Whips, Whip care & maintenance and whip cracking.

[BullWhipBorton]

This topic is set up to hopefully answer some of the more frequent asked questions you may have about whips in general, including their terminology, how they are made, why they crack and how to care for them and how be safe while using them. It is especially designed for those of you just starting out in the sport of whip cracking or for someone who is interested in getting or has just gotten there first whip. The information here, while not necessarily the only way to do things, represents vast collection of tried and true methods discussed in this forum many times and are supported by a great majority of whip enthusiasts both professional and hobbyist alike. It is designed to cover bullwhips, both the Indiana Jones style and others, stock whips or even snakewhips and will work for both kangaroo and cowhide whips. Enjoy and Good luck!

Some basic Terms to know...

Wrist Loop: A braided loop usually attached to the heel or butt knot at the base of the handle on a whip.

The Handle: The rigid section of a whip, it can be plaited over or left bare, sometimes stationary or rotating in the case of swivel handle bullwhips.

The Thong: This is the main plaited/braided body of the whip, the long flexible lash.

The Fall: This is the long narrow leather strip attached to the end of the plaited thong. It acts as a replaceable end to the whip and designed to take the majority of wear and tear subjected to the whip during use.

The Cracker (also called a popper): Usually is a bit of twisted or braided thread or sting attached to the end of the fall or braided into the end of the thong of some whips. The cracker is designed to be a narrow easily replaceable tip for the whip and helps to produce a sharp clean crack as the whip breaks the sound barrier

The Point. This is the end plaited section of the whip, where the fall is attached.

The Keeper: This is the loop at the base of a thong, or the bottom of a crop handle, that interconnects to join the thong and handle of a stockwhip.

How whips are made… There is an old Australian saying that “A whip is like a man, no guts no good”. A good whip is made from the inside out in layers. It is very important that the insides of the whip, “the guts” be made properly from quality materials to form a solid sound foundation. At the very center of the whip should be a core. The core is often a piece of twisted leather that can be covered by a filler or bolster. That core is plaited over to form the first belly of the whip. That first belly is then covered by another bolster, which is then plaited over to form the second belly. So now one little whip is built over another whip. That second belly is then covered by another bolster and then the final overly is then plaited around that. Some whips are built with a single plaited underbelly; others with have two or three for added stability and to improved handling. Usually bellies are only 4 to 6 plait, Each whip maker has his or her own preferences. Never buy a whip from some one you don’t trust as It should be noted some whips are made with rope, straw or paper cores and bellies, these do nothing for the whip and serve only to build up the thong. They should be considered props & wall hangers, as there performance will be very limited due to the poor construction. A good whip will move out and crack when it is thrown with very little effort, and will retain its shape and structural integrity over many years of use. While there are many styles of whips, the choice for whip cracking is between bullwhips and Australian stock whip and the snake whip.

The Overly plaiting… No matter how many stands make up the outer layer; a really good whip should almost feel as if it is doing the work for you. What is important is that the overlay be tight, evenly plaited, smooth and the whip be properly tapered. A whip moves the way it does because of stretching, flexing and compression of the plaited strands. As the whip moves and bends, the plaiting on the top of the curve tends to want to stretch and separate while the strands on the bottom of the whip become compressed and are forced closer together. In a whip with a high overly plait count each individual strand experiences less stretching and compression and each strand moves less to achieve that curving motion compared to a whip with a lower overly plait count. So aside from looks, it’s also for flexibility. The premise being that in a whip made with a 12 or 16 + plait overly, the narrow stands will flex less, but still make for a smoother lively action then say a whip only 4 or 6 wider stands. However looks and flexibility are often a trade off to durability as the highter the plait count in the overly, the narrower the strands become and thus become more susceptible to damage from impact and abrasion with use.

So Why does a whip crack… Whips are precision made well-balanced instruments designed to respond to the users every motion and amplify that energy allowing the whip to crack. As a whip is thrown, the energy put into it travels out through the lash, its continuous tapered design amplifies and forces that energy into a progressively smaller area. This accelerating rolling "hairpin" like motion becomes so rapid and so focused at the tip of the whip actually breaks the sound barrier. So the "crack" of a whip is actually a sonic boom that is the result of the end of the whip exceeding compression at the speed of sound. (The speed of sound is about 761 mph at sea level). When a whip is cracked properly the tip of the whip travels at upwards of 950 miles per hour.

What to look for when selecting a whip… Vegetable or bark tanned kangaroo hide is usally the best choice for making whips; however; Cowhide Latigo, Kip, red hide and white hide and nylon also make suitable whips and are often popular choices. In any case the leather used should have an absolute minimum of blemishes. The thong should have a shaped, plaited belly foundation and core. All plaiting should be very tight with the strands cut to nealy identical widths. The sets should lay in close and even and there should be no gaps between them. The seam should be straight with no spiraling and the whip should have a smooth gradual taper. Spots where the strands are turned in and dropped during plaiting to lower the plait count towards the point of the whip, should be almost undetectable. Every whip will have a natural curve to it; and the thong should feel dense and solid, even with no bumps, kinks or unevenness when you run your hand down over the whip. Patterned work should be carefully done, making the designs even and straight and looking the same right round the piece. All knot work should be neat and tight with strands of a compatible width to the general work of the whip. The knob of the handle should be of a size and shape to fit comfortably into the palm of the hand when using the whip. The fall should be fixed securely to the point of the thong with a small, neat tie-on. It should not be heavier than the point of the whip and should continue the whip's taper, as should the cracker when fixed to its end. The whip should feel well balanced and throw out smoothly and evenly whip, it should crack itself without much muscular effort from the user.

General Whip Care…Your whip, if properly made, used and maintained should last you a lifetime! Applying a bit of common sense will ensure that your whip remains undamaged and in good condition for as long as possible!

Avoid Physical damage such as hitting hard or sharp objects with your whip. One of the quickest ways to damage a whip is to hit it against objects like walls, fences, rocks, concrete and gravel. So don't hit those things.

Don't use your whip on rough surfaces such as concrete, asphalt or rocky ground. These hard rough textured surfaces will act as a serious abrasive as the whip rubs over it. While Kangaroo hide in particular has great tensile strength, it is susceptible to abrasion, nicks and cuts which will destroy your whip quickly. This is more of an issue with kangaroo hide where the strands are cut very thinly towards the point and not such a concern with the thicker wider strand cowhide whips. Soft Grassy lawns or smooth polished or carpeted floors are more ideal conditions for whip cracking.

Avoid using your whip in gravel and sandy conditions. Sand can become ingrained and embedded into the plaiting of the whip and act as an internal abrasive causing wear. If you suspect this has happened and it is causing a problem you can carefully wash the dirt out in warm mild soapy water then rinse it. Do not soak the whip. You can use a toothbrush dipped in saddle soap to remove stubborn dirt, sands from in between the laces. When cleaned, let it dry properly and completely either in a hanging position or flat in a loose coil. Then give it a good heavy coat of grease or leather dressing. Getting a leather whip wet is normally recommend (if you can avoid it), however; this is one rare case where it is necessary though not something you want to do often. Gravel, like concrete will scrape and tear damaging your whip.

Don’t swing on your whip, Whips were not designed to do this and doing so will put unnecessary stress on the thong, stretching it and thus altering the taper of the whip or in extreme instances cause breakage and or injury to the user. All the scenes you see in movies are stunt whips, made with cable cores.

Don’t over muscle the whip. Remember, less is more! With a good technique you should not need excessive force to crack your whip. Using the whip with excessive force, as in seeking the loudest possible crack over time can stretch the thong adversely affecting the taper as well as causing early breakage to the fall the fall to break. A strong wrist action can also over stress the keeper on a stockwhip or the junction between the handle and thong on a bullwhip, and will cause early failure near the butt in a snake whip. Normal use should employ very little wrist force. The usual and preferred crack is that accomplished with minimum force. True control of the whip means you can crack it as quietly as you like, That means you are doing your technique correctly.

If you going to be doing a great deal of target work such as cutting or smacking objects out of the air with your whip, Let the fall and cracker (popper) take the brunt of the wear. They are replaceable for just that reason.

After each whip cracking session check your whip for dirt and wipe it down clean with a soft cloth or lightly brush it down with a toothbrush to remove any bits of dirt or muck. Its ok it use a damp cloth for this. This is also a good time to check it for any damage or wear. Keep the fall constantly conditioned, applying leather dressing to your falls after every practice or two is a good habit to get into and will help keep your falls in good shape.

Don’t store the whip where rodents, dogs, cats or other vermin can chew up the leather. Don’t put your whip in an oven or microwave to artificially distress the color of the hide from light to dark brown - don't laugh it has happened. Also avoid long periods of just sunbathing the whip in trying to darken the whip

When storing the whip over long periods, its best to store the whip by either hanging it on a wooden peg or by laying it flat in a loose coil in a place that is not too dark, and a room with indirect light.

Do condition the thong maybe every 6 months but don't over do it.
The six-month rule is general. Some people live in dry climates, and whips being used more regularly will require more conditioning.

There are a lot of great instructional videos and books available on whip cracking these days that are worth getting. If you do not have someone that can teach you the proper way to crack a whip, consider getting a good set of instructional tapes to help you learn the basics. The 4 cracks featured in the "Whip Cracking Made Easy" tapes hosted by Alex Green and Mark Allen for example are the basic fundamental skills that more advice whip handling will be built upon. The Internet is also a great source of information and video clips.

Keep your whips clean… If you’re just cracking your whips in your yard out on the grassy lawn it's probably not getting too dirty. 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. If your whip gets dirty, You can clean it with saddle soap once or twice a year if needed. 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 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 that supports mold growth in leather.

After your whip has been cleaned and allowed time to dry, give it a light coat of your leather dressing to finish. Saddle soap tends to dry out the good oils in leather so its important to add them back by using a good quality leather dressing. Pecards and Fiebings Aussie leather dressings are two popular American brand choices, but there are others that work good too.


Conditioning your whips… Leather dressing is important. A dry whip loses its strength, and one with the wrong dressing may lose strength and/or stretch out of shape. Avoid using light oils like Neats foot oil or mink oil on your whip. If you find you just have to then at least them sparingly. Many whip crackers around the world also recommend using animal fat products like kidney fat and tallow to grease their whips but there is a concern that these fats have the potential to go rancid over time and or grow bacteria that could attack the leather, that is its worth mentioning. So its usually best to stick with a professionally manufactured brand. 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 to the area just under the fall hitch the last few feet 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 treat 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 can 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.

Replace crackers as the wear down and try to replace your falls if they wear down below 18 to 16 inches. 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 red hide falls. Dry falls are weak falls, and if they dry out too much they can start to deteriorate resulting in early breakage of the fall.

Whip Safety… Whip cracking is not an injury free sport. Whips can cut flesh, break bones or easily remove an eye or ear. Treat them with respect and use these common sense safety precautions to limit damage and the occasional welt. Take safety seriously.

When starting out wear protective clothing. The tip of a whip exceeds the speed of sound and anything moving that fast can do a lot of damage. No matter how good you are, you will eventually miss. Eye protection is very important, Safety glasses or at least a sturdy pair of plastic sunglasses are a must. Wear a wide brim hat; long sleeve clothing and long pants. A leather jacket may also save you some welts. Gloves will help prevent blisters on your hands an earplugs will make the sound level more comfortable.

Always Be aware of the space all around you, including directly behind you and over your head. Allow plenty of room for your whip to crack. Do not enter anyone else's space without warning them. Remember they may be wearing ear plugs so make sure they acknowledge you.

Don't fool around with a whip or threaten anyone with it. Uncontrolled and unscripted use of a whip can have unpredictable and dangerous results.

Never use a whip where it might pick up dirt or gravel and fling it at someone.

When practicing in public areas such as parks, its nerver a bad idea to check with local laws regarding whips first. Remember in some areas whips will be considered weapons and there is always a chance that someone will call the police to complain about the person in the park cracking a whip who is" clearly a threat to socity". In this event be polite and professional and informative, if asked to move along its best to comply no need to make enemies with the local law enforcment.

Don't use anyone else's whip without permission. When you are not using the whip, do not leave it where someone might tread on it or trip over it.

Remember while making a whip crack is relatively easy, It takes a great deal of discipline and focus to handle a whip well, so ask questions, practice and keep at it you’ll get there!