The newest babies to come out of the delivery room...

[Canuck Digger]

Here are my latest creations: 2 pairs of 6 1/2' bulls with 12 plait overlays and 10" handles. One pair has brown highlights on the pineapple knots, while the other has black highlights.

[Kiscien]

Hi Franco,

I like look of those whips How much they weight?

Regards,
Karol

[Gaucho]

Franco

Beautifull whips.

he highlights are very nice.


This whips are heavy?


Regards.

[Indiana County Jr.]

Franco,
Those look amazing! Beautiful work as always!

Crack On!
Allen

[Canuck Digger]

I'm sorry guys I have no idea exactly how much the whips weigh since I have no scale to weigh them on, but they are lighter than your average Indy whip, though probably not by a whole lot.

Since the handles are 10" instead of the "standard" 8", I was able to put a bit less lead in the butt and still have the same balance. This in turn gave me slightly smaller pommels and they are more comfortable in the hand since one can close their hand over it more completely.

They come in at around 22 - 23 mm at the end of the handle, so a bit thinner there too; I felt that target whips ought to be a bit lighter in the hand since they are meant to do precision work, I didn't want them to be too tiring to use extensively.

Well anyway, that was the idea at least.

I used kip for the first bolster but used another thinner leather for the second, which is how I was able to still have the two bellies and bolsters, but come in thinner. Though it worked nicely here, I don't think I'll be doing that again; There is something I really like about kip for bolsters; it adds rigidity and weight and the thinner leather just doesn't have the same rigidity. I LIKE a very stiff and compact whip when it's new. I WANT to feel the slow progression as it relaxes and becomes one with me. I know a lot of people are not that patient and just want a relaxed whip straightaway, but that's just not me. So I think that in the future I will make them with only kip for the bolsters and let the whips come in where they may...

Thanks again for the kind words.

Franco

[Marhala]

Very handsome whips, Franco! I like them being closer to an Indy bull than to an Australian bull. How hard do they hit? Do they have light or heavy points?

All the best,

Aldo.

[Canuck Digger]

Thanks.

They are medium I guess; I mean not as heavy as a big American bull, but no lightweight either...

[McFly]

Very nice! Love the taper! You've gotten a pretty small point there, which I like.

Shane

[ksteryous]

Nice indeed! They look great. Now what are you going to do with all of them?

Regards,
Kenton

[Canuck Digger]

Wow, I didn't expect this. I know you guys are enthusiastic, but this response is beyond what I thought! Thank you all!

I still have a lot to learn and every whip is a school day.

Kenton:
these whips were a special order; they already have a home. Well right now they're slumming it at the airport, but soon they will be (hopefully) wowing audiences in Europe.

Shane,
I like a fine-ish point, and I wouldn't make it so fine on an Indy bullwhip, because that's just not the style. But on these, it seemed appropriate.

Cheers,

Franco

[Gary Williams]

Very nice Franco! Thx for the handle dimensions, it always gives me a reference. The heel knot looks like a 6b 5p pineapple, maybe, but what is the transition knot?

[tomek9210]

They are both 7x6 turksheads with pineapple interwave, I guess.

[KeepaySF]

Very nice Franco...one for each of the four horsemen... ;-)

[bobm2004]

nce looking group of four whips-wish I could give them a crack.

[Canuck Digger]

Tomek,
right you are: both 7P, 6 B. Good eye!

Well there IS a way to crack whips LIKE these: Order some!!! Lol!

Cheers and thanks!


Franco

[Canuck Digger]

A side note on the highlight color.

The black was tannery died and was left-over strands from previous projects I had lying around. But the brown had to be hand-dyed. I wanted to make it with tannery-dyed saddle tan lace, but what I had was either too short or too narrow, so I had to dye some natural roo some other contrasting color.

Having already done this in the past, I had an idea of how to go about it, but I now had a different problem from my previous foray into the dying world (I'd made a Young Indy whip once from natural roo which I then dyed red and black): I now had to make sure the dye wouldn't bleed onto the natural strands next to it.

So I referred to something Glen Denholm said on the APWA forum about using diluted carpenter's glue as a sealant for the dye. Well, it worked ok but I may have gotten the mix a bit off, or maybe my application wasn't right, but either way I got some residual coloring on top of the dyed strands. So the strands were dyed brown and the dried glue had mixed with the dye a bit I guess, and had left a yellow-green film on the lace, which naturally had to be dealt with before weaving the knots could start. I just wiped it off with a humid cloth, but then that reactivated the surface and the dye came off a bit again. Anyway, after a bit of fussing back and forth like this, I finally got it to where I thought it would be stable. Time will tell I guess...

So yeah, word to the wise, if you can at all avoid it, don't use hand dyes for weaving would be my advise to you. If you absolutely must use it, then just be sure you seal it real tight. I mean I applied 3 coats of shellac after the knot was done and had been rolled smooth, and when THAT had dried, I sprayed leather lac (Fiebing's), because I know this product will seal the leather better than with shellac alone. I wouldn't use this stuff on the thong though 'cause it'll crack.

Well there you have it, notes from the fireside hehehe.


Franco

[giovanniceleste]

Ciao Franco,
very nice whips
i miei complimenti
gio

[Canuck Digger]

Molto grazie Gio!