Club Obi Wan

Just recieved the Joe Strain 8ft., 12 plait, roo hide. A real work of art. I appreciate the craftsmanship that went into creating this beauty. I'm a beginner and managed a few pops with it, but mostly snaps. I will eventualy buy an instructional video. Any suggestions?

I didn't go for the WSP right away, I was looking for something a little less expensive, but was unable to get a natural roo hide by some of the other whip providers. I'm happy though.




Also, any comments on the "Fieblings Aussie Leather conditioner" from WSP as apposed to "Pecard's" for treating the whip?

Antilles

Antilles, those Joe Strain whips are a great thing- I own one myself! Yours looks very nice, indeed.

I've never used the "Aussie's" brand, so I can't comment on that, but I DO use Pecard's, and for my money, you can't go wrong using that.

Congrats on a great whip, Antilles!

I use Fiebings products, (their Aussie leather conditioner that you mentioned, and their spray glycerin saddle soap for occasional cleaning.)

Gery Deer, (whip performer and instructor,) and Paul Nolan, (whip maker, who also makes the Indy whips for Mark Allen,) use Fiebings as well. It's some pretty good stuff. Looks a little heavier than the Pecards, but is made mostly of beeswax and sheep tallow, exactly what traditional whip makers used on their whips.

I've been using it on my Strain Lonestar since I got it in December, and it's done a wonderful job keeping the whip in great shape through my cracking it in the ice and snow.

Gery has been using it on all of his whips for years, and they look at roll out great, (and they are used on a daily basis.) His oldest 6 foot Strain is as beautiful as his newest Nolan target whip.

So, while you can't go wrong with Pecards, you also can't go wrong with Fiebings. Just don't OVER condition ;-)

-Dan

Thanks thefish, I appreciate the information.

Antilles

Nice whip Antilles, and have fun cracking it!

Beautiful!:) I am going to have to break down and get one of these. Congrats.

E. Vader

Ahhhh Yes........Looks just like my Joe Strain 10 footer I got from WSP a couple months ago. Except I requested that Joe make the turks head knot the same as Morgans.....AWESOME WHIP!!!! I'll post some pics soon......

Beautiful whip Antilles. Best of luck with it. Did it take very long to get it?

I recieved the whip three days after ordering it. They had one in stock. I was having trouble finding a natural roo hide and when WSP said they had one, I jumped on it.

How much larger in diameter is a Morgan style turk head as apposed to the traditional JS style? I have heard that the Strain whip isn't quite screan accurate. Is it the turk head that makes the difference?

Antilles

It is IMHO.....

David Morgan used 3 laces for the knot instead of 2.......The JS whips seem to be stiffer and more consistant than morgans too.....I think JS whips are the most accurate out there because DM has changed his design since the movies were made. Shorter handle for one.

I have had the pleasure of owning both whips and I have to disagree. I think that the morgan looks more the part even with a shorter handle. I think morgan's knot makes all the diference...much larger than the JS. I agree with the construction though...JS are a much tighter braid. Morgan is very loose. For the price I would say that the JS is superior. It just doesn't look enough like Indy's whip to me so I prefer the Morgan.

Antilles:

It's your "friend from the barbershop...". It was an unexpected pleasure to meet you the other day. I never expected to have someone come up to me in this town and ask, "Are you a member of COW?" You could have knocked me over with a pocket bullwhip! I've taken a quick jaunt through your posts here, and it looks like you've got a great handle on collecting the gear, from your modified S&W Mk II HE to your great whip! We'll definitely have to be cracking and shooting at the range sometime soon! You'll get a chance to meet my sweetheart Maryon, too!

You asked above about a good whipcracking tutorial. My personal suggestion is Paul Stenhouse's "Whip Handling & Maintenance". It's a very laid-back way to, with a little bit of work, find yourself cracking some pretty nifty basic moves in a relatively short period of time. You can look up Stenhouse's information here at Gear, and there's probably even a link to his website.

Well, (a slightly belated) welcome aboard! I look forward to seeing your posts around the forum, and definitely look forward to comparing gear in person someday soon!

Sincere regards,

Henry Jones, Sr.

Wow, nice whip...I want it.

Vegeta Posted:
It is IMHO.....

David Morgan used 3 laces for the knot instead of 2.......

Well, sorta. Its usually only one lace but "passes" are repeated. As you said DM did 3 passes and JS did 2 passes is correct, but they are two different knots also... though not all that different. DM uses the 5 part by 4 bight turkshead. JS uses a 7 part by 6 night turkshead knot and probably for a couple of reasons. One to not completely copy DM and two, that the 7 x 6 does a neater turkshead. The 7 x 6 is actually from the 5 x 4 and is longer, thus needing only 2 "passes".

Its hard to say whether DM is better than JS or vice versa. I just wouldn't.

Its probably true natural roo is difficult to get from anyone. Roohides are difficult to get any kangaroo leather retailer.
WSP is a good "off the shelf" store when you need and want a whip immediately. They have a tremendous stock of whips. With convenience you also pay a premium.

I just got in 20 something natural hides from Australia a couple of weeks ago as my supply was dwindling too. They are still having a rough time in Australia with the drought and the consequences thereof from smaller hides, ticks and just poorer kangaroo hides going to the tanneries. There's not much vegetation to survive, and then there's the battle scars on them as they are protecting their waterholes, etc. I noticed that a lot of my skins are much smaller than usual.

My backorders are around a 2 month wait now... I am so busy and would presume all whipmakers are also. That's a good thing and shows whipcracking is on the rise.

My thanks to everyone around the world who have ordered my bullwhips this year - Japan, Germany, Austria, UK, Italy, France, Canada and especially Denmark.


Robert Duke
http://www.DukeWhips.com

looking at the pictures on roberts site,
It looks like he uses the 3 pass 5x4 knot on his
whips.
Regards

Really cool whip you got there man!

BTW what does WSP stand for?

Western Stage Props.

http://www.westernstageprops.com

Thx Zach