Whipmaking instructions according to me!

Paul_Stenhouse · Post by **Paul_Stenhouse** » Mon May 18, 2009 7:02 pm

All,

Dan Borton is graciously helping me post some whipmaking instructions that I put down on paper electronically many years ago. What I think is most important in these instructions is the hide sizes and lengths for cutting. However, it's a long winded diatribe--all according to me.

I'm posting this now because while I may not be making whips with any great frequency, I think it's very important to see this craft continue forward. This is my way of trying to help that effort. So, please feel free to duplicate and use for making whips if you see fit. It's my gift to the whipmaking crowd (the value of said gift is totally up to you to decide!).

Please e-mail or post any questions.

Cheers,

Paul Stenhouse

Dan? Your turn! (And a hearty thanks from a computer illiterate!) I've posted the text, but need help with the pictures and tables.

Cracker · Post by **Cracker** » Mon May 18, 2009 8:17 pm

I am very much looking forward to seeing this!! Thank you Paul

Jim

Marhala · Post by **Marhala** » Tue May 19, 2009 8:37 am

Thanks Paul! It will be great to see what a seasoned expert can show us in detail.

Again, many thanks.

pfcyoung · Post by **pfcyoung** » Tue May 19, 2009 11:47 am

i eagerly wait in anticipation $\:D/$

i would like to finish an 8 footer i started

Paul_Stenhouse · Post by **Paul_Stenhouse** » Tue May 19, 2009 2:37 pm

You haven't read it yet, so don't assume I'm a seasoned expert. It makes sense to me. After that, the standard disclaimer kicks in!

I'm also trying to figure out how to post a cracking and maintenance video I made to some other free place. Dan's helping me with that, too.

Cheers,
Paul

Paul_Stenhouse · Post by **Paul_Stenhouse** » Tue May 19, 2009 2:39 pm

How I make a whip, based upon knowledge bestowed to me by David Morgan.

For this whip instruction, we will be making a 10’, 12-plait kangaroo hide bullwhip, with two plaited bellies.
Materials that you will need:
8” Nail
Lead Flashing
Kangaroo Hide
Kipside Leather
Waxed String
Knife
Plaiting Soap
A Long Metal Straightedge Ruler
A Strong Hook
Patience

The Materials

The Knife: There are a variety of knives that can be used. For ease of use, I prefer a hobby knife that one can buy at most places, which has the snap-off blades, and is about the same size and shape as a carpenter’s pencil. This knife doesn’t need to be sharpened, and the better models allow you to replace the blades, whereas the cheaper models, you throw out the entire knife.
Waxed String: Also called artificial sinew, which looks just like very thick dental floss. The kind I buy is yellow, but the color doesn’t matter, since no one will see it in your whip. Find it at a craft store in large or small spools.
Plaiting soap: This concoction is made from 1 cup of water, one bar of Ivory soap, and one pound of lard. Melt the lard in the boiling cup of water; this is easy. Shave the bar of soap like grating cheese. I use a cheese grater, just make sure you clean it off before the next use with food as to prevent the runs. Slowly add this grated soap to your mixture. You will find that you must stir it, as well as watch it, since it has a tendency to rapidly boil over. It will also smell, so open the windows in the kitchen, or do it outside if you have the means. It will take you awhile to add all the soap, and keep stirring in order to reduce lumps. After this is all done, remove the pan from heat and pour the mixture into an empty coffee can. This recipe makes about 1+ quarts, and the smaller coffee cans (2 lb. size) seem to hold all of the mixture perfectly. Set it outside for quite awhile, as it must cool and harden. Immediately after pouring into the coffee can, you can skim off any lumps that may have formed while cooking. However, it won’t hurt anything if you leave them in. After all, it is plaiting soap. Once it is hardened, put the lid on the coffee tin, and leave it on whenever your hand isn’t in your mixture. Otherwise, it will dry out.
Lead Flashing: This can be obtained from roofing stores. Larger hardware chains don’t seem to carry it anymore due to lead being harmful or some such nonsense. I have found it in rolls that are 1’ wide, which is suitable for the lead cylinder on the handle.
Kangaroo and Kipside Leather: This will have to be obtained by you. Any whipmaker has hides lying around his or her shop and you can get them for a price. Expect to pay $10/ FT2 or about $12/ DM2. The chart at the top will tell you what size hide you need. A square foot and ten square decimeters are roughly equivalent, so 67 DM2 is about 6.7 FT2. Kipside leather is the skived thickness along the backbone of a cow’s hide. While you don’t necessarily need this exact type of leather, ask the whipmaker to suggest a reasonable facsimile. You can use kangaroo hide, but it is expensive to use as filler, when a cheaper material will do. Kipside and Kangaroo hides are about the same thickness. David Morgan has a good supply of kangaroo hides and will pick them out and ship them to you, if you ask him nicely. Be sure to tell him what you will be doing with it.
The Hook: You will need a strong hook on which to pull. You can mount this in a number of ways from putting it into a wall, or a tree outside, or a board that you can mount to some suitable place. It is up to you to figure this out. You can almost not have a hook be too big, as you will be putting a lot of stress on it, and using your weight against it.

Paul_Stenhouse · Post by **Paul_Stenhouse** » Tue May 19, 2009 2:40 pm

The Handle

Handles for whips can be made from a wide variety of items from the cane handle for Australian bullwhips to a pipe and bolt swivel handle whips. For this whip, we will use an eight-inch nail that can be readily obtained from any hardware store. The first thing you will want to do is round off the end of the nail; so the point or sharp edges on the facets don’t cut into your whip during use. You can do this with a file or grinder, depending on your facilities and patience. Next, cut a strip of lead from the roll of lead flashing. It should be about 1” wide and 15” long. Wrap this under the head of the nail. You can form it around the nail with a large pair of duckbill pliers, or something similar. When finished, it should look like a cylinder of lead. Put a brad nail or two into the lead at the end of your wrap to secure it. Tap the underside of this cylinder with a small hammer in order to seat it against the head of the nail, and mush the bottom edge together. I also mix and apply epoxy to the lead on top of the nail head, as well as under the lead cylinder for security. I have found that the lead cylinder will eventually rotate a slight bit with use and abuse. The epoxy helps counteract this and keeps it more secure. You will need to cut a piece of kangaroo hide to cover the nail and lead, as well as extend off the end. This piece will be about 12” long. To cover the lead cylinder, your pattern will look like a square attached to a circle attached to a square. The circular portion will rest on top of the nail head, with both of the square portions wrapping around the sides of the lead cylinder. A piece should continue off of one of these square patterns that continue down the nail, and covers the nail shaft only once. You may want to put two small cuts in the hide to smooth the transition from the lead cylinder to the nail shaft. The edges should touch on the opposite side. This continues approximately 1” past the end of the nail and should be cut into several tapered triangles. The basic idea is to taper the transition from braiding over the nail, to braiding past the end as smoothly as possible. Remember that it doesn’t have to be beautiful, as no one will ever see this piece. Wrap a few turns of waxed string down the nail to hold the hide into place, as well as on the lead cylinder. This completes the handle.

Paul_Stenhouse · Post by **Paul_Stenhouse** » Tue May 19, 2009 2:41 pm

The First Bolster

This is one of the easiest parts to make, because it involves only cutting. Determine the circumference of the nail shaft. It is probably about 1”. Cut your first bolster about 1”-1 3/4” wide depending on how thick you want your final diameter to be when finished. It will be 38” long from the widest portion to the tapered end. Cut so your bolster tapers evenly in width down to nothing at 38”. At the widest portion, cut a taper that is about 2” long from both sides of the bolster, which meet in the middle. The finished product should look something like an elongated kite, or a tie, with the bottom part of the tie being the portion that will attach to the handle.

The First Belly

Here is where the cutting of your kangaroo hide comes into play. The first thing you need to do is trim your hide a bit, since it has ragged edges and will not give a uniform strand width along this outside edge. To do this, start with the smooth side up and simply cut a thin strand all along the outside edge of your hide. Keep in mind that you are cutting material that is going in the garbage, so the wider you cut, the more you waste. Also, notice how some parts are stretchier than others. This is important for cutting strands and nothing but experience will substitute here. You will need to cut strands wider through these sections in order to account for stretch. It is perfectly okay to cut a few test strands and determine stretch of a particular section. You can also pre-stretch some of these sections before cutting through them. You will also want to notice any holes that are in your hide, or spots that look weaker than the surrounding hide. These you can cut out before you cut strands through them by cutting out a bad section, when you are cutting strands. Let’s say you are cutting strands, and you notice that the next strand will cut through a weak section which may break when plaited. Instead of cutting your next strand right through this area, cut it out, with a gradual taper, and you can continue your cutting, just as though it were never there. The same applies for holes, which you will probably have somewhere in the hide, if not in the flank section. Now your hide should be trimmed up and you will cut from one rear leg, around the neck and to the other leg, not straight across the backside. About 1” above the end of the nail is where your braiding is going to start. You will also want the beginning of your set to wrap around the nail again. With the hide, smooth side up and neck at the top, you are going to begin your cutting at the left rear leg. So with this in mind, Cut a strip about 5” long out of the leg that will wrap the nail, and taper it to be a little wider near the end of your cut. Here is where you will cut the slits for braiding. You will cut 4 slits about ½” wide all along the edge of the hide, and taper it as you go. When you reach the neck, you should be at around ¼” to 3/8” wide. Continue cutting and slowly tapering around to the other leg and finish your cut. Your final width at the end of the strands can be anywhere from 3/16” to 1/8”. After you have finished, you should have four strands that taper in width. You will want to pare the strands, so that they lie flat against the core of kipside. Do this by skiving a small portion off of each underside of the strands. Once this is accomplished, you need to wrap the solid portion of this set of strands around the handle, longways, and wrap it a bit with waxed string. Leave the last inch or so unwrapped, because this is where the first bolster starts. Grease up your strands liberally, and get ready to braid. Push the bolster under the set of strands as best you can. The short taper at the beginning of the bolster should end at the nail, so the full width is even with the nail’s point. Also, the handle should be held so the set is oriented to have two strands on the left, two strands on the right. Cross the center two strands, right over left and begin braiding. Be careful not to pull the first bolster out, as it will have a tendency to slip out when pulling. The first few turns should be tight, because the whip takes a good deal of bending stress at the end of the nail. After this, you may ease up a bit on pulling, but be careful to not braid too loose. This will result in a sloppy, weak belly. Braid all the way down to the end of the first bolster, and put a half-hitch knot in one strand around the other three, so it will stay put and not become unraveled. Roll the belly between two hard surfaces. We will deal with this portion later.

Paul_Stenhouse · Post by **Paul_Stenhouse** » Tue May 19, 2009 2:43 pm

The Second Bolster

Again, this is fairly easy to accomplish since it only involves cutting. You are going to cut a similar piece of kipside as you did before, which starts near the end of the nail and continues down the whip over the first belly. To do this, lay your first belly on the edge of the kipside leather. Wrap this with kipside at the end of the nail, starting at one edge, until it almost is covered, with about a 1/8” gap. Mark this with pencil, and make about 3 more measurements, evenly spaced along the whip. When you are at the end of the braiding, you will have to make a smooth taper, based on the lengths from the chart above. Your second bolster must be 68” in length, so this means that you have covered 38” of the first belly and have 30” left. Cut this is a long smooth taper. Assuming you have about 1” width for your second bolster, where it would wrap around the end of the first belly, you must taper this 1” width to 0” width over 30” of length. What you have when finished is another bolster that looks just like the first bolster, just longer.

The Second Belly

The second belly is a larger version of the first belly, and is cut in the same fashion. It is cut in the opposite direction around the hide, and ends at the same place it began. This means that you will cut one complete revolution around the hide; a 4-strand set. Looking at your hide with the smooth side up and the neck at the top, you are going to begin your cutting at the right rear leg. Flip your hide over, so that you are looking at the rough, grainy side. Again, you will cut a strip that is wide enough to wrap the nail once, and taper it larger where you are going to cut slits for your 4 strands. These strands are going to be about 1” wide, and will continue on around the hide towards the neck, slowly tapering. I have found that near the neck portion, I have tapered the strands too much, so there will be gaps in the belly plaiting. Ensure that you keep an even taper throughout your cutting, and don’t cut strands too narrow. Continue your cutting around through the other rear leg (the left leg). At this point you may want to round the corner of the leg, so that you won’t have to cut around an extremely sharp corner. You will find that you can cut whatever radius you like, but when it comes time to stretch the hide and pare it for plaiting, you may not be able to stretch out the radius that you cut. The wider the strand you are cutting around a corner, the larger the radius needs to be. Experience will show you how to best accomplish this. Continue your cutting across the flank and stop at the same leg in which you started. This will give you enough length to completely cover the second bolster, as well as having strands to taper under the final overlay. You will have a 4-strand set when completed, and this needs to be pared before plaiting. Attach the solid portion to the handle in the same fashion as the first belly by wrapping the handle, and using waxed string to keep it in place. Place the bolster under the loose portion of the hide at the end of the nail, so that the widest part is again even with the end of the nail. Orient the set so you have two strands on the right and two strands on the left. Cross the center two strands, right over left, and begin plaiting. Again, pull harder than normal on the first 8 turns, so that the belly is tight at the end of the nail. Once you have plaited down to the end of the plaited section of the first belly, where you put a half-hitch knot to hold the plaiting secure, you will have to stop plaiting for a moment and taper the strands under the first belly. Again, experience is the only way to figure this taper out, but I will describe it as best as possible. Examine the four strands for width at the half-hitch knot. Order them from thin to thick. You will want to taper this out so that when you plait over the strands, the taper will be even and uniform throughout, just as the bolster has an even taper. Evenly space out the taper with the remaining length of the bolster. This will look like four strands of uneven length that taper down to nothing, with the last strand being the longest, and ending about 1’ from the end of the bolster. You will want to taper the thinnest strand so that it is the shortest, with the middle two strands being slightly longer (also, one is longer than the other when properly tapered). The widest strand has the most gradual taper and will be the longest. After the first belly is tapered, go back to plaiting the second belly over the strands that you have just tapered. Continue your plaiting until you reach the end of the second bolster, put a half-hitch knot around the strands to hold it secure. You should have a thicker, longer whip, which looks like a bigger version of the first belly you made. Roll it so that it is smooth and round. Examine it for lumps, and run your hand down the length of it several times. You are feeling for irregularity in the taper. You will probably find one or two spots that fit this description, which we will address in the next section of cutting out the third and final bolster. These irregularities are due to spots in the hide which are different thicknesses. It is impossible to find a hide that is absolutely perfect. What you look for in a hide is an even thickness, or relatively even thickness. Of course, there are ways to fix these irregularities in the whip.

Paul_Stenhouse · Post by **Paul_Stenhouse** » Tue May 19, 2009 2:44 pm

The Third Bolster

While essentially the same shape and length as the first two bolsters, with one problem. You will have to cut two bolsters, since the kipside isn’t long enough to cut out a single piece. You will want this join to occur about 10-12” from the end of the second belly, so cut accordingly. Again, measure the circumference of the whip by wrapping it along one edge of the kipside and marking it out. Take your last measurement of the bolster at 10-12” from the end of the second belly and stop there. For the second part of the bolster, use the same width and cut your second bolster with this width as the maximum, tapering down to nothing at the final length you need. For example, you have cut out the first portion of this bolster and have a 1 ½” width at the bottom. Start the next bolster at 1 ½” and taper it to nothing at the final length you need for this bolster. You will need a 94” bolster for the final length in a 10’ whip. Assuming that you have around 40” length for the largest part of this bolster (which covers the belly from the handle to 10-12” from the end of the second belly), you will need a 54” long bolster that will cover the last 10-12” of the second belly, and continues down to the end of the whip. The long straightedge comes into play here with needing to taper 1 ½” over 54” of length. You will also want to have the join between the bolster on about a 45º angle. What you should have is a larger bolster than the first two you cut out, but with a join or break near the middle. If you do happen to find a large piece of kipside or some other filler, you can cut this bolster from one single piece. You probably won’t find a large piece like this, which is why you have to cut it in two pieces, and splice the pieces together later, when plaiting the final overlay. Lay your bolster over the whip and find where the bulges in the shape occur. Cut small elongate shapes out of the bolster that look like a stretched out football. These will help remove some of the belly material, and result in a more even taper in the final whip overlay. You will have to guess the size, as there is no hard and fast rule. Just use your best judgement on this, as it will probably be right.

Paul_Stenhouse · Post by **Paul_Stenhouse** » Tue May 19, 2009 2:45 pm

The Final Overlay

This is the most difficult part of the whipmaking process. But don’t be discouraged, as it is totally possible to complete (how do you think whips get made, anyway?). Here we go! You will need to look at your hide to determine which part is best to cut through for a beginning. This is because you will want to start the handle and transition to a thong with a thicker portion of the hide. A good place for this is across the flank section. You are going to cut 12 strands across that are 5/16” wide. You will want to leave about 4-5” above this as a solid piece since it will wrap around the lead cylinder on the handle, as well as give you something to put on your braiding hook (with slits cut into it). Start to cut your strands at the right rear leg across the flank, with the smooth side up, keeping in mind that the first turn you make is going to be around the left rear leg. You don’t want to have too sharp of a radius, so that stretching and paring can remove the curve in the leather and leave you with more or less straight strands. Cutting a taper into these strands can be hard, but remember to evenly space the taper out. You will want a final taper of about 3/16” when you have made one complete revolution around the hide while cutting. Continue this width of the strands throughout the duration of your cutting. As you are looking at the set, the three outer strands on either side will be the strands that are braided all the way down to the end of the whip. The six center strands that make up the middle will be dropped throughout the braiding, starting with the middle two. You will cut the center two strands to be approximately 10’ in length, as they will be dropped in the center at the end of the first belly. This will leave you with 10 strands that you are cutting. The next two center strands will be cut out of the set at 14’, leaving you with 8 strands that you are cutting. Continue these around the hide, still cutting, until they are about 17’ long. This will leave you with a small portion of hide left, probably about the size of a dinner plate. Also, the outer strands have traveled further in your cutting, meaning that they are longer than the inside strands. You will need to measure and cut the inside strands further around the hide, so that you have a uniform length of all your strands when finished. Remember that you can only braid down as far as the shortest of these last 6 strands. Once you have this all cut out, pare the strands on opposite corners; one edge on the smooth side and one edge on the rough side. Grease your strands as you are going to start braiding the handle and final overlay. The pattern on the handle can be whatever you want, provided you have the know how to do it. There are a large number of patterns that can be done, but are quite hard to complete. For this handle, we will single-diamond plait the handle, then transition into a herringbone pattern that is common on most whips. For this, we will cross the center two strands right over left. Each set of two strands to either side, you will also cross right over left, and braid the rest of them together in what looks like a flat braiding sequence. Now you have all the strands crossed and flat braided. The outside strand on the right is going to be the first round braided strand in the sequence. Reach behind from the left side and grab this strand. Weave it through the strands on the left side in an under-over sequence. Do this for the left strand by reaching behind from the right. When you have completed a few turns, you will want to pull down on the belly to seat the handle in the final overlay. Do this a few times to ensure that the belly is fully seated in the final overlay, and the lead cylinder is tight against the start of the braiding. Plait this sequence down the handle until you have about 7” of single diamond plait. In order to transition to herringbone plaiting, you will braid a pattern that is single diamond among the upper 3 strands on either side, and a herringbone pattern on the lower three. For this, you can just lay the strands on top of the lower three. Do this twice on either side, which makes a reasonable transition to herringbone. For the first 12” or so, you will want to pull very hard on these strands, as the whip takes the bending stress right here. After this section, you may loosen up a bit so that your hands can handle the pulling throughout the rest of the whip. Triple hand wraps along this tighter section is a must, since it is hard to pull on greasy strands without having them first wrapped up. I have also found that you can wear leather gloves and double wrap the strands around your fingers during this section. It saves wear and tear on the skin, and doesn’t wear out your strength as quickly. After this section, use a double hand wrap for braiding, as it won’t be as hard on your fingers, and the rest of the whip doesn’t need to be that tight. Continue plaiting, as this is the longest step in the whipmaking process. Continue plaiting until you have reached about 1” above the end of the upper bolster. Here is where you will insert the lower bolster into the plaiting and plait over the top. You will find this is fairly difficult to do since the lower bolster seems to want to slip out at every opportunity. Place this bolster into the plaiting and continue plaiting a few more turns. Eventually, you will get it tightened up to the point it will hold. When you have plaited to the lower portion of the join between the bolsters, slowly pull the lower bolster down, so that there is about a 1/16” overlap of the join between the bolsters, then plait as normal. Once you reach the end of the second belly, here is where you will drop two strands, which will be the shortest two. You will want to plait your sequence until the most number of strands coming from the other side covers the strand to be dropped. Pull tight on one of the strands and drop it underneath. You need to drop two strands at the transition from braided belly to strands. The reason for this is to make up lost belly material. You haven’t really lost any belly material, but you have lost some of the thickness by having a belly that is no longer braided, but is loose strands. Continue plaiting in an under 3, over 2 sequence on one side, under 2, over 3 sequence on the other side. This is dictated by which strand you dropped first. On that side, you will stay with the under 2, over 3 sequence. On the side whose strand was dropped last, you will plait with an under 3, over 2 sequence. At this point, you should have about 6’ of whip plaited. Again, like we pared the strands in the first belly before plaiting the second belly, we will want to do that again. Keep in mind that you will be dropping strands again in about 12-18” of plaiting. Pare these strands to a taper about 30” from where they were dropped. Continue plaiting until you decide that your strands are beginning to bunch, and that the belly being covered can be sufficiently covered by 8-plait. Again, drop strands in the same manner as before, where the strands you drop are being covered by the two lower strands on one side. Pull outward on this strand, and wrap it underneath. Do the same thing on the other side of the strands, and now continue plaiting with 8 strands, using an under 2, over 2 sequence on both sides. Plait for about 2" and taper the strands that you just dropped. Plait further until again you decide that you have sufficient coverage with 6 strands. This should be the last foot of your whip. Drop these two strands in the same manner as before, adopting an under 1, over 2 plaiting sequence on one side, under 2, over 1 plaiting sequence on the other side. Pare these strands so that they end at the 10’ length on your whip. Pare them down thin as you don’t want a large diameter braid at the end. Braid down over this last portion, and attach the fall in the following manner. Slide the large end of the fall over the braided section, and hold it under the whip, along the braid. You are going to tie the half hitches around the lower third of the fall, and pull it into place, which tightens the knot up dramatically, and will keep the bending stress at the braid/half hitch knot junction to a minimum. The first strand that is tied into this half hitch pattern, should be the furthest up the whip. Your braiding sequence will dictate which side you will want to start with, as with six-plait, one side is dramatically further up the whip than the other, depending on which side you are currently pulling strands. Observe this for yourself. Also, the first half hitch should be pulled tight and pulled up towards the handle. If not, you will find that when pulling into place the fall, the knot will slip down, revealing two unbraided strands underneath the fall hitch. After each strand is hitched, lay it on top of the fall. When you have the last strands ready, half hitch it in the same manner, but put the remaining tail through the slit in the fall next to the braid. When you pull the fall into place, you will need to guide this strand, so that it stays through the fall. Grease the fall liberally with plaiting soap, where it will slide through the half hitch knot, and pull very hard. It should slip into place. You now have a whip with no cracker attached to the end, and an unfinished butt foundation. The remaining strands should again be pulled moderately to ensure that they are tight in the half hitch knot, and trim them off about ¾” from the end of the knot. Roll this whip between two hard surfaces, and you have successfully plaited your whip.

Paul_Stenhouse · Post by **Paul_Stenhouse** » Tue May 19, 2009 2:46 pm

Cracker Attachment
This can be done in three different ways, which I will describe. The first method involves cutting a slit in the end of the fall, about ½” to ¾” long and put the fall through the loop in the end of the cracker. Slide this above the slit in the fall, the put the loose end of the cracker through the slit and pull down and through to tighten up. This is an easy method of cracker attachment and doesn’t need to be tight, as it will tighten down on itself during cracking. Start the slit as close the to the end, preferably about 1/8”. The second method is a little more detailed and requires a hook to pull from. You are going to feed the fall through the loop in the cracker at the end. Whereas the first method works with a squared end, this method works best with a fall that is trimmed down. Now make an overhand knot in the fall, but instead of putting the end of the fall through the loop to complete the knot, feed the cracker through, leaving the end of the fall outside the loop, and pull. This will also require you to shape and guide the knot as you pull. Loop the cracker around a hook, with a couple of half hitches, and pull slowly, shaping and guiding the knot as you pull. You will also want to have greased the end of the fall, as this helps the fall slip against itself, and will help you tighten the knot up. The last method is similar to the second method, but instead of making a loop for the knot, you are going to straighten the fall out, as you guide the fall into place. This method will act like the second cracker attachment gone badly, so that when guiding the knot tight, you will act to straighten out the fall. This results in a straight fall, with a half hitch attachment, with one side of the half hitch having an additional turn in it. Pull snugly, and this should hold nicely.

Paul_Stenhouse · Post by **Paul_Stenhouse** » Tue May 19, 2009 2:47 pm

Finishing the Whip
Take a look at your whip. You will see two things of interest that you need to complete to make the whip cosmetically complete. One is a turk’s head knot at the transition from single diamond plaiting in the handle, to herringbone pattern where the thong begins. You can put a 3 lead, 4 bight turk’s head, or a 4 lead, 5 bight turk’s head knot. Personally, I think the latter looks better, but it is purely up to personal taste.
The second item of interest is the butt of the whip. This should be covered with a 4 lead, 5 bight turk’s head, as this will give you a wide knot that will sufficiently cover the butt. Also, you have the choice of putting a wrist loop in the butt foundation. Keep in mind that you don’t actually want to use the whip with this loop wrapped around your hand, since it is merely decorative. Its main purpose is to look neat, as well as hanging the whip from when not in use. To make this, plait a 6-strand flat braid, with the strands being approximately 5/32”. This will be neat in appearance. It is crucial to cut the strands of a uniform thickness, as it will be readily apparent once it is plaited. Pare both edges on the underside of these strands, as they will lay flatter once plaited. Your finished product will be about 1’ in length. Attach this to opposite sides of the lead cylinder by wrapping it with waxed string. Then, you will want to wrap copious amounts of string around the cylinder to build it up so that when the knot is applied, it has a more spherical shape, than cylindrical. Also, I wrap a thin strand of leather below the foundation so that it has a smoother transition at the base of the cylinder. Apply the knot to the butt. See the chart above for how long a strand you need. Roll the butt on a hard surface to smooth it out. Also, roll the decorative knot at the end of the handle to smooth it out. Go outside and give it a few test cracks. It will be very stiff, since nothing has been broken in. Use it gently so that the break in period is easy. You will start to sense that some parts of the whip are loosening up. If you have plaited this whip correctly, the thong below the handle should be the last part to break in. This is why we plaited tight in this section with the first two bellies, as well as the final overlay. Enjoy your whip, and give your hand at making another. You will get better with each one you make.

Paul_Stenhouse · Post by **Paul_Stenhouse** » Tue May 19, 2009 2:48 pm

Making a Cracker/Popper
Most whipmakers prefer to make their own crackers, as it is an inexpensive process and relatively quick. You can make them out of several types of material, including horsehair, bailing twine, waxed string or dental floss, or nylon thread. You will need about 18” of length and several strands of your material. Again, experience will help you the most. Tie a knot in one end of the group of strands, and then tie a knot in the other end. Hold one end firmly and begin to twist one end. Keep twisting until the strands are very tight. One hand will be needed to hold you cracker in the center of the strands. You can put the other end in your teeth, on a hook, etc. to hold it. Grasp the strands in the center and bring the two knotted ends together. You will notice that the strands will twist around one another, and wind up looking just like a miniature rope. Tie another knot around both loose ends and trim with scissors or a knife so that you have 1-1 ½” of loose end. Now you can make another, as you observed this process along the way and have learned from it.

Paul_Stenhouse · Post by **Paul_Stenhouse** » Tue May 19, 2009 2:49 pm

Other Notes of Interest
When you cut strands, you have different ways to cut them. I started out using a lace cutter that I had made from a block of wood, and had made about a dozen whips using this technique. This worked okay for awhile, but I found that I was unable to adjust my cutting for sections that were stretchy, or around other corners. One day I was cutting a whip out and broke my lace cutter. I was bent out of shape, since I had no way to cut this out. This happened shortly after I had a conversation with Joe Strain when I visited his shop. He told me of his trials and tribulations of using a lace cutter, and how much faster it was to cut using your fingernail as a guide. I decided that I had better learn how to do this, and set out with the blade from my lace cutter, since I had no other knife that was sharp enough. After I had cut out this set, I was pleasantly surprised at how well I had cut. Also, it seemed to go just as fast as using a lace cutter. Well, I decided right then and there that I would never go back to using a lace cutter again, even if I was cutting lace for a knot. What I have found is that you get a much better feel for the work in hand when cutting with a knife and fingernail as a guide. There really isn’t a comparison between the two, and the sooner you cut by hand, the better you will be. Trust me on this, as you will be hard pressed to find a professional whipmaker that uses a lace cutter as they are too slow for making whips, and less reliable than your own hand.
When cutting strands, it is important to pull gently on the strand you are cutting. Otherwise, the knife will have a mind of it’s own, and gouge into your work, or cut your strand off. Also, the strand must be pulled on the tangent with the knife blade. What this translates to is pulling the strand in the same line, directly behind the direction you are cutting. When you cut around a corner, the strand is also being moved directly behind it, so that it is always in line with the direction the knife is cutting, Again, not doing this will cause you to gouge your work and a dramatic unevenness in your strands which definitely show up in the plaiting.

When beginning a whip, start with a bolster whose width doesn’t quite cover the diameter of the nail. This will, in turn, cause the shape of the whip to not have such a thick thong, so that too much weight isn’t carried out into the thong. Pull evenly on both sides of the weave while braiding, so that the stitching will run straight and true. If you find that you are braiding circular around the whip, and the stitching isn’t straight, it is because you are pulling too hard on one side. If, for example, you examine the stitching on the completed thong and it runs straight for a bit, then starts to curve to the right side near last bit of your braiding, you are pulling to hard with your right hand side, or not hard enough with the left hand side. However, if you try to fix this by pulling harder with the left, until your stitching pattern straightens out, you may develop a kink in the thong when the whip is completed. The best way to fix this problem is back up and start again, meaning to undo a bit of braiding until it you have reached the straight section. An even better way is to correct the problem as it starts to develop. You must constantly keep an eye on your work, adjusting and tugging on the bolster and the opposite strands so that they lay in place. Unfortunately, there really isn’t a substitute for learning little tricks from an accomplished whipmaker, because these tricks aren’t something one would inherently think of on their own.

I have been making whips and braiding for a while now, with each one being different than the other. I have made stockwhips, bullwhips, riding crops, bracelets, leashes and collars for dogs, zipper pulls, bookmarks, whistle lanyards and a signal quirt out of a stockwhip that a dog chewed up. What I have learned that is also extremely important in whipmaking is the power of observation. I have found that stopping your work in an area where you are not sure about the finished product and taking time to observe will greatly improve the finished product. If you are plaiting a particular section of your work and are unsure about what the final product will look like, stop what you’re doing and figure out the problem. It may be something that is a 30 second fix, that when finished, will look so much better. The other side is that when finished, it will take you much longer to undo all the work you have finished and re-plait the area that is a problem. Stop and observe. You will find that it helps you learn about what you’re doing, and remind you for next time when you see a particular situation or problem arise, as well as how to deal with it. Also, keep a notebook about what you have done. Write down measurements on particular items, which can help you determine how long you want to cut something. It will also be something you can look back upon to determine what might result in mistakes, and how to prevent them in the future.

Post by **BullWhipBorton** » Tue May 19, 2009 7:06 pm

Paul_Stenhouse · Post by **Paul_Stenhouse** » Tue May 19, 2009 7:17 pm

Thank you, Dan. That's excellent!

By the way, if anyone wants the whole word file, I'll ship it out. Can I post a personal e-mail address here?

Paul
paulandangie@shaw.ca

Post by **BullWhipBorton** » Tue May 19, 2009 7:28 pm

Glad i could help and sure feel free to post your e-mail address.

Dan

Post by **Dalexs** » Tue May 19, 2009 11:22 pm

Hey Paul,

Great job. And welcome back. It's been a long time.
And being basically a tutorial, I'm glad to see it was made a sticky.

Dalexs

Cracker · Post by **Cracker** » Tue May 19, 2009 11:26 pm

Thanks for taking the time to do this Paul, it was very very interesting.

Jim

Gary Williams · Post by **Gary Williams** » Wed May 20, 2009 7:35 am

Paul, Thank you for recognizing the need and passing on your information to us novice whipmakers. Keeping the art/trade going into the next generation is very important. Many trades have fell by the wayside over the years and it would be a shame to have whipmaking join them, only to be read about in history books. Thanks again for doing your part to see that this doesn't happen.

Gary

Paul_Stenhouse · Post by **Paul_Stenhouse** » Wed May 20, 2009 6:12 pm

All,

You're very welcome. It cost me a couple of years and several $K to figure this out, but as far as I'm concerned, it's free information at this point. Kind of like a tune that's been around so long no one knows the owner.

I wrote it, so it makes sense to me but not necessarily anyone else. I just hope it helps others carry on who may be starting/struggling. I'll still be making whips as life goes on. Someone with lots more ambition and drive can take over!

Cheers,
Paul

Marhala · Post by **Marhala** » Thu May 28, 2009 10:08 am

Hi Dan, Paul. Thank you so much for the information! I have read it and found it particularly interesting, especially when comparing it to other whipmaking methods found on the web.

I was just wondering what was that last image about? The one after the diagram showing the three bolsters...

All the best,

Aldo.

Paul_Stenhouse · Post by **Paul_Stenhouse** » Thu May 28, 2009 1:57 pm

Hi Aldo,
That last diagram, although I couldn't find it just now, is what the final overlay should look like once it's been cut out, stretched, and pared. The corresponding letters a, b, and c match up to the cutting lengths in the table above. If you follow the cutting lengths, then when plaiting, you won't be short of strand length for finishing the whip.
That question was the hardest for me to answer when I first started: How long do I cut this to ensure I don't run out of strand at the bottom of the work.

Over the years, I've shortened some of them on my own sheet, based on experience, but those lengths will give you a margin of safety.

Cheers,
Paul

Marhala · Post by **Marhala** » Thu May 28, 2009 8:14 pm

Thanks a lot, Paul. After your description, it's now pretty clear to me. Now I only have to get a kangaroo hide to give it a try.

bluzharp · Post by **bluzharp** » Thu May 28, 2009 9:05 pm

Wow, what a cool thread on whipmaking! I won't be braiding one anytime soon, but I sure love reading and understanding the mechanics of it! Thanks gentlemen.

Paul_Stenhouse · Post by **Paul_Stenhouse** » Sun May 31, 2009 10:06 pm

Certainly welcome. I'm happy to be able to give this knowledge away freely.

simndermot · Post by **simndermot** » Tue Jun 22, 2010 6:31 pm

My god man, this is a great tutorial. Thank you so much, sir.

Robert Duke · Post by **Robert Duke** » Wed Jul 28, 2010 4:57 pm

Way to go to keep up the art of whipmaking.

jlhampton · Post by **jlhampton** » Wed Aug 11, 2010 8:59 pm

now, if this were in video format, it would be absolutely awesome. i like to try doing new things, but i'm the kind of person who learns by the watch and repeat method. it's nice to see things done step by step.

Paul_Stenhouse · Post by **Paul_Stenhouse** » Wed Dec 08, 2010 9:10 pm

As far as the video format goes, I've asked for help to break up and post segments of the cracking and maintenance video I made years ago. Nothing yet, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed! If I wasn't such a poor computer user, I'd do it. But, I need the help and am at the mercy of others' busy schedules, too.

Cheers,
Paul

auntsugar · Post by **auntsugar** » Sat Jan 07, 2012 2:12 pm

Hey Paul,
Since I'm just now coming back to COW after a few years break--I'm playing catch-up. I know this thread is old, and the last post was a year ago--but I'd like to add a relevant question. Do you have a "photo diary" or the sorts to go with this tutorial? Not that your guide was complicated, it's actually an easy read. I just think some graphics (photos or drawings) would help fill in the gaps a bit.
Thanks for the great tut!

proweddingphotos · Post by **proweddingphotos** » Mon Apr 09, 2012 7:05 pm

So, your longest bolster goes on first, then a 6" longer braided layer over that layer, followed by middle length bolster, then a 6" longer braided layer over that, followed by shortest bolster and finally your longest braided layer over everything?

Is that correct?

riku1914 · Post by **riku1914** » Mon Apr 09, 2012 7:27 pm

proweddingphotos wrote:So, your longest bolster goes on first, then a 6" longer braided layer over that layer, followed by middle length bolster, then a 6" longer braided layer over that, followed by shortest bolster and finally your longest braided layer over everything?

Is that correct?

Each consecutive layer gets longer than the rest.

His way is just one way of doing it, there's no right way of doing things with whips, just what the whip maker likes.

youngjedi71 · Post by **youngjedi71** » Tue Jun 26, 2012 12:54 pm

jlhampton wrote:now, if this were in video format, it would be absolutely awesome. i like to try doing new things, but i'm the kind of person who learns by the watch and repeat method. it's nice to see things done step by step.

totally agree...as someone who hates reading, who forgets what he reads,and is a see and do kind of person, this dont help me..LOL...would LOVE to see a detailed video of a whip being made. I cant braid, but my wife can...so she might would actually help me..

riku1914 · Post by **riku1914** » Tue Jun 26, 2012 9:20 pm

Bernie Wojcicki at EMbrandwhips has a video tutorial he sells on his site. He also has lots of youtube videos but they aren't a start to finish kind of thing. His username on youtube is bernie46

davex247 · Post by **davex247** » Sun Sep 30, 2012 8:26 am

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5LRg_iFMCm0" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PNVYOu7d ... ature=plcp" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

this is the first two of three but he's says he'll be posting the last later

TREX · Post by **TREX** » Sun Sep 30, 2012 9:06 am

Thanks Paul Stenhouse!
I'm so happy you decided to share your knowledge on making a whips with everyone-
I always think that the more information that is out there can only help move this artful trade forward-
I also hope this will inspire other whip makers to share their knowledge & expertise as well!
- You Rock Paul!
Take Care

-T.Rex

ShanghaiJack · Post by **ShanghaiJack** » Sun Sep 30, 2012 10:30 am

Thanks. This will be such a big help for me as I am very much a visual learner.

Edited because I thought the video tutorials were Paul's.

riku1914 · Post by **riku1914** » Sun Sep 30, 2012 10:36 am

davex247 wrote:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5LRg_iFMCm0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PNVYOu7d ... ature=plcp" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

this is the first two of three but he's says he'll be posting the last later

http://indygear.com/cow/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=58022" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

youngjedi71 · Post by **youngjedi71** » Sun Sep 30, 2012 11:37 am

now THAT is showing how to make a whip..great videos!!

davex247 · Post by **davex247** » Tue Oct 02, 2012 4:37 am

Okay here's the third installment
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JRQ10-HC ... ature=plcp" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

youngjedi71 · Post by **youngjedi71** » Tue Oct 02, 2012 8:48 am

davex247 wrote:Okay here's the third installment
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JRQ10-HC ... ature=plcp" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

awesome again...thanks

tomek9210 · Post by **tomek9210** » Wed Oct 03, 2012 6:22 am

I followed Paul's instructions when I was making duct tape bullwhip and it's turned out great.
Well done Paul

baddates1 · Post by **baddates1** » Tue Jul 15, 2014 1:00 am

This thread is amazing! There is one thing bugging me though: the whip you made in the videos was a signal whip, but in this tutorial, I am wondering, is this tutorial for the same whip, or is it for a standard bullwhip with knots and such?

baddates1 · Post by **baddates1** » Sat Feb 07, 2015 1:16 pm

Just needed to know; how thin is the handle to the KotCS whip(in centimeters preferably)? And what plait is the handle to the whip is I'm making either a 12 plait or 16 plait?

folkprophet · Post by **folkprophet** » Thu May 05, 2016 2:31 pm

baddates1 wrote:Just needed to know; how thin is the handle to the KotCS whip(in centimeters preferably)? And what plait is the handle to the whip is I'm making either a 12 plait or 16 plait?

I believe the KOTCS handles are 7/8 inch (you'll have to do the math to centimeters yourself) and 12 plait. See here: http://indygear.com/igbullwhip.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; in the KOTCS section.

Paul_Stenhouse · Post by **Paul_Stenhouse** » Thu Nov 09, 2017 11:25 pm

Hi All,
It's been awhile, I know...how is everyone? Few years older and wiser I hope?

I still occasionally plait, but not like I used to. Kids, work, other hobbies keep me busy. For me, life's a journey. Whipmaking was just one of those paths I went down for a while. My obsession about it, just like with everything else I undertake, led me so far.

My true hope is that others keep the craft going. I may take up whipmaking again once I retire from my profession, but not anytime soon.

Me? I'm doing great!

Paul

Post by **Michaelson** » Fri Nov 10, 2017 8:05 am

Always great to see you around, Paul!

Regards! Michaelson

N. D. Celeste · Post by **N. D. Celeste** » Sun Sep 02, 2018 8:36 pm

Hi! I'm a new member of this club, and as both an Indy fan and an amateur whip maker, excited to be here.
Thank you for those instructions. If I make an Indy bullwhip in the future, I shall certainly read them closely!
I'm currently making my first whip, a snake whip with a braided latigo belly and an overlay of kangaroo. I was wondering if you had any tips on braiding (I find it the most challenging part). I understand from reading a book on whip making that pulling at the correct angle is extremely important. I would very much appreciate any input you may have on the subject, and any other thoughts.
Thank you again for sharing your info!

-N. D. Celeste