Club Obi Wan

indyclone wrote:well i have my todds 8fter for about and month and half now . it has held up pretty well i lotion it with the kiwi brand leather lotion and it has worked out pretty nicely, still cracks good and i love the way it looks , it has been rainy the past few days so i hevnt been able to go outside and crack it , but looks great i'm glad i bought this fine whip from todds !

Do you have any pics....?? Still debating olive oiling the knots.....

Not to be rude, but have you read this thread? Olive oiling is NOT recommended. There are other ways of getting the color you want. It might take longer but it'll make sure your whip is not harmed in the processes. Please heed the advice in this thread.

mine is still a light tan color , i havent left it out in the sun , i just dont leave it out , sorry , i will let it darken naturally when it does it does , i would think that if you use olive oil it will begin to stink after being in the sunlight awhile and might leave the whip a oily feeling?i have always been a supporter of letting time take its course .

Solojedi wrote:Hey indyclone

congrats on your whip purchase and thanks for posting video. Just curious, why does it sound like that? It sounds "different" than most whips i've seen and heard. Kind of a dry "blocky" sound...
Maybe it's just me...

Anyway, thanks again for posting video and have fun cracking!!!

Solo

it might be cause im enclosed in the yard with a six ft wall all around the yard? maybe that blocks the natural sound of the whip, cause i know when i crack my whip on the open stree t in front of the house it does sound much different.

A whip cracking is one of those sounds that is difficult to record.
Depending on the acoustics of the surrounding area and placement of the microphone, it could sound anywhere from light snap to a big BANG!!
(It also doesn't help when you are using a video camera. The microphones are usually horrible on them.)

yeah my son was using his small video cam , you know those hand held ones about 100 bucks , we got it for him a few years ago , but we bought him a new jvc brand video camera for his eigth grade graduation, maybe i'll have him try recording on his new camera?

Well, I thought I´d post a recent pic of the Todd´s 8 footer that started this thread. As you can see it has darkened up considerably. Structurally it remains sound. I have put about 4 of those little 20ml tubs of Pecard, along with lotsa mink oil, dubbin and ,yes, some neatsfoot oil. Needless to say the whip no longer "creaks". I basically let it sit in the sun and then periodically apply Pecard or whatever was on hand and then let it soak in. I am confident that I have reached the inner layers of the whip and I am most pleased with the result. The whip has even gained some weight from the conditioning, although I couldnt say exactly how much.
Cheers!

IndianaBravo

I can't help myself but say although the result LOOKS good, that is not the best way to care and maintain a whip. I would consider the above a PROP only and that the treatment given to it was for aesthetics and use in a costume. Does look good for what it is.

_ wrote:My technique is not "skilled" and rather I get a whip to crack through sheer force. I made an old uncared for DM basically explode about a foot from the handle once. That's how yard I throw.

You're the perfect customer for one of these whips, actually. I think everyone here would rather you obliterate a disposable $100 whip than a vintage DM.

Seriously, though... I think most of the COW members here are evaluating the Todd's whips to see if they can be recommended at all when someone stops by and asks, "What can I get for $100? Is a Todd's 8' worth it, or is it complete junk?". (That's why I bought/reviewed the 10', actually.) And I think the length of this thread points out that the perhaps surprising answer is: they're actually not complete junk.

For someone who is trying to (1) spend the least money, (2) get something that approximates SA, and (3) can actually be cracked without danger to self, others, or property, we need to evaluate the options.

hollywood1340 wrote:I can't help myself but say although the result LOOKS good, that is not the best way to care and maintain a whip. I would consider the above a PROP only and that the treatment given to it was for aesthetics and use in a costume. Does look good for what it is.

I fully agree with this not being the best way to care for or condition a whip. However extreme circumstances demand extreme measures. This whip needed a shock treatment in order to remedy its complete lack of out of the box conditioning. I don´t think that I will need to apply any more goop to it for a while. In the meantime, she continues to crack well and seems to be holding together. Only time will tell as is the case in these matters.

_ wrote:I just don't get not just getting a real one? Decent looking and functional red hides go for under $200?

I have several real whips including a couple of Strains and a Del Carpio. If you look at the beginning of this thread, I bought this whip just to toy around with it, see if I could make it better and just have a little fun.
Cheers
IndianaBravo

[quote="_"]Gotcha guys - but if it's a prop, I would not be criticizing it for blowing apart when it is cracked. What I'm saying is that even discussing cracking these whips is unfair to Todd's Costumes, because that is NOT their intended use. Capiche?

_, what is unfair is your previous statement. While Todd´s previous offering of whips (The so called "prop" whips) were not suitable for cracking, these are indeed made to be cracked. This is according to Todd himself on his web site: http://www.toddscostumes.com/product/35 ... -Bullwhip/
Those of us who have purchased these whips have found that they do indeed hold up to cracking sessions. I´ve put mine through the wringer all summer long and with no ill effects so far. But again, this is just a "disposeable" whip for me. The minute it starts to go on me, I´ll find a nice space on the wall for it and continue my whip cracking with more suitable whips.
Cheers
IndianaBravo

I just gotta jump in here...

I appreciate the input from the whip experts here. I think the consensus is that, while they are not great whips, they are serviceable nonetheless. Of course, you guys are used to some of the best whips around. It's like a guy who only drives Mercedes doing a review on a Kia. Of course they are miles apart (pardon the unintentional pun) in features and quality, but a Kia will get you from point A to point B for a lot less money.

I made these whips for guys like me. I'm not a whip conosur, but I have made my own and have just a little skill. I want "belt candy", but I also would like to take the whip out for a spin when the spirit moves - two, three times a year. I rarely spend more than 20-30 minutes during a session. It's just a little fun. There's no way I would EVER spend more than $100 - $125 on a whip. Not me, personally. I love to look at the great whips, but I would never seriously consider buying one. I, personally, am the guy who would splurge on one of these whips and think I got a steal. That's me, personally. Maybe I'm an idiot.

That's the way it is with everything I make. Would I like it? Do I think it's a good price?

Of course, we'll always be making improvements. Your notes are greatly appreciated.

Thanks Todd, we appreciate both your input AND your products.

Indiana Bravo,
I think you'll find elsewhere on this thread how to go about bringing a whip back from the dead. The thing I fear is that people will see your whip and apply the same treatment. The earlier comments on olive oil in this thread bear out my fears about how people are getting the look but not understanding how to go about it. I think Dan has an excellent post earlier on about the process. To qoute him: "Sometimes these extreme methods can be helpful, but sometimes they will do more harm then good. So understand that they do have the potential to cause damage to the leather item you are trying to treat if your not careful. Lastly it should go with out saying that these methods should not be used on high quality leather whips. If you consider doing so, it is something you do at your own risk."
One thing I've learned and continue to go by is ANY whip should be treated the same. Todd's or my Jacka. Nothing personal mind you, just how I feel.

_ - where do you dig these pictures up?

Just a personal observation. I've read as many expert opinions on leather treatments as Steve Allen has songs. There are lots of leather treatment products made by mainline, established leather product companies. I've read lots of conflicting opinions on the alleged benefits or hazards of various products. It's very hard to be convinced without seeing some actual proof that some of these well-established leather treatments are damaging. If you've seen photos of busted leather stuff from one product or another, please point me to it. That's not a challenge, just a request. I'd like to know what to believe.

I soaked one of these whips in a bucket of neatsfoot oil for a week. I'll let you know what happens. So far so good...

Meanwhile, I carry a Pecards product called "Leather Cream" which is a thinner version of the paste. It's supposed to soak in faster.

Critters would pose the most immediate threat. That depends on your situation. I don't have a lot of whip-eating critters around - at least not ones who can scale the wall where my whip is hanging...

Sounds like a good story for an IndyGear sitcom episode.

hollywood1340 wrote:Thanks Todd, we appreciate both your input AND your products.

Indiana Bravo,
I think you'll find elsewhere on this thread how to go about bringing a whip back from the dead. The thing I fear is that people will see your whip and apply the same treatment. The earlier comments on olive oil in this thread bear out my fears about how people are getting the look but not understanding how to go about it. I think Dan has an excellent post earlier on about the process. To qoute him: "Sometimes these extreme methods can be helpful, but sometimes they will do more harm then good. So understand that they do have the potential to cause damage to the leather item you are trying to treat if your not careful. Lastly it should go with out saying that these methods should not be used on high quality leather whips. If you consider doing so, it is something you do at your own risk."
One thing I've learned and continue to go by is ANY whip should be treated the same. Todd's or my Jacka. Nothing personal mind you, just how I feel.

Hi hollywood1340

I´m the guy who started this thread, so I am quite familiar with all the info/experiments that have been outlined here. I really appreciated Cannuck Diggers sage advice early on about how to go about shellacking, rolling etc, and of course Dan Borton´s advice. I stated right from the beginning that this was a sort of experiment for me ( and the rest that followed) about what to do with a severely underconditioned whip and how to "customize" it a bit. This is not meant to be a tutorial at all, but rather a chronicle of me and others as how to go about his process. It should not be taken as gospel as how to go about this. I already have several serious whips and I would in no way meddle with them in the way that I have been experimenting with my Todd´s. Still what I have done so far seems to have improved the whip, but, again this should be done at your own risk. I´m making this up as I go !

Cheers!

IndianaBravo

Brrr! I took a JC Penney Jacket that in the store looked brown , but when I got home it was purple! I did a hot water treatment and basically had to ditch it, it had totally fallen apart. It was 1985, oh well live and learn. Poison Oak ? Jeez, something totallly unexpected! I didn´t know jackets were subceptible to that!

Well, I think I have come to the end of my tinkering with this whip. My latest "abomination"? Dyeing both knots dark brown. I like the effect it gives, sorta CS/LC especially with the extended transition on this whip. Anyway it continues to perform well and I am very pleased with the overall result. Maybe now I´ll get me a Todd´s 10 footer and see what can be done with that! The rest of you please continue to post pics/treatment recipes of your Todd´s.

Cheers!
IndianaBravo

Here's my Todd's after almost a year of use.
When I initially conditioned it, there was a few places that turned dark brown (almost black), so I dyed the complete whip with Feibings medium brown leather dye. The knots were done in black (ala CS). With the exception of the strands stretching at the point (which I have repaired twice) I haven't had any problems with it.
I also replaced the fall with one from Midwest Whips (big improvement in performance).

Is a great whip? No.
Is it worth $100? Definately yes!

IndianaBravo, looks great! Looks like a CS whip with the dyed knots.

kwad, yours looks great too! Looks real LC!

Nice work kwad, looks great! I considered doing something similar, but in the end I´m going to let the Sun take care of it. I concur: totally worth the $100, plus all the fun I´ve had!

kwad wrote:Here's my Todd's after almost a year of use.
When I initially conditioned it, there was a few places that turned dark brown (almost black), so I dyed the complete whip with Feibings medium brown leather dye. The knots were done in black (ala CS). With the exception of the strands stretching at the point (which I have repaired twice) I haven't had any problems with it.
I also replaced the fall with one from Midwest Whips (big improvement in performance).

Is a great whip? No.
Is it worth $100? Definately yes!

Your whip looks great! How difficult was it to replace the fall?

I'm trying to get a better crack out of this whip. I replaced the cracker (#18 twisted mason line) on my Todd's thinking that might do the trick but it seems to be the fall. Any tips for the fall? I do have experience with some whipmaking (nylon whips), so I might actually try to swap out the fall.

-Scott

Hi Scott,

Replacing the fall is pretty straight forward.
It is bound to the core strand pretty well, so you will need to untie the hitch to get the fall of.
After that, it's just a matter of sliding the new one on and retieing the hitch knots.

I saved my old fall and skived and rounded it. I ended up using it on a 9 foot nylon CS whip I built.

Try a cracker made from polypropylene twine. I'm using the standard fall, and I put one of those on instead of the thread cracker - - WOW! That thing is LOUD! If I'm next to a building it makes my ears ring. I got some that came in colors - pink, purple, green, etc. I've got a pink one. It's lasted longer than I thougt it would. Anyway, give it a try.

Todd

Thanks for the tips guys!

I just ordered some nylon crackers, and I think I'll round out/thin the fall a bit for better flex.

-Scott

Can I buy this type of nylon thread at a local hardware store?


Scott

I've been frequently checking Todd's website to see when these whips will be back in stock and it looks like they are! I was almost about to buy one of his Ebay whips which are the older "prop" whips, but now that his crackable versions are back I can rest easy...and get rid of that not-so-great whip I already own.

P.S.
I just ordered one - along with one of Wade's Super Whip Holders. I will post some pics when they arrive. Thank you Todd!

YAY!!
I just got my Todd's 8 footer today! Now I can see how innacurate my temporary whip was.
I was also pretty stoked to be able to crack this thing on the first try (my first whip crack ever!) I did the overhead crack (I think) where you swing the whip over your head and to the left, then a sharp crack to the right.
I also whipped my ear (OUCH!!!) trying to be bold and do another crack...I just have to watch some videos.
As long as this thing holds up pretty good to some casual cracking I don't see myself getting a higher-end whip for a while. This one should keep me happy for a bit...
THANK YOU TODD!!

fuzzjunk.

the best Todd's whip I have ever seen. reminds me very much of temple of doom.

Do we know how long a Todd's whip will last? I love the design, especially the small sized knob at the end and I have been really loving cracking it these last two days since I got it.
I suppose one day if and when I upgrade to a $300 or more whip I will see the difference but I just wanted to know how well built this is compared to others.