Club Obi Wan

I'm interested in making bullwhips, what is the best way to learn how? Is it something you have to aprentice in or can you learn it from a book?

All of that above and more.
Your best whip makers generally learned from books, apprenticeship, criticism from professional whip crackers (because they know what they are looking for in a whip and can be harsh when they've used many whips before .) and videos...etc.

Hi IndyFan,

Creating a whip yourself that looks good and actually cracks well is exceptionally difficult. You can learn about many of the basic techniques from a book, but in the end you will have to do a lot of teaching yourself through old fashioned trial and error. This takes lots of patience, endless hours of cutting and braiding, and a small fortune in leather.

If you are dedicated to learning though, the best way to start is to spend some time with a whipmaker, even if it is just a few days. Along with this, read everything you can on the subject and ask as many questions as you possibly can of professionals. Every whipmaker had to start somewhere, and most of our first whips were pretty awful. I know mine was . But after years of perseverance and excessive attention to detail, a whipmaker finally starts to be able to make a professional, durable whip. I can't remember for sure, but I think it was David Morgan who once told me that it's only after you've made your 1,000th whip that you start to feel like you REALLY know what you're doing. That might be a bit of an exaggeration, but it's not all that far from the truth.

At first anyways, I'd recommend purchasing a whip from a well known whipmaker. Not only will this give you a nice looking whip that functions well - which is absolutely important, but it is also exceptionally helpful to have a professionally completed whip to study and compare with as you are starting to craft your own (should you decide to do that). I firmly hold the belief that a good whipmaker has to know what it feels like to crack a well made, well balanced, top quality whip.

I have taught some one on one and group whipmaking classes before which basically included walking the students through making a whip, start to finish, so they would have the experience of making their own whip, and know what goes into making one. Aside from the few who had already attempted making their own whip before the class, the students generally didn't go any farther with the whipmaking as it was harder than they had thought it was going to be.

So to sum it up, for your first whip I think you should buy yourself one from a professional whipmaker. Then, if you still want to try your hand at whipmaking, read up on it and try to spend some time with a whipmaker, and if possible, take a class. To someone with a huge passion for whips and a lot of dedication, whipmaking can be a very rewarding challenge.

Good luck with whatever you decide to do!

Regards,

Paul Nolan
www.midwestwhips.com

Excellent advice there from Paul!
I started out wanting just to able to repair my own whip, which is why I initially bought my first whipmaking book. From there I got hooked on trying to make my own whip. It's a hard and bumpy road at times but also very rewarding and satisfying. When I finished my first whip, I was disappointed at what an ugly brute I had produced - but it cracked!!!

Since then I have taught myself from other books, through trial and error, through studying good whips (I've bought and sold countless Morgan, Strains, Winrichs, Bernardos,...)- and from the advice and help of several other whipmakers who have kindly answered my pleas for help over the years. Joe Strain once told me that after 50 or so whips i should be making a decent whip. That wasn't wrong!
Having David Morgan compliment me on my work was an enourmous reward after 3 years on that hard and bumpy road and helped me to decide to carry on. I still try to improve something in each whip I make (haven't done 1000 yet!), and there's always something to learn.

I guess what I wanted to say was, yes, you can become a self-taught whipmaker. It's not easy and it is expensive but it can be very fulfulling. I hope one day I can visit Bernardo, but until then I have to struggle along on my own.

Learning to make a whip is a long road, I'm barely into that journey and it's a long one...but for me it's very enjoyable. And to restate what every one said, it's an expensive learning process. Especially since the exchange rate for my last order of kangaro was 1 to 1.1ish!!

And having a good quailty well made whip to compare your whip with is in my opinion a must!

Also some thing I wish I had done right off the bat was pick a type style of whip and stick to learning that style. For example I'm trying to focus on making indy whips until I really get that down. When I first started I was monkeying around with long handles, short handle, different construction styles, etc. While experimenting is an improtant part of the learning process, you also have to have a solid foundation to experiment from.

I've been keeping a blog about learning to make a whip (http://bullwhips.org) and I went back and reread some of my first posts. One thing I wrote about my first whip was that "I am amazed it cracks"

Also if you are going to make indy whips David Morgan's Whips and Whipmaking book is a must. After your first read you will think that book doesn't tell much about making whip, but in that book he tells you exactly how to make an indy bullwhip (in construction, not necessarily braiding technique, etc). I reread the 3 pages on indy whips before and after each whip I make and the three pages make more and more sense.

xoxo
Louie

Just found this thread because I'm interested in starting a new hobby in trying to make a 10-ft Indy bullwhip. Thanks for all the tips! I ordered both "Whips and Whipmaking" by Morgan and "How to Make Whips (Bushcraft)" by Edwards. We'll see how it goes.

What kinds of sources do you all use for the materials? Do you all have local places or are there decent online stores? Thanks in advance for any tips.

I started out wotking in cowhide bought locally. My first roo whips were made with hides bought from Mike Murphy. He sells a range of whipmaking supplies including fall leather, waxed thread and shellac.
In the meantime I've found a couple of good sources for excellent hides - one of which is David Morgan. Not cheap though.

I'd have to second (or third or fourth) Paul above.

As a self-taught variety, I took the long way---I learned from a very, very simple, almost a brochure of a book, and just paid really careful attention to my mistakes and progress on each whip---over the course of years. I would have gotten a huge benefit from attending a local Whip Enthusiast's meeting to get some perspective---but that didn't happen until I'd been braiding for over a decade. It made a huge difference, both in my cracking style and being able to get a feel for truly great whips. Feedback from the more seasoned members was especially helpful, as well.

If you can take the advantage of learning from a whipmaker (or even visiting one), go for it. The experience would be invaluable.

Above all, if I had to do it again, I would have done two things differently. I would have made more careful notes (written, not mental) on my first whips, and I would have sought out the Whip enthusiasts MUCH sooner!

You're gonna make a few clinkers, but trust me---even my first totally homely whip was a marvel and a joy when it was all said and done---and they'll only get better from there. So dive in!

Good Luck!!!

I've been searching around on the web for a while and still can't find a leather source that I can figure out. For example, I would like to start with a cowhide whip for my first few to get a hang of it... but searching for such a thing is proving elusive simply because I don't think I know all the proper terminology.

Maybe some of the fine folk here who make whips can provide a link or two? Or let me know what to look for as I search around. As an added bonus, are there any leather suppliers local to the D.C. area?

So sorry for the noob questions, but I'm a bit apprehensive about spending ~$100 and not being sure if I'm getting the right thing.

Your local library should have some books on whip making. Leather was a popular thing back in the 70s so there is bound to be some old books on the shelves.

I, being a beginner, plan on using regular vegetable tanned leather in order to make a bullwhip. It is the most inexpensive leather to buy if you can find a good deal. The price for a good 1 ounce hide runs about $2.00-$3.00 per square foot but you can find better.

I am not looking for the best piece of leather just yet because this will be my first attempt and will probably be only for show. Eventually as I get better I hope to make a purchase on some other more expensive kangaroo hide.

I started out in soft cowhide---it braided up really nicely, being a little more stretchy. It isn't as durable as what they call Redhide or Latigo, which is oil-tanned. This stuff is a lot more durable (and I think it looks better.)

You also want to go with a thin-weight leather...Too thick and the whip will be too heavy. I made this mistake once. I'd try to stay in the 4-5 oz. range or thinner (3-4).

Also, it's always best to be able to pick your hides in person---That way you can see if there's a big branding mark or cut that would screw up cutting laces...Or even just to get an overall impression of the hide itself. Some I like, some I don't...My advice? Go to the nearest Tandy Leather Factory or similar store...They're really helpful, in my experience. Then again, I'm a 14-year customer... www.tandyleatherfactory.com/

Tooling leather is easy to get with a nice even texture and thin weight, but I've never braided with it---So I can't testify as to its durability (or even suitablity.). It does look like it would braid up nice, and would probably look a lot more like Roo Hide....But not as durable as such.

That's what I know. I haven't done a leather whip in 7 years, because Nylon is so easy to work with...And cheap to boot. It makes a really nice whip, if you can get over the fact that it's not leather. Dunno. Some people are really bothered by that. But in my experience, it's a joy to work with....I'll eventually do kangaroo, after I've sorted out some design issues. But I think I'll always do Nylon, too.

Here's where I get my Flat Nylon. It comes in Black or White, in 3000 foot spools...which should do at least 10 8-footers. cost is a little over $100.

http://www.ropewarehouse.com/rope.html

There's also colored nylon available, but it's paracord---so you have to buy it (by the foot or 500/1000 foot spools) and take the inner core out...Then roll it back up to flatten it. The 'Flat Nylon' above has basically been manufactured without the core. There are manufacturers of flat cord that do colors, but I haven't found anyone that will sell less than 3-3000 foot spools at a time....And that's a LOT of nylon.

BTW, your closest Tandy is probably about 40 miles from DC, In Essex, Maryland. or, you can check the website...

Thanks a lot for the tips; maybe a road trip to Tandy is in order. I agree that seeing the leather in person before a purchase would be advantageous. Thanks again.