Club Obi Wan

Say, when I'm doing my whip cracking, I'm noticing that a couple of the plaits on the handle are slipping out of place and ending up stretched out halfway across the handle. Is it possible or advisable to glue these plaits in place to keep 'em from sliding around? I'm worried that if they move around too much, they might eventually work loose or break or who knows what...

Schwammy,

I would send it back to the manufacturer and tell them to fix the problem, depending on how old the whip is, or from who it came. I appears from your description that the whip was braided poorly and loose. A problem such as that will only compound itself over time.

Best Regards,

Paul Stenhouse

I'm confused as to where this is happening on your whip, Schwammy. Is it right at the junction where the thong comes off the handle? Or is it on the grip? I'm just trying to picture what is happening and why. Either way, I would take Paul's advice and send it back for repair or replacement right away.

Do you feel comfortable saying who you bought the whip from? People should be made aware of any quality problems concerning a vendor so they can make a more informed decision when buying a whip. There is no end to praise on some gear items but there seems to be a hesitation when a review is less than positive.

-Kyle

To further the question, I'd like to know how common a problem this is, and I agree with Kyle that we need to hear the good and the bad.

Is it possible to wear out the braids on a whip handle?

- [/u]Illinois

No, I don't think I'll say just yet. I'd like to talk with the maker first.
The problem is right on the grip. The turk's head knot, I think it's called?

Ahhh, yes. This can be a problem with the Turk's knot every once in a while. It's a tough knot to get right because as your tying it on it wants to keep closing up at the top. Even if you get the rest of the knot nice and tight the "parts" closest to the top can be loose.

I've had a problem with this before on both my DM453 and a whip that I made. In both cases it was only one strand that was slightly loose with about an 1/8" slip. What I did was put some Shoe Goop on a tooth pick and coated the area where the strand should be and the underside of the loose strand. Then I slid the strand back in place and let it sit over night. Any "goop" that squeezed out from underneath the strands easily peeled off and there is no sign that the strand is glued in place. An easy fix to a decorative part of the whip. This wouldn't work on the thong.

With what you're talking about it sounds like the knot was just done poorly. If the strands are slipping half way across the butt of the knot then it is much too loose and should be sent back for repair. If the whip maker stands behind his craftsmanship then he should do it for free.

Also keep in mind that the knots on a whip will eventually come loose like this if you put heavy coats of leather dressing on them. Keep the thong well dressed with Pecards but only do the handle and the knots once every six months to a year. And even then only put a light coat on and wipe it off.

Good luck!

-Kyle

Amen to that!

Well I was exaggerating when I said "halfway across," so I'm trying the Shoe Goo method. I just happen to have some on hand, I just glued the two plaits, and it looks like it's going to work fine. Thanks for the tip, and I'll let you know how it turns out.