New whips

[bearbeast]

After a long while not having access to roo hide, I found a store on eBay that sold full roo hides. Hoping that ordering from eBay will bypass the Posts Customs office (as it sometimes does, due to eBay's shipping policies, you deal directly with the couriers) I decided to order a few hides. Unfortunately the package reached the Post Customs office. After a long discussion, where they almost confiscated the package because leather import is apparently not allowed, and after paying the taxes, more than $100 I finally had the leather.

I had two projects in mind: an 8-plait 7-foot bullwhip and a new pocket-bull, with a 'long' handle. The handle (around 6 inches) is only long in relation to the whip dimensions: three feet long, under half an inch thick. Both whips turned out really nice, or at least I am very satisfied with them. They also crack with ease.

Here is the 7 footer:



And a close up of the handle:



Here is the pocket bullwhip:



And a shot of both together:



Hope you enjoy!

Cheers,
Bear

[tomek9210]

Awesome! The tiny one is excellent! But does it actually fit into a pocket ?

I recently made 3 whips for myself to train more. And I have a couple more in the queue

[bearbeast]

Yup, it coils up quite tightly. Not so pleasant to walk around with it in the pocket though.

Would love to see pics of your new whips.

Cheers,
Bear

[tomek9210]

This is the 4ft bullwhip - lightweight and fast, volleys are surprisingly pleasant with this one:



This is the matched pair for training the two-handed cracking. It's made from the same cord I make my Indy whips. I made the keepers just a touch too long though. I'm making the second pair form paracord right now and this one will have tighter keepers.

5.5ft tan stockwhips with 8 plait thongs and 12 plait fiberglass handles:




Sometimes I plait other things like belts. When I first made a belt everyone around liked it so much, now it's the best gift from me

The recent one - black 13 plait 40 mm herringbone pattern belt:

[bearbeast]

Very nice, Tomek! I like the stockwhips, they are quite elegant!

And the belt looks great, too. Always like braided belts, cool that they basically have an infinite number of positions without punching any holes.

Cheers,
Bear

[tomek9210]

Thanks

Braided belts are pretty universal. You don't have to make any new holes if you need longer belt.

They are quite demanding to make though, I think I can make a 4 ft bullwhip faster than such belt.

[bearbeast]

Oh, yeah, the belt plait is a slow one. It's basically a wrist loop with more strands. Not to mention finishing off is slower than a fall hitch.

Cheers,
Bear

[tomek9210]

Yes, especially when you have only one lacing needle and you need to work backwards 13 strands

But all in all it's worth. My brown belt I made from the cord I use for Indy whips is my favourite to wear. My wife has 4 belts I made for her plus 1 roohide belt I bought her years ago

[Michaelson]

Beautiful craftsmanship!!

Regards! Michaelson

[bearbeast]

Beautiful craftsmanship!!

Regards! Michaelson

Thank you very much, Michaelson!

Cheers,
Bear

[mr_alex]

Incredible work!

[bearbeast]

Incredible work!

Thank you loads, mr_alex!

Cheers,
Bear

[Western New York Indy]

Wow! Beautiful work! I really like the aesthetic of the longer handle on the pocket whip. And the color of the leather is really nice! Reminds me of the nice natural tan color on Indy's whip in the "Stay out of the light" part of the opening scene.
Very impressive work!

-WNY Indy

[bearbeast]

Thank you very much! I am a big fan of the natural colour of leather for whips. I also like seeing it darken over the years. It's just neat!

The very aged, dark look is also quite cool. You see marks of "wear and tear" and nice patina. You have to wait years til you reach that point on a light coloured whip, but when you do...

Cheers,
Bear

[bearbeast]

Had some time today to hang out in the yard and practice my whip cracking a bit. Here is the new 8-plait in action:

https://youtu.be/azxHEO3G2KI?si=gxQnPO0oCRGSZjc0

It's really nice that it's shorter, really easy to crack in tighter spots.

Cheers,
Bear

[Indiana Jeff]

Very nice! Cracks with just a flick of the wrist.


Regards,

Indiana Jeff

[bearbeast]

Thanks, Jeff! Yes, even though it's not yet broken in and I'm not exactly the best whip-cracker. I think it is the big taper that helps...

Cheers,
Bear

[Indiana Jeff]

That’s the best way. I pains me when I watch people heaving their whole arm to get a crack. You shouldn’t have to dislocate your shoulder.

Regards,

Indiana Jeff

[bearbeast]

Definitely, that hurts the shoulder and hurts the whip as well. I am trying to learn to use less and less force and let the whip do the work.

A few years ago I let some colleagues crack one of my early paracord whips. They put their whole body behind each crack. Needless to say they whip was the limpest noodle after that... And the thong was worn from contact with the ground.

Cheers,
Bear

[Indiana Jeff]

That’s what I like so much about Anthony DeLongis’s training technique. He teaches the whip is built to crack, let it do its job.


Regards,

Indiana Jeff

[bearbeast]

I've only seen videos of him cracking, but I don't have his training DVDs. The way he cracks is so smooth and effortless. His hand just goes through the motion, without any force and the whip 'answers'. It's all technique, nothing brusque. Really amazing, he is a master!

Just thinking of this makes we want to train a bit more...

Cheers,
Bear

[Indiana Jeff]

Here’s a good, quick explanation from him.

https://youtu.be/yORjKH85vlc?si=1OPAaJfOyQIxFVeP

Regards,

Indiana Jeff

[Canyon]

Bear, great video! You're very comfortable cracking a whip and it shows.

[bearbeast]

Here’s a good, quick explanation from him.

https://youtu.be/yORjKH85vlc?si=1OPAaJfOyQIxFVeP

Regards,

Indiana Jeff

Great stuff, thank you for sharing this! He makes it seem so easy. Would like to see a character that uses the whip fully, like he's demonstrating here: flail technique, nunchuck mode....

Also the whip he is using looks like Don Diego's silver ferrule target whip from "The Mask of Zorro".

Cheers,
Bear

[bearbeast]

Bear, great video! You're very comfortable cracking a whip and it shows.

Thank you, Canyon! That is very high praise, I appreciate it.

I remember years ago how frustrating it was not being able to get a whip to crack at all. After trying and trying for weeks I finally managed to get a snap from a semblance of an overhead crack and the feeling was amazing. Was hooked instantly.

Cheers,
Bear

[Western New York Indy]

I've only seen videos of him cracking, but I don't have his training DVDs. The way he cracks is so smooth and effortless. His hand just goes through the motion, without any force and the whip 'answers'. It's all technique, nothing brusque. Really amazing, he is a master!

Just thinking of this makes we want to train a bit more...

Cheers,
Bear

Just thought I'd jump in briefly, as I saw the discussion of Anthony De Longis's techniques for whip cracking. I had the chance to speak with Anthony on the phone a few months ago, and he recommended his "Mastering the Bullwhip" Volumes 3 and 4 for anyone wanting to start learning his techniques. (Volumes 1 and 2 are significantly older and his technique has improved over the years, so volumes 3 and 4 cover the same basic ground, but are much more refined.) He just recently uploaded them digitally, so now you can watch them without having to purchase the DVD. It is 25 USD for each video. I don't know whether I'm allowed to post a link to the site where he is selling them, so I shall refrain from doing so for now.

Just thought I'd add that in case anyone was unaware of the recent digital upload of his videos.

-WNY Indy

[bearbeast]

That's great info! Thank you for sharing. Digital download is what works for me, since I have no device that can take a CD, DVD....

Many thanks again!

Cheers,
Bear