Coat of shellac?

[baddates1]

So I am already making another Indy bullwhip using Nylon. However I want it to look and feel like a leather bullwhip, or at least, feel and look like something out of Indiana Jones. Now I know that on Kangeroo whips, to finish it they apply a coat of shellac (at least, Midwest whips does that). This gives the whip it's glossy shiny look, along with what I assume protects the whip's surface.

Can one use this on a nylon bullwhip? If not, I've seen wax a common tool for finish, where do I get wax locally? But if I could use shellac, where could I get that?

[N. D. Celeste]

Edit: I deleted the link that I had posted before because it is no longer valid.

[bearbeast]

If you're in the US I think you can get parafin wax at hobby or DIY type stores. I think the melting process needs some care as it can catch on fire. There are some videos on Youtube on how to do this, but you should do it outside, I guess. For paracord whips this is the way to go.

Shellac is basically a lacquer and most leather whip makers coat the whips with it. I think if you apply it on paracord it will flake easily with use, even though it is somewhat elastic.


This being said, I think you can achieve a close enough look without using either. Heavy rolling on each layer and very tight plaiting will give out a very nice smooth surface. And paracord ia shiny enough.

I made a dark chocolate bullwhip a while ago and for me at least it looked the part without any coating:




Hope this helps somewhat,
Bear