Nylon Snakewhip 2.0

[Dittmer]

For anyone interested...

I just finished making my second nylon snakewhip. It's 12 plait and the thong measures just a little over 5' in length. I'm happy with how it turned out. It's a definite improvement over my first one.

For my next whip I might bite the bullet and try my hand at making a kangaroo one.
-Dittmer



A comparison between this whip and the first one I made:
http://www.dittmer.ca/misc/snakewhip1and2.jpg

[Mola Ram]

VERY NICE! lots of improvement! my advice though, start with cowhide not roo. Thats quite risky if you have never made a leather one.
Kindest Regards
Molorom

[Dittmer]

Thanks Molorom! I've had some dialogue over on the whip enthusiast forum about making a kangaroo whip and I think I'm going to do it rather than making one out of cowhide. Also, over the holidays I got Bernie's bullwhip making tutorial DVD and it's a tremendous resource. And even if I totally butcher my first kangaroo whip I'm sure I'll learns TONS in the process.
-Dittmer

[Mola Ram]

Well that makes everything diffrent. If you have bernies dvd collection then i am sure you are ready to make one out of roo, just know that you will probaly make lots of mistakes,(or no mistakes ). Just the other day i had a problem. I was on the 2 strand in cutting a belly for a stockwhip and i cut the strand clean off at the 4foot point,(of 7 feet) OOPS Well good luck with your whip,
kindest regards
molorom

[Dittmer]

just know that you will probaly make lots of mistakes,(or no mistakes ).

Oh, I fully expect to make mistakes along the way. I imagine it'll end up being a sort of Frankenstein whip. HA! But what better way to learn to make a roo-hide whip than to buy a hide and go at 'er.
-Dittmer

[The_Edge]

Dittmer,

That is really impressive! Congratulations! My one major critique is that the first half of the thong needs to have more taper to it. It looks to be the same width and then drop off quickly. (Keep in mind that I'm speaking from a bullwhip point of view. I don't study snake whips all that much and have never made one. For all I know what you made is the norm.)

Other than that I'm really impressed and you should be too. That Turk's knot on the butt looks fantastic! I've tried tying those knots using paracord with awful results. Nice work!

Definitely just jump into cutting roo hide. I remember being scared to death cutting into my very first roo skin. I really didn't know what the heck I was doing and made lots of mistakes. Now I'm a little faster at it, more confident and the mistakes are less and less but I'm still very much learning and loving every bit of it. Kangaroo leather is such a joy to work with. Have fun and good luck!

[JerseyJones]

That looks great ! If you do more nylons, I'd love to try one out.

Congrats,
Ken

[Mola Ram]

yikes! looks like its time to post pictues of my nylons, and show you what i am made of Too. The knots are really difficult to do with parachord i aggree. I burn each end of the strand i am using to make the knot, 1 end that is straight, and the other end melted to the point like a permalock needle. I do the knot on a wooden ball covered with glue/sand. Then i even the knot up and transfer it to the whip knob. After doing a few it was not as difficult.
Kindest Regards
Molorom

[Dittmer]

My one major critique is that the first half of the thong needs to have more taper to it. It looks to be the same width and then drop off quickly.

Thanks for the comments, Kyle! I totally agree with you about the taper on the thong and I think I know what I'll need to do to correct it on my next one.

The turk's head turned out okay except for the fact that it doesn't completely cover the top and bottom! If you saw it from a different angle you'd see what I mean. For a first turk's head though I was happy with it.
-Mark

[Dittmer]

If you do more nylons, I'd love to try one out.

I plan to make more nylons at some point and would be happy to let anyone try them out if we meet up but I'm still really just at a learning/experimental stage with these. Wait until I've got some solid construction techniques down first.
-Mark

[Dittmer]

yikes! looks like its time to post pictues of my nylons, and show you what i am made of Too.

Do it, Omar. I'd love to see pictures of your whips!

For tying my turk's head I used a 'mosquito hemostat' (small, scissor-like clamps) that I bought from ubraidit that worked excellent!
-Mark

[jerryrwm]

The turk's head turned out okay except for the fact that it doesn't completely cover the top and bottom! If you saw it from a different angle you'd see what I mean. For a first turk's head though I was happy with it.
-Mark

Mark,

Good looking whip. Keep at it buddy and you'll do nothing but improve. As my wife tells me, "your best whip is always the next one you make." And that's true. Because everyone teaches you something the helps.

As for the knot, if the 4 bight 3 pass turk's head doesn't cover the top of the knob, there are two ways to go.

1. A 4 bight turks's head was never intended to close on the top just because of the way it goes together. Many whipmakers including Morgan, Strain, et al, use a cover piece on the top of the knob and form a shoulder for the lace to grab onto. This will allow you to start the knot a little lower which in turn will make the knot close tighter around the bottom at the handle. I'm not sure what you could use with nylon cord, but a little ingenuity and it will turn out right.

2. You could use a herringbone knot and that will close around the top, and bottom. The herringbone is usually built on a 6 bight turk's head foundation as is the pineapple knot, A pineapple knot is usually made by making a 6 bight 7 part turk's head, and interweaving a 6 bight 5 part knot ending in an over two under two pattern.

The herringbone knot is built on the same foundation, but has a 6 bight 7 part interweave. The two knots look nearly the same as they both have the over two under two pattern. The difference being that the working end for the herringbone comes up on the left side of the standng part and crosses under the 'x' at the top and bottom of the knot, while the pineapple has the working end coming up along the right side of the standing part and crosses under the 'x' one step below the top and above the bottom.

Both knots are illustrated in Grant's book to help you along.

Another interesting knot that I use on my long-handled Aussie target whips is Barney Belford's 8 bight 13 part double extended turk's head which turns into a 16 bight 20 part pineapple interweave. That rascal closes at the top and bottom well enough that you can cover a golf ball completely with it. But it is a bear to tie!

Keep 'em crackin'

Jerry R

[Dittmer]

As for the knot, if the 4 bight 3 pass turk's head doesn't cover the top of the knob, there are two ways to go.

Jerry, thanks for the info. So far, tying the Turk's head has been my biggest challenge in whipmaking. And the main reason for that is that I've been having trouble following the diagrams on how to do it properly. For this whip I went with the 'very easy' turk's head in Ron Edwards' "Bush Leatherwork" book. I'm not even sure exactly how many bights and passes there are on that knot! I recall someone having posted the definitions for "bight" and "pass" on this forum before but when I read it, it didn't quite make sense to me.

You mentioned Bruce Grant's book ...I actually just recently found that book at the local library but haven't had a chance to look through it yet.

One last comment, Jerry. Do you think my snakewhip would make an effective weapon?
-Mark

[jerryrwm]

Mark,

You are not right!! LOL Actually it makes a wonder sap and when judiciously applied to the cranium will make a solid "thunk' and they go to sleep.

Jerry

[Dittmer]

LOL!
-Mark

[jerryrwm]

mark,

The nomenclature of a knot is as fiollows:

1- bight - the turn at the top or bottom of the knot where it changes direction.

2 - part - the number of times the laces cross each other going up or down on the body of the knot.

3 - pass - the number of times you follow the first wrapping of the knot. A three pass knot means that there are three strands laying next to each other having followed the exact same path.

I would try to buy Gran's book as it is one that needs a lot of studying. And then make the mandrels using his patterns to learn to tie the knot. After tying about 100 suddenly you see where the cross under three is in the pineapple knot.

Jerry R

[Dittmer]

Excellent, thanks Jerry. That helps explain things a bit.

I'm anxious to get home and read through Grant's book now...
-Mark

[Snakewhip_Sable]

Hey! There's my 'Blue Viper' Dittmer Snakewhip!! That thing is awesome and still in perfect shape. I love using it. Thanks another billion, Lash!

[Dittmer]

HA! Thanks, Sable. I really ought to make you a proper roo-hide whip though. I plan to make another whip for myself and then I promised my brother I'd make him one but maybe after that I can do one for you. I only have a couple hides left though so I hope it won't be too difficult for me to get more.
-Mark

[Snakewhip_Sable]

Oh, good cripes. That's a generous offer, Lash. I was going to pay you serious coin for a longer, browner, parachute cord bullwhip though, as you don't have to 'baby' the nylon a all.

Though I did take my Lammle's swivel handle into a wet storm drain and light it on fire before cracking, and that's not exactly baby-ing it. I'd never do anything bad to a handmade Dittmer whip, of course.