Club Obi Wan

I just saw this. A pocket bullwhip CHAIN. But I must say, Kyle's does look better.

-Sergei

I made an eight plait Indy style whip for my wife that when coiled up is about the size of a silver dollar. It's got a diamond handle with two Turk's knots, eight plait overlay that drops to a six strand point, a white hide fall and a popper. Length uncoiled is about seven or eight inches. It doesn't crack but it looks cool.

These two Pocket Bulls crack though...


These two have all ready been sold and I've all ready got takers for at least the next two I make when ever that may be. I really appreciate all the support I've gotten concerning these little devils. It seems that a lot of folks like them and I thank you for that.

On another note, I'm taking a break from COW for a while. You'll still be able to spot me sporting my Fed, Expo or Wested and 405's around town though. Feel free to email me about whips or whatever. Take care.

-Kyle

The handles seem short...is Sergei's handle that short on his pocket bull? Is the handle long enough to grip?

You are right ITG. This version the handles are a tad shorter. He brought the ring knot in so that when you grip the butt end into your palm, the thumb rests right onto the knot. It's still the same 4 inch nail, but just the movement of the knot changed.

-Sergei

So how does that affect the cracking? Is it better with the shorter handle?

Moving the knot on the handle, absolutely has nothing to do with the performance of the whip, or the crack. Knots are merely cosmetic. All he did was keep the same 4 inch nail as the foundation, but instead of having the knot right at 4 inches (my current one), he moved the knot closer to the butt so that you can rest your thumb on it (about the 2.5" mark). I hope that helps.

-S

This is all very good feedback! In all honesty I didn't realize how much of a difference I was making by moving the knot back. My notes told me how long the nail should be but not where I placed the ring knot. I made Sergei's Pocket Bull shortly after making my first so the placement was still fresh in my mind. I gave the first one to my Mother and then the next one was sent off to Sergei. I didn't make my next Pocket Bull, one for myself, until several weeks after I had made Sergei's. When I built mine I made the conscious decision to move the knot back so that it wasn't resting right on the crux of the thong junction. (Exactly what DM did with his 450 series.) Since I no longer had another PBull to compare it to I didn't notice the difference in handle proportions. I built the next two (pictured above) using the proportions from mine.

However, for these most recent whips I cut a 4 1/4" nail instead of a 4" one but I still placed the knots lower. I wanted more foundation after the ring knot.

I'm going to make notes about your proportional comments for reference when I build the next set of Pocket Bulls. I may cut a 4 1/2" nail and then place the ring knot at the 4" mark. This should return the whips to a more proportional look and still keep the knot off the junction. I'm hesitant to longer than that because it's supposed to be small.

Like Sergei said, the knot doesn't effect the whip's ability to crack. I crack mine quite often and it is well broke in now. It can actually coil up and fit into my FS cargo pockets. That's how small these whips are! The handle protrudes out of the pocket but it is easy to carry this way.

-Kyle

I've said it before, and I'm taking the opportunity to say it again, in 'person' these whips are just great. The pictures just don't do them justice. I saw Sergei's at the QM summit, and for all intents and purposes, this is one fine piece of work. I don't usually get all that worked up about a whip myself, even though I've handled them for almost 20 years, but I have to say that the pocket bull that Kyle makes is definitely one fine product. Wish I were one of the two upcoming orders. One day, my friend....(grins) High regards. Michaelson