Welcome to Indy Gear and Club Obi-Wan. That is a great looking stockwhip, Simon did a really nice job on it.
Since you figured out how to post pictures, I've adjusted them a lil, next time just put a space between them so we don't have to scroll across the screen to view them
. Since you are new, know that forum policy states that any graphics posted within a thread not exceed 640x480 pixels and 50kb. It’s done In order to help avoid server crashes and due to bandwidth limitations. Plus for members using dial up it takes a while to load. Yours look fine the way they are so don't worry about it, I am not going to check every picture posted as long as it looks reasonably sized, but If they are too big just resize them down a bit before posting them.
As far as cleaning yor kangaroo hide whip, its been covered here many times but is something worth revisiting. If your just cracking your whips in your yard out on the grassy lawn it's probably not getting too dirty. You can clean it with saddle soap once or twice a year as you see fit. Usually just wiping your whip down with a soft lint free cloth after most practices is fine to keep your whip in good shape. You can also dampen the cloth slightly if needed. Saddle soap can dry out the oils in the leather so, after your whip has been cleaned and allowed time to dry, give it a light coat of your leather dressing to finish. If you chose to use saddle soap, Some products are better then others, however as long as the saddle soap you chose does not contain any solvents, salts or harsh chemicals, it should be fine to use on a roo hide whip. There are always exceptions so carefully test it first in an inconspicuous spot to be sure its safe to use, this is especially important with colored leathers. I usually use fiebings saddle soap, there are others that work just as good, but that was the brand recommended to me way back when, it works well. Avoid using saddle soaps with glycerin, Glycerin acts as a humectant which means it tends to attract and hold atmospheric moisture supports mold growth in leather. As i mentioned Saddle soap also tends to dry out the good oils in leather so you'll want to add them back by us ing agood leather dressing. If you chose to clean your whip with saddle soap first just give it a chance to dry if the leather gets a little damp,
Pecards and Fiebings Aussie leather dressings are two popular American brand choices, but there are others that work good too. Be sure the whip is clean and dry before you apply the leather dressing. Work it in to the thong with your hands or a clean soft cloth, allow it a chance to absorb and then wipe off any excess. With a stock whip, carefully open up the folds of the keeper and get some leather dressing in there as well. Treating them every 6 months is a general recommendation for whips in storage or for the casual whip cracker; you just don’t want the leather to dry out. You can grease them more or less depending on how often the whip is being used and the conditions you’re working under. You may find that the last two or three feet of the plaited whip may need more dressing then the handle end of the whip as the belly acts as a reservoir for the oils in the whip. Pay particular attention towards the point where the whip is more likely to come contact with the ground and experiences more stress and sharp flexing as the whip rolls out and cracks. Don't load up the point of the whip with dressing though, it can throw your whip off balance and make it feel like its kicking back or bucking when thrown. It is also best to keep your fall well greased at all times, after every practice session or two is a good rule of thumb. Its equally important not to over treats your whips either. A whip should not feel greasy or sticky after its been wiped clean.
Don’t treat the plaited handles or the knots on a whip. A very light wipe on, wipe off is ok just to give it a little shine, but don’t let it absorbed into the leather. You want to keep these areas on your whip tight and secure, so that the overlay on the handle doesn’t start to shift, or that the knots start to come loose over time. The natural oils in your hands will usually be enough to keep the handle treated and you can use a little shoe polish on the knots from time to time, to polish them up if you like. With stock whip handle, just wipe them down with a dry cloth, they don't usually get to dirty. avoid getting them overly wet as moisture will warp cane handles, and often plaited handles are traditionally built up with paper to the form the desired shape, you don't want to get the leather damp to where it would soak though.
Cracking or rocky ground, gravel or on pavement is not recommended, the hard rough texture will act as a serious abrasive and will scrape and tear at the kangaroo hide. This is more of an issue with kangaroo hide whips where the strands are cut very thinly towards the point and not such a concern with the thicker cowhide whips.
Also Be sure to check on any spare falls that you have in storage every so often and make sure they don’t start to dry out on you. Treat it with your favorite leather dressing, like you would your whip. This especially true for white hide, which tends to dry out faster then the heavily oiled redhide falls. Dry falls are weak falls, and if they dry out too much they can start to deteriorate resulting in early breakage.
Dan
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