Club Obi Wan

For the next whip in my collection I was thinking about a snake whip. I know many feel that they are not as useful as a bullwhip, but I'd like one in my collection. To save some money I was thinking about Cowhide 12 plait 8'. Are there any building standards for Snake whips? I was looking at Bernie W's site and he usees a 1" diameter grip for his snakes over 6', and shot loaded to about 3/4 length. Is that standard? I should say that he is describing a Roo whip. Is it different for Cowhide? I'd like to hear from some of the whipmakers on this. What length is best overall if you have only one snake whip?
I know thatAdam Winrich does a nice cowhide work as does Robert Duke. Does anyone have any info on Victoe San Soucle or anyone else?
THanks in adance for any advice. Feel free to email me off line if you want. ...Regards......Alan

Alan, I’m not a whip maker but im going to add my 2 cents anyway . There are as many different standards for snakewhips as there are people making snakewhips. It just depends on how that particular whip maker was taught or what they find works best for them. While I’ve never been a big fan of snakewhips in general, a well-made snakewhip is a very nice whip. It is a very classic American style whip and certainly a whip worth adding to a collection. I’ve seen a lot of them with about a 1 or 1 ¼ inch diameter at the grip, but I have also seen them thicker and in the case of pocket snakes, thinner. Cowhide is good, if you get it from a whip maker that does a lot of work in cowhide and uses a good quality hides and sound construction techniques. Cowhide is typically split thicker then kangaroo and doesn’t usually plait up quite as tightly, because it is weaker and as its cut thinner for a higher plait count is more prone to snapping if pulled too tightly. Also as it’s a thicker leather the bellies are usually build up a little differently then they would be on a roo hide whip, A cowhide snakewhip might only have one plaited belly (sometimes two) with a shot bag as apposed to 2 or 3 bellies in a kangaroo hide whip. Still as some one like Bernardo, Adam or Skip has shown us; with the right skill and quality of skin cowhide whips are becoming better and better these days.

While lots of whipmakers are making snakewhips, most of them that I know of work primarily with kangaroo hide, so I can’t recommend too many other whipmakers other then the ones already mentioned. Unfortunately I haven’t had the pleasure of cracking one of Victor SanSoucie whips yet so I can't comment on them personally; however I know folks that use them, in particular his 8 plait wood handled bullwhips. I have yet to hear a bad thing about them and I have heard plenty of good things, so take that for what its worth. He has a web site at www.handmadewhips.com that if you haven’t checked out yet, its worth a look. Some people tend to like snakewhips a bit longer then they do bullwhips as they aren’t usually doing the same type of trick or multiple cracking work with them as they would with a shorter bullwhip or stockwhip, others like them shorter more like a signal whip, but in my own opinion you’d do just fine with an 8-foot whip, particularly if you like that length in a bullwhip. 8ft always tends to be a good overall length especially if your only planning on getting one. Hope this helps.


Dan

Let me add my two cents. I have just recently acquired two whips from Adam Winrich. One of them was made from deer hide. Aside from being beautiful, it has a feel/texture/weight which I believe is unique, and very pleasant.

Perhaps deer hide is something to condsider. Adam's price might be a bit past your stated price range, but you would have something very special, and highly usable.

Adam can certainly inform you as the deer hide's overall qualities and its suitability for a snakewhip.

Personally, I very much like the feel and action of a good snake whip; the way it lays out and flows off of the wrist, and the lack of constraint of a rigid handle.

I'd say using a shot bag that goes 3/4 the length of the whip sounds a bit much for my taste. I usually have the shot go about 1/3 the length of the whip. With cowhide I try to keep the diameters down, but they probably end up somewhere around an inch. 8 ft is a good length for outdoor whipcracking, though I personally find longer snakewhips are more fun. I think the longest snake I ever made was 16 ft.

-Adam

BullWhipBorton wrote: Unfortunately I haven’t had the pleasure of cracking one of Victor SanSoucie whips yet so I can't comment on them personally; however I know folks that use them, in particular his 8 plait wood handled bullwhips. I have yet to hear a bad thing about them and I have heard plenty of good things, so take that for what its worth. He has a web site at www.handmadewhips.com that if you haven’t checked out yet, its worth a look.

I had the chance last year to try around 25 diffrent whips made by
Victor "skip" souice at the Southern CT renn faire. His whips are really
really soild. He uasualy works in 8 plait, but that would make your whip
all that more sturdy. His snakes are really great. all around really soild
little whips, that make a really good crack. Snake whips are not really
accurate whips to start with, so dont buy one thinking you may do target
cracking.... But deffinatly if you are going to buy one, contact Skip
and ask for more pictures if you want, just be sure to check him out
whatever you do.

Adam