1.) I don't even know how many plaits my whip is. there an easy way to tell, like something I can count?
2.) I have a build up of black gunky hand grease on the handle. how do I clean that?
two dumb questions
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Canuck Digger
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Re: two dumb questions
No problem.
The number of plaits is referred to as being the number of plaits a whip starts out with, not the number it ends with, as most whips of quality end with a much lower number of strands than they begin with, usually 6 or 8 at the point. This is done by dropping strands from the overlay (that's the top braided layer of the whip, the one you can see) into the core, but typically, this dropping of strands doesn't start until somewhere around the halfway point of the whip, so by looking near the handle what you are seeing is the total number of strands. So what you want to do is look at a spot just after the end of the handle. Your whip will probably have an equal amount of strands or plaits, on both side of your whip's thong. I say this because normally, a whip is made so that when the whipmaker is braiding the whip there are the same number of strands on either side of the thong. It is usual to have a number of plaits that is a multiple of 4, so 8, 12, 16 so on and so forth. That way, when the whip is being plaited and the pattern is in 4 seam, or herringbone pattern (that's just the name of the regular pattern along the thong of the whip), the working strand, meaning the one that is being plaited, goes under the same number of strands as it goes over, and to have an equal number at the beginning, a multiple of 4 is usually selected. So as a an example, in a 12 plait whip, the working strand would go under 3 strands, then over 3 strands on one side, and the next strand would do the same thing but on the opposite side, so that if you look at the total number of strands you have a set of six on the left of the thong and another set of six on the right. That's just a basic breakdown of plaiting so you understand a bit what I'm about to say next.
So, assuming your whip has been made following this common approach, the number of strands that go under a strand (remember the working strand going under 3, over 3...), should tell you exactly how many are in the whip. So take any strand near the handle (I say near because if you look too far down, the whipmaker may have started dropping strands into the core and then your reading would be off), but past the handle (I say past the handle only because many whipmakers use a checkerboard pattern over the handle which is a lot harder to figure out, but then change into the normal pattern once they are past the handle and over the thong), and look to see how many strands go under it. So in the case of a 12 plait, that number would be 3, so multiply that by 4 (because at this point on the whip it should be a standard 4-seam herringbone pattern) and the answer is 12. So it would be a 12 plait whip.
As for cleaning the handle, there are a few different ways to go, but I would like to see what it looks like before I say anything else. Can you take a good quality picture, meaning in focus not blurry, in close-up of the handle? This would help a lot in understanding what your talking about.
Take care.
Franco
PS-This is meant for bullwhips and things are a bit different with stockwhips. In a stockwhip you would take the same approach to counting strands, by looking at how many go under one... BUT you would do this on the thong of the whip, an inch or two past the thong's keeper. Stockwhips often have more strands on the handle than on the thong. This is to allow for more fancy plaiting on the handle. So you will sometimes find two sets of numbers when describing a stockwhip; the highest number of the two is typically that of the handle, with the lower number referring to the number of strands in the thong. If there is only one number, then it is usually understood to designate the thong, with the understanding that the plaiting on the handle is simple and is either of an equal or even sometimes lower, number of strands than on the thong, though this is very rare.
The number of plaits is referred to as being the number of plaits a whip starts out with, not the number it ends with, as most whips of quality end with a much lower number of strands than they begin with, usually 6 or 8 at the point. This is done by dropping strands from the overlay (that's the top braided layer of the whip, the one you can see) into the core, but typically, this dropping of strands doesn't start until somewhere around the halfway point of the whip, so by looking near the handle what you are seeing is the total number of strands. So what you want to do is look at a spot just after the end of the handle. Your whip will probably have an equal amount of strands or plaits, on both side of your whip's thong. I say this because normally, a whip is made so that when the whipmaker is braiding the whip there are the same number of strands on either side of the thong. It is usual to have a number of plaits that is a multiple of 4, so 8, 12, 16 so on and so forth. That way, when the whip is being plaited and the pattern is in 4 seam, or herringbone pattern (that's just the name of the regular pattern along the thong of the whip), the working strand, meaning the one that is being plaited, goes under the same number of strands as it goes over, and to have an equal number at the beginning, a multiple of 4 is usually selected. So as a an example, in a 12 plait whip, the working strand would go under 3 strands, then over 3 strands on one side, and the next strand would do the same thing but on the opposite side, so that if you look at the total number of strands you have a set of six on the left of the thong and another set of six on the right. That's just a basic breakdown of plaiting so you understand a bit what I'm about to say next.
So, assuming your whip has been made following this common approach, the number of strands that go under a strand (remember the working strand going under 3, over 3...), should tell you exactly how many are in the whip. So take any strand near the handle (I say near because if you look too far down, the whipmaker may have started dropping strands into the core and then your reading would be off), but past the handle (I say past the handle only because many whipmakers use a checkerboard pattern over the handle which is a lot harder to figure out, but then change into the normal pattern once they are past the handle and over the thong), and look to see how many strands go under it. So in the case of a 12 plait, that number would be 3, so multiply that by 4 (because at this point on the whip it should be a standard 4-seam herringbone pattern) and the answer is 12. So it would be a 12 plait whip.
As for cleaning the handle, there are a few different ways to go, but I would like to see what it looks like before I say anything else. Can you take a good quality picture, meaning in focus not blurry, in close-up of the handle? This would help a lot in understanding what your talking about.
Take care.
Franco
PS-This is meant for bullwhips and things are a bit different with stockwhips. In a stockwhip you would take the same approach to counting strands, by looking at how many go under one... BUT you would do this on the thong of the whip, an inch or two past the thong's keeper. Stockwhips often have more strands on the handle than on the thong. This is to allow for more fancy plaiting on the handle. So you will sometimes find two sets of numbers when describing a stockwhip; the highest number of the two is typically that of the handle, with the lower number referring to the number of strands in the thong. If there is only one number, then it is usually understood to designate the thong, with the understanding that the plaiting on the handle is simple and is either of an equal or even sometimes lower, number of strands than on the thong, though this is very rare.
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LemonLauren
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Re: two dumb questions
Great explanation, Franco! I thought some pictures might help too...
http://whips.wordpress.com/2009/07/25/h ... a-whip-is/
Lauren Wickline
www.midwestwhips.com
http://whips.wordpress.com/2009/07/25/h ... a-whip-is/
Lauren Wickline
www.midwestwhips.com
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Canuck Digger
- Professor of Archaeology
- Posts: 747
- Joined: Sun Mar 30, 2008 8:24 pm
- Location: Montreal, Canada
Re: two dumb questions
Ah brilliant Laurent!! Ya ya ya! THIS is what I was thinking of, but didn't have any pics to illustrate!
Sir, you are blessed with explanations from the best here!
Franco
Sir, you are blessed with explanations from the best here!
Franco
Re: two dumb questions
Oh Lauren,
I didn't even know this part of your website. I've been visiting the rest(not everything but i've added it to my favorites).
It's simply beautifull
many thanks
JP
I didn't even know this part of your website. I've been visiting the rest(not everything but i've added it to my favorites).
It's simply beautifull
many thanks
JP