you guys(and girl) hadn't helped me out. Thanks a bunch.
thanks for the input. Sergi, I did stop cracking as soon as I figured out that my popper was gone so don't cringe too much 
.
. Any suggestions? 
? Thanks again.
. So...when something "Went the way of the Dodo." It's gone, extinct.
