I wondered if maybe I'd been too aggressive, or maybe a previous owner's too-generous application of dressing had compromised the leather. I emailed Dusty Damrel at Crease N Corral with pictures and asked what my options were. He replied—about 15 minutes later—that I could have it cut back and a new fall hitch tied, which would shorten the overall length, or I could have him unplait the first few feet of the whip and replait it with new strands, dye it to match and tie on a new white hide fall to replace the old red hide fall I'd kept blowing the tip off of.
I opted for new strands. I sent the whip to him and within just a couple of days he let me know it was finished. Already? A few days later (including Sunday and Memorial Day), my whip was back in my hands. Total time was just over a week. Amazing.
As Dusty wrote, this whip is getting "a second chance at a long life." I think he must use cloves in his plaiting soap, because this thing smells delicious.
I just wanted to express how pleased I am with the quality of Dusty's whip, and with his spectacular (and spectacularly fast) customer service. He will definitely be receiving more of my money in the future. Thanks!
