Club Obi Wan

Hi

I was just wondering if anyone could tell me about the Indiana Jones whips offered on this site?

I was thinking of buying one from them within the next few months.


Pitfall

Pitfall Harry wrote:Hi

I was just wondering if anyone could tell me about the Indiana Jones whips offered on this site?

I was thinking of buying one from them within the next few months.


Pitfall

Well WSP is legit. I know Mark Allen the owner real well. He really runs a tight ship. He prides himself in having a constant supply of his inventory, including whips. He sells various styles such as stock whips, bullwhips and the indiana jones style bullwhip. If you order a bullwhip and you want one in the more Indiana Jones style - I am just guessing since you are here, just make sure to ask for one made by Joe Strain.

Joe Strain is a regular supplier to Mark Allen. And Joe is one of my favorites. In my opinion, he is the new benchmark that everyone strives for in the world of braiding whips and technique. Besides he is an extremely nice person. By making that comment about Joe, I hope none of the other whip makers are offended. There are some that are members here in vendor status, and they are not shoddy at all. Most are way above average in my books. Joe is on the top part of bell curve. He's the guy, I always hated when I took exams. There was always one guy that blew out the bell curve. Joe's work appeared in the recent Zorro movies and the one before that with Hopkins.

Anyway, I rambled.... I hope that answered your question.

-Sergei

Thanks for your help.

It's good to know if I'm going to spend that kind of money on a whip that these are top of the line. Actually, compaired to some the other sites the cost of their Indiana Jones whips are pretty reasonable.

Here's the one I was looking at.




As far as the color goes I was thinking of getting the Med. Brown. From what I could tell that looked the closest to the color he had in the movies.

I echo the earlier comments. I called Mark and ordered a whip and specified a Joe Strain-made whip. It's beautiful -- and I got it to crack first time out!

Randy

Do you have to call them to specify a Joe Strain version or is there somewhere on the order from of the website that you can leave a comment stating that you want the Joe Strain whip?

Harry,

You can also go directly to Joe at www.northernwhipco.com and he'll discuss what it is you want. No dig on Mark Allen, but Joe will be able to do any kind of customization you might want outside of standard.

Best Regards,

Paul Stenhouse

Actually, the whip they show on their site (which is the pic above) is what I want....even the medium brown color.

I just didn't know if you could request that Joe make the whip or not when you order it.

And even if he didn't do it do you think that would make a difference in the quality of the whip I would recieve?

From what I've been hearing and reading the Western Stage Prop company seems to have a good reputation.

The price they have for their 8ft Indy whip is just within my price range.

My wife already thinks I've lost my mind.

I went with Western Stage Props for all the same reasons, and Mark was very helpful in getting the Joe Strain-made whip. I love it, and I would recommend them.

Randy

You can take Paul's suggestion. Or you can place the order with WSP. If you decide with WSP, then I would call WSP and verbally tell them what you want. They usually have a lot of bullwhips in stock. But the combination of hide and whip maker they can still cusotm order it for you. Either way you are a winner.

-S

Sergei,

In the voice of Ed McMahon, "You are correct, sir!" One thing I forgot to mention is that with Mark, you'll probably get it shipped right away. Going with Joe may take a bit longer depending on his backlog.

Best Regards,

Paul Stenhouse

My comments echo what has already been said. Western stage prop is a great company, they are well respected and Mark takes good care of his customers. If you order from them you’ll be getting a great whip and great service. I have whip on order from them currently, it was a custom order and Mark really went above and beyond in my opinion to help me out. If you especially want one of Joe Strains Indiana Jones bullwhips, just request that when you call or email them, it won’t be a problem. Keep in mind if you’re looking for screen accuracy, The turkshead knots on his the WSP Indy bullwhips are just a bit different then the ones used on the original movie bullwhips. Its not something the causal observer would probably notice, but it’s worth mentioning. If you order directly from Joe Strain, he can easily custom fit the larger correct 5 part 4 bight knot on your whip for roughly the same price. When I talked to him a few weeks ago the current wait was only about a week, but he expected to get busier. Mark might even be able to get you one with the correct knot too if you ask him, they are pretty good about that kinda stuff.

Dan

As a whipmaker, I'd tell you to go directly to the whipmaker to get the whip you want. Joe is the best whipmaker in the US right now in my opinion, so I won't try to talk you out of buying from him. Just know that if you go directly to Joe, you're cutting out the middle man, putting more money in the whipmaker's pocket, and still getting great service.

Paul Nolan has told me that Mark Allen has a strong following of whipcrackers who will only buy through him and won't go to the whipmaker. But with so many people on the internet and with easy lines of communication with so many whipmakers, I don't know why more people don't buy direct. I do know that there are quite a few very talented whipmakers in Australia not online, and they could be helped by someone like Mark.

It's also good that you want to go with a brown whip instead of a natural, as I believe Joe has a good supply of brown, both brandy and saddle tan, and probably whiskey. At least that's the impression I get from his website, because it looks like you can't order a natural tan whip from him right now.

-Adam, www.winrichwhips.com

Just out of curiosity what was the actual color of Indy's whip supposed to be?

And what are the differences between Brown, Saddle Tan and Whisky?

The natural tan color looks way to light for my tastes.


I hope these whips will be available for a while because right now I'm focusing on getting the jacket as an X-Mas gift. That way I don't have to pay for it. Ha!

My plan is to try and get the whip early next year. Of course then I'll have to save money back for the Playstation 3 when it comes out in the spring.

Hmm......maybe I should just sell one of my kidneys on Ebay. No, better yet I'll dress up my four year old son and sell him on Ebay as "Fan Made Short Round" life long sidekick. He can follow whoever buys him around and call them "Dr. Jones" and accuse them of cheating at cards.

For the colors, they are all in the inset pic in the one from Western Stage Props that you posted.

From left to right:

black, two-tone: saddle tan and natural tan, brandy, whiskey, and natural tan.

Brandy is almost black, whiskey is kind of a tobacco color, and saddle tan is a reddish burgundy, sort of.

The original whip in the movies started life as natural tan and aged to the brown color you see on screen. None of the colors above really match that on-screen color, though saddle tan and whiskey come close.

-Adam, www.winrichwhips.com

winrichwhips wrote:
The original whip in the movies started life as natural tan and aged to the brown color you see on screen. None of the colors above really match that on-screen color, though saddle tan and whiskey come close.

-Adam, www.winrichwhips.com

Hi Adam, hoping to get one of your IOAB's in the not too distan future. There's been lot's of talk about whips getting darker over time, but not jackets, is the leather made differently?

I think it's more that leather that has been dyed retains that colour, while a natural tan (undyed) darkens over time.

Yup, whiskyman has got it right. Other leathers will still darken with use and oil, but the won't darken near as much as natural kangaroo. Chris Camp has a 10-year-old natural tan Morgan with a handle that is almost black in spots.

The cowhide that I use doesn't really darken that much.

-Adam

Pitfall Harry wrote:Just out of curiosity what was the actual color of Indy's whip supposed to be?

All the whips in the movie started out as "natural". That is what I recommend getting. Over time, the natural hide turns into a mahogony patina as in the movie. Yes, you can get the whiskey. BTW, it's a beautiful hide with all it color, but over time it will turn very deep dark brown, maybe to the point of black. It's your preference.

-S

Sergei wrote:

Pitfall Harry wrote:Just out of curiosity what was the actual color of Indy's whip supposed to be?

All the whips in the movie started out as "natural". That is what I recommend getting. Over time, the natural hide turns into a mahogony patina as in the movie. Yes, you can get the whiskey. BTW, it's a beautiful hide with all it color, but over time it will turn very deep dark brown, maybe to the point of black. It's your preference.

-S

I thought about getting the medium brown their offering. That's the color of the whip in the full pic.

That natural looks awfully light and I don't know how long it would take for that to darken up.

I'm prett sure the whip in the full pic is natural. Some natural hides seem to darken faster than others.

-Adam

Adam, Normally I prefer to go directly though the whip maker too. Unfortunately though like you say not every whip maker is on line. There are benefits from purchasing from WSP, especially if you are buying Australian made whips. You can save yourself on the overseas shipping cost and the wait is usually shorter. Anyway just my 2 cents.

Pitfall Harry, as already posted the original bullwhips where made in natural tan but darkened up with age and use. While oils and leather conditioners can darken leather, it also has to do with the way the leather was tanned. Bark tanned kangaroo hide for example, (meaning tanned with natural tannins found in tree bark) is famous for darkening under exposure to sunlight. The bullwhip in the picture you posted from the WSP catalog is most likely just a darker version of their natural tan bullwhip. Slight variations in the shade of natural tan occur naturally, some are really light at first others are darker. You might try searching some of the older post here; many members have posted photos of natural tan, saddle tan and whisky Indy style bullwhips. You can compare them and get a better idea of what you’re looking for. Here are a few links that a I pulled up to get you started.

viewtopic.php?t=9183
viewtopic.php?t=11972
viewtopic.php?t=4666
viewtopic.php?t=9604
viewtopic.php?t=13758


Dan

Hey, BullWhipBorton


Thanks for the links they will help out alot when I make my final choice of whip color.

Actually the natural tan looks alot better in the regular photos than it does in the website ad.


I guess I was confused by the names of the colors because the website lists Natural Tan, Med. Brown , Dark Brown , Black and the Two Toned as your choices for ordering.


Man, to be honest they all look great and I've wanted a REAL bullwhip ever since I was a kid and saw Raiders for the first time.

Well, the Wested jacket first then the whip.

I have a 10 ft. Joe Strain WSP Indy whip that I bought on Ebay about a year and a half ago. It was the dark brown color when I received it. However, after MUCH use, the leather actually has darkened to almost black. This isn't a problem for me, because the construction of the whip itself is a work of art. The braiding is so tight, its still stiff even after many hours of cracking and target work.
I've also bought a red hide whip (no longer offered), and a swivel handle whip from WSP, and they have been very nice and helpful. I highly recommend them.

Pitfall Harry, Glad you found the links helpful. I have to admit i like saddle tan too and was thinking I might have Joe make my next bullwhip in that color just to get something a bit different. In my own opinion however if you want screen accuracy, go with the natural tan. Whichever color you choose though I don’t think you will be disappointed.

Dan

No, I'm sure I won't. I'm chomping at the bit to get one but I've got to wait it out until I can gather up the cash for that and the jacket.

Those two things are about the only thing I need now to complete my gear.

Sorry Pitfall Harry, your gear is NEVER really complete.

Jim wrote:Sorry Pitfall Harry, your gear is NEVER really complete.

In some ways that's true but try telling that to your wife.

Boy...looking at the photo's again I'm now split between the natural tan and the saddle tan. My only worry with the natural tan is that it take forever to "darken up" to the onscreen color.

Good point, Pitfall Harry. Its hard to convince the wife you NEED a $400 whip when the cars is riding on bald tires, or another piece of the roof blows off every time the wind blows.

By the way, Pitfall Harry was one of my favorite Activision games in the early eighties. Pre-Raiders of the Lost Ark.

I understand that people want "screen accurate" gear~ believe me, I think it's gr8 ! But so much emphasis is placed on color. As someone stated somewhere, many people notice the color variations from whip to whip yet miss the differences in the turk's head knots, or wrist strap length, size of the knots, etc. But in the end, how does the whip handle? That's more important than the mere image. I mean, if you're talking about a Joe Strain whip~either in natural tan, saddle tan, whiskey, whatever~does it really matter? It's a Joe Strain whip. Heck, I'd buy one in pink if that's all there was! Anyhoot, just my 2 cracks~I'm not pickin' on anyone in here.

Steve.

I agree. Screen accuracy has never been a major issue with me. I've always gone with what's affordable. That's why I've got a used Joe Strain whip in dark brown...it cost me about half of what I would have spent on a brand new whip.

However, I have to admit, if I could have afforded a new whip, and had my choice of color, I would have gotten something lighter, if only because it looks more "Indyesque".

Jim wrote:Good point, Pitfall Harry. Its hard to convince the wife you NEED a $400 whip when the cars is riding on bald tires, or another piece of the roof blows off every time the wind blows.

By the way, Pitfall Harry was one of my favorite Activision games in the early eighties. Pre-Raiders of the Lost Ark.

Oh, so you've seen my car and house. HA!


Pitfall was the first video game I ever got hooked on. My Dad got my brother and I a Sears Atari 2600 for Christmas and the following year he and I had gone to a local computer store and that also sold games and the guys there were all raving about this new game called Pitfall. Well, long story short my Dad bought it and he and I played it forever....that was until Pitfall 2 came out.


I know I'm going to get an 8 foot whip because from what I've read it seems to be the perfect length for me. I'm probably going to get the natural color and let if fade on it's own. I don't want to buy a brown one that will turn to dark or look black.



Pitfall

Eight feet is supposed to be the length Harrison Ford carried on his whip holder anyway, I think. If the day comes when I buy another bullwhip, I will probably get an eight footer as well. I own two ten footers (roo and cow), and I really like the length, but they are much slower. I have an eight foot swivel handle latigo whip, which is faster, but it lacks the smooth action of my roo or cow.

I never played Pitfall 2. How'd it compare to the original? I actually saw the original on a new version of the old Atari 2600 they were selling at a local grocery store. It also had many other games from the old days. I think Target carries it as well. Costs about thirty bucks. Its called...ready for this...Atari 2.

Jim wrote:I never played Pitfall 2. How'd it compare to the original? I actually saw the original on a new version of the old Atari 2600 they were selling at a local grocery store. It also had many other games from the old days. I think Target carries it as well. Costs about thirty bucks. Its called...ready for this...Atari 2.

I still have the original 2600 console with about 30 games, Pitfall being one of my all time favorites. Screw the great XBOX graphics, I think that Atari 2600 had the most entertaining games, cheesy graphics and all. Although that was state of the art at the time!

Jim

I think a 10 footer is what he carried on his belt. You can tell by the number and diameter of those coils. The 8 footer was definitely used for the Streets of Cairo whip cracking scene. Morgan shipped whip lengths that varied from 6 to 16 feet.

-S

You're probably right, Sergei. I've heard he carried a 10 ft. also. I'm just basing that statement about the eight ft. on what I've heard from other people. I've tried to recreate the Cairo whip cracks with my ten ft., and I just can't do it. It's too slow. I believe on the DVD extra where they film Harrison Ford practicing with his whip behind the studio, it also looks like an eight footer.

And I agree with you, ECWhips. I like the cheesy graphics from back in the day. I think one of our members uses the original boxy looking stick figure Indiana Jones from the 1982 version of Atari's Raiders as his avatar.

I have a question. When measuring the whip for length is the handle included in the measurement or does the length of the "whip" start at the end of the handle?

I thought about getting a 9 foot whip but I don't see many sites offering that length. I thought with it being between an 8 foot and a 10 foot that would be the best of both.

Does anyone here own a Paul Stenhouse whip? I've been on his site and he seems to have reasonable prices for what look to be fantastic whips.


I would love to learn how to make my own whip. To me it's almost like a Jedi Knight constructing his own lightsaber.

Jim wrote:I never played Pitfall 2. How'd it compare to the original? I actually saw the original on a new version of the old Atari 2600 they were selling at a local grocery store. It also had many other games from the old days. I think Target carries it as well. Costs about thirty bucks. Its called...ready for this...Atari 2.

Pitfall 2 came out the same year the Pitfall cartoon aired Saturday mornings. In the cartoon Harry had a niece Rhonda and a panther named QuickClaw who was always frightened by things. The Pitfall 2 game featured both Rhonda and QuickClaw. In the game Harry found "The Lost Caverns" which were filled with treasure and other stuff. Rhonda and QuickClaw got lost and you had to find them and gather up all the treasure. I don't believe there was a timer but you couldn't die in the game. There were little Red Crosses spread throughout the game that acted as checkpoints. Once you stepped on that cross that would be where you'd start if you got hit by something. In the game Harry could also swim and grab onto balloons that would take him up into the sky to higher levels. Now this game had no save or memory so once you started you couldn't stop if you wanted to beat the game! If you did stop you'd have to start all over from the begining and for it being a 2600 game the levels were pretty massive.

And speaking of games....

I played and beat the Raiders of the Lost Ark game for the 2600. Indy was just a stick figure with no head and a hat that hovered over the body. His whip was a couple of little dots that would pop out really fast. I don't recall if he had a gun. He could "parachute" in the game?!? Infact that's the way he'd get to the ark. He had to use the map room to locate the mesa where the ark was hidden. Toht and a small band of teetsie flies (sp?) were the only bad guys in the game.

By far the best Raiders game was the Super Nintendo version.


Pitfall

Pitfall Harry wrote:I have a question. When measuring the whip for length is the handle included in the measurement or does the length of the "whip" start at the end of the handle?

Standard measuring for Bullwhips start from the butt (the handle) all the way to the end of the braided portion. Not including the fall and cracker. Stock whips only meaure the braided thong, not the handle.

Pitfall Harry wrote: I thought about getting a 9 foot whip but I don't see many sites offering that length. I thought with it being between an 8 foot and a 10 foot that would be the best of both.

Does anyone here own a Paul Stenhouse whip? I've been on his site and he seems to have reasonable prices for what look to be fantastic whips.

I own several. Paul Stenhouse whips are rock solid. Very reasonable pricing. Paul honed his skills from the very critical David Morgan during his early years of braiding. All of Paul's whips have stood through the test of time. Not a single problem.

Sergei wrote:

Pitfall Harry wrote:I have a question. When measuring the whip for length is the handle included in the measurement or does the length of the "whip" start at the end of the handle?

Standard measuring for Bullwhips start from the butt (the handle) all the way to the end of the braided portion. Not including the fall and cracker. Stock whips only meaure the braided thong, not the handle.

Pitfall Harry wrote: I thought about getting a 9 foot whip but I don't see many sites offering that length. I thought with it being between an 8 foot and a 10 foot that would be the best of both.

Does anyone here own a Paul Stenhouse whip? I've been on his site and he seems to have reasonable prices for what look to be fantastic whips.

I own several. Paul Stenhouse whips are rock solid. Very reasonable pricing. Paul honed his skills from the very critical David Morgan during his early years of braiding. All of Paul's whips have stood through the test of time. Not a single problem.

Well, that's good to know. I am considering either getting my whip through him or the one offered by Western Stage Props.

On Pauls site though it doesn't say what type of Leather he uses for his whips. I'm guessing he would have Kangaroo wouldn't he?

I noticed on Ebay Paul has been selling a few of his pre-constructed whips before he moves (can't remember where he's going at the moment).

Anyway, his latest offering is an eight and a half foot kangaroo. It's in natural tan, like what you want. May be something to check out. I think it's like $300 right now.

By the way, I beat the Atari Raiders game, too, but it took me and my sister to do it. I controlled Indy while she controlled the inventory. As I recall if you didn't make it into the cave after parachuting off the cliff, and you lived to tell about it, the thief would take all your stuff while you sat helplessly with the parachute still stuck to your back, trying frantically to scroll through your possessions in order to drop the parachute and escape. It was her job to drop the parachute. If she didn't, there was :evil: to pay.

And yes, he had a gun, but it was useless. After you emptied your six bullets, it was just one more thing you had to lug around.

Jim wrote:I noticed on Ebay Paul has been selling a few of his pre-constructed whips before he moves (can't remember where he's going at the moment).

Definitely check out that whip that Paul is auctioning off. If you can nab it for $300, then it's one #### of a bargain. His whips are as good as any that you can buy from WSP. I was tempted to bid, myself, but being out of work at the moment it's probably not the best time to buy a whip if I can just make one myself.

Jim wrote:By the way, I beat the Atari Raiders game, too, but it took me and my sister to do it. I controlled Indy while she controlled the inventory. As I recall if you didn't make it into the cave after parachuting off the cliff, and you lived to tell about it, the thief would take all your stuff while you sat helplessly with the parachute still stuck to your back, trying frantically to scroll through your possessions in order to drop the parachute and escape. It was her job to drop the parachute. If she didn't, there was :evil: to pay.

My cousin and I used to do the same thing. We came pretty close, but never quite got there. If I remember correctly, you had to parachute into this tiny area, and if you missed, you pretty much blew all the work you did getting there. On a side note, the Activision Hockey was a blast if you were a hockey fan. Cheesey graphics again, but you could actually throw checks and everything.

Jim

I'd love to bid on the whip but I don't have the cash right now for that. Kids and Christmas will wipe you out.


So is Paul not making any whips right now at all? I remember reading something about him moving to New Zeland because they had better hid there or something.


I had forget about the inventory on the Raiders game. My brother was to little so he couldn't help me so I had to do it on my own. The strange thing about that game was if you truely wanted to beat it you had to do it in a certain amount of time. Your score was measured by how high the ark raised to the ceiling. If it touched the top then you would get some kind of special message or something. I think the "thief" your talking about is Toht. He was all black and wore a hat, right?


Yeah, I had the hocky game too. You had one player on each team, right?



Pitfall

Hey Everyone,

I am making whips from the few remaining skins that I had left from about 1.5 years ago. I'd stopped for awhile to enjoy my newborn daughter. Since I'm now moving to NZ with my real job, I'm paring down all my worldly possessions in preparation for this move. Once I get settled, I'm going to look into making them again (taking orders). However, with baby #2 due next May, we'll just have to wait it and see.

Best Regards,

Paul Stenhouse

Pitfall Harry wrote:I'd love to bid on the whip but I don't have the cash right now for that. Kids and Christmas will wipe you out.

Tell me about it. My daughter just turned two on Nov. 4, so I get hit with the birthday and Christmas all in one shot!

Pitfall Harry wrote:Yeah, I had the hocky game too. You had one player on each team, right?Pitfall

Yes, each team had one goalie and one player out on the ice. I have to get up into the attic and pull the old Atari out this weekend, I think!

Jim

Paul_Stenhouse wrote:Hey Everyone,

I am making whips from the few remaining skins that I had left from about 1.5 years ago. I'd stopped for awhile to enjoy my newborn daughter. Since I'm now moving to NZ with my real job, I'm paring down all my worldly possessions in preparation for this move. Once I get settled, I'm going to look into making them again (taking orders). However, with baby #2 due next May, we'll just have to wait it and see.

Best Regards,

Paul Stenhouse

Congrats and good luck with move and babies. I've got a 4 year old and a 1 year old and no matter what I do it doesn't ever seem like I get to spend enough time with them. They grow up fast so enjoy them as much as you can before their asking you for the keys to your car.



Pitfall

ECWhips, my dad's birthday is also on Nov. 4. Happy birthday to your daughter.

I think the thief may have been supposed to be Toht, but I don't recall him being called that. I do, however remember that in the picture on the case, Indy was wearing an A2 flight jacket!

Hi all,

I just wanted to add that the WSP's Indy whips are not only made by Joe Strain, as WSP have some other master whipmakers making those whips for them.

Since I already own a J. Strain Indy bullwhip that I ordered last year, I asked Mark Allen what he would recommend for another version of an Indy whip. Without hesitation he said "you should buy a Russell Shultz Indy bullwhip", "its one of the best bullwhips we sell".

So I took his advise, and I'm glad I did! The whip is awesome, to say the least, and it cracks like no other whip I have!

Here's a pic:



It certainly is another great version of the Indy bullwhip. I highly recommend WSP and both Joe Strain and Russell Shultz Indy whips.

Bernardo

Bernardo,

That Schultz whip looks great! I saw the whole collection pic first, which didn't show off how fine the plaiting is in the point. Very nice. I suppose the prices are the same as they are for Joe's whips?

-Adam

Bernardo, that’s a terrific looking bullwhip. I have been hearing some really great things about Russell Shultz’s bullwhips and stockwhips. For what it’s worth I think you made a great choice. I’d like to get one or two of his Australian bullwhips eventually myself.

Dan

Hey Adam, Dan

The leather Russell uses is thinner than what Morgan and Joe use, also like you noted the strands and the tip of the whip are very very thin, and that's an 8 strand point!

What's more remarkable about this whip is that its tight, and at the same time its very supple, specially towards the tip. It's the best flowing whip I have, and it didn't need any breaking in.

Overall, Russell Schultz is making a more australian version of the Indy bullwhip, since aussie whipmakers favor thinner skins, with finer strands, like Mr. Morgan states in his book Whips & Whipmaking.

Mr. Morgan deliberately chose to use thicker leather and wide strands to enhance durability under rough conditions.

Next up on my list is another Schultz bullwhip, this time the Brady style.

Bernardo