Club Obi Wan

My wife requested a pink whip and this is the result. It's actually a lot brighter pink than the picture shows. The flash kinda washed it out.


This is one my brother requested:


This one my brother-in-law asked for:


Jim

This is one I finished today for myself. I think I'm done for now with nylon, I'm ready to move on to leather and see how I do with that.



And this is my newest "bought" whip. It's a Terry Jacka 6 ft'er:

Great job again on the Nylon Whips Cracker Looks like your getting a better understanding of the Turks Heads too.....

Don't stop they look good enough to sell........

Tony

If you don't mind me asking, are your using a shot loaded core? If so How long do you make them? I'm m trying this myself to make a couple myself and looking for as much info as posible.

Tony, thank you very much.
Yes, the knots are easier now, but i still mess them up and have to retie at times. You explanation in another of my my post was invaluable. I use the pins you talked about and they really help hold things in place when starting the knot. I also still can't do a checker board pattern on the handle. Can't get it started. I'm sure I could do it once started, but that is the sticking part for me. If you have any hints for starting that, I'd appreciate it.

Arthur, these are all 6ft whips. The whips have a core made up of three para cords. Two of them are shot loaded with #6 shot. One is 24" and the other is 42". The third is regular para cord 6ft long. I cover these cords with duck tape for a length of 60" after binding the core to the handle. Anything else you would like to know about the construction, just ask. #6 shot seems to be just right for the weight and also for ease in loading the cord. BB are too large and number 7.5 shot is too small, it bunches up when you trying to get it to go down the cord.

Jim

Awesome, Thank you for the pics. I have a snake whip I'm working on out of poly cord, it seems to be working but I don't think my shot core is enough weight. The next I'll be using para cord, the poly cord I have does not lay flat. I am trying to decide on a another snake or start in on a bull whip. The overall goal is to work my way up to leather. I have my eye on a few hides. Thanky again for the pics.

Cracker LOL, no worries I guess we all found 10/12 foot long strings times twelve or sixteen very confusing when we first started out, I know I did.

Tie your strings a good inch or so above where your pin starts, take the two strings in front of you, on the front of the whip and cross them over (if your doing a 2 tone whip you'll need to take this into account when tying the strings on) now start at the back and just do under 3 over 3 or under 4 over 4 depending on what amount of strings your plaiting, bring 3 or 4 strings from each side through so you have a little bit of whipmakers plait, this will space your strings out and make it easier for you to see where your going.....

Then carefully the first two times...

Left to Right U1 O1 U1 O1 U1 O1 (ADD 2 MORE FOR 16 PLAIT)

Right to Left U1 O1 U1 O1 U1 O1

take the time to straighten your strings and get them taught, after this the moves are the same all you have to remember is go over the high strings and under the low ones if you do that you can't go wrong...pull the low strings up leave the high strings down then pull your lace through tight....

Give me a shout if that doesn't help....



Arthur nothing wrong with the way that Cracker is showing/telling you to build your core/shotbag.....however for a snake whip another way to do it is get some 7mm boat rope from a chandlery cut a length 16 inches, tape it with duct tape then remove the core, it's important you tape it first as it keeps it nice and round, take a length of chain (the type that goes on sink plugs), cut that to half the length of the whip your plaiting less 14 inches, feed it into a length of decored paracord, then 2 lengths of decored paracord, bind these three together with a bit of artificial sinew for about an inch at the top, then feed the bound inch into the decord boat rope, bind them in there tight, then use a bit of electrical tape and go over the transition to make it nice and smooth, one of the bits of decored paracord thats dangling out the end cut off at 6 inches the second bit at 12 inches to create a taper, then back fill the boat rope with lead shot, here in the UK I use #15 known as shot dust, just use the smallest you can buy and ram it in there tight and pack it down.......two inches from the top tie it off and bind till you run out of rope, this last two inches is what you'll use to tie your strings onto....

Thats your core built and it's now the perfect size to take an 8 plait belly....8 plait once plaited will then take a 12 plait....and 12 plait once plaited then takes perfectly 16 plait.....

Unfortunately i'm a technophobe or i'd post a picture

Tony

Again, thank you guys. This information is priceless. When I found this site I thought I would just buy a whip. Now thanks to everyone that has posted over the years I think I am well on my way to making my own.

Thanks again Tony. I was starting it off wrong. I think I can do it now.
Jim

Glad to help Jim, if you get stuck drop me an email.....

Tony

Cracker, I love the new whip!

Tony, I love your whips too (avatar included)

Thanks Canyon !

Well I finished my first poly cord snake whip. I can say without a doubt that this was a learning experience. Turns out that I had the taper all wrong, and when I was finished, insted of having a 6foot snake, I had a 3foot snake with the last foot as the taper. I did not give up. I finnished and installed the fall, and cracker. My turkshead kept falling off though, I will have to work on that. At 11PM (when I finished the whip), I took it out back, put on my safey glasses, and began a forward throw. I was not expecting anything. I thought it would not roll out and would just flip out there. To my surprise, on the first throw out of the darkness (11PM) There was this little !CRACK!. I though "Was that what I think it was?". So again I reset my stance and did another forward thow, and again there was a little !CRACK! I went back inside and my wife said "Was that your whip? You,re going to get the cops called".

So now I'm hooked, I have para-cord now and an already shot loading. So thank you for your information the next whip will be better. I will try to get pictures of the "shorty snake mistake".

Way to go Arthur !! Keep it up. Each one gets a little better as you learn. We'll look forward to pics too.
Jim

Hello Jim, congratulations beautiful whips.
I Want to create a whip only for my girl but she does not like the whips and is afraid to use them.
G

Thanks Gio, I appreciate that.
Jim

Cracker, you've got me at it now

Tony

Ha ! Very nice looking Tony, how does it crack?
Jim

It's a peach Cracker, it did volly's and figure of eights straight out of the vice, it's only a little 4 footer, I put it on my "whipsinstock" page on my site yesterday morning and it sold last night....I was so impressed with it that I finished my days work yesterday at about 3 o'clock so made myself a three coloured 6 footer, the wife is away at her mothers at the minute (it's mothering sunday this weekend) as soon as she is back i'll get her to photograph it and post it......I'm really amazed at how it performs, it only took 3 hours to build start to finish.....

Tony

Good looking whip. I decided on a bull whip this time. I have finished the shot loaded core and attached it to the handle. I made a four strand flat braid wrist strap, I was going to make a round wrist stap but was pleased to find that I could do the flat braid with para-cord. Para-cord is awesome.

I have been collecting some whip building literature myself...
Just about ready to order some paracord. I have seen 450# and 550#
If I may ask, which is best?
Also what do you use to build up the turkshead?
Oh, and is there a formula on how long to cut the strands...
Thanks,
Ron

LOL....lots of questions Ron....

The number in front of the paracord is the breaking strain 450/550/650...it's all good, personally I use the 650, I buy it from UBraidit....pop that into google it'll take you to their site...

String length you need to cut your strings 1 and 3/4's the length your plaiting so on a six foot whip you'd want 10 foot strings, this'll leave you a bit to play with when you come to tie off, the few you cut out before the end pick up and save you'll be able to use them for wrist staps, interweaving turks heads etc.....

To form the turks head I use a couple of bits of leather, one about 3/4 of an inch the second a little under half an inch, then once you've pinned them on bind over the top with artificial sinew and roll to make it round....

Tony

Jim,

Where'd you acquire the new Jacka whip, if you don't mind me asking.

-Dan

Where'd you acquire the new Jacka whip, if you don't mind me asking.

Not at all Dan. It was new to me but not a new whip. It is several years old. It came from a guy in California that bought it to use in a wild west show. He bought it from WSP to use as a cutting whip but said shortly after he bought it the group split up and it and a lot of other props had been stored in boxes in a spare bedroom for the last few years. He said it hadn't been used more than a couple of times before the group split. I believe him because it was like new when I got it. Looked like it had the original fall and cracker on it and didn't seem to be broken in at all. In fact it is still very stiff and I've played with it quit a bit since I got it.
Jim

thats the six foot one Cracker, i'm really amazed at how accutate it is, it came out of the vice like a well broken in leather bullwhip, trick whips well too

Love the plaiting work on this one Tony. By the way, I'm working on my first leather bullwhip and I was able to do a checkerboard handle because of the directions you gave me ---Thanks !
Jim

Hey Jim,

thats great, glad to of been of some help, just pop on my site and drop me an email if you get stuck and need help...

Best Wishes

Tony

Hey, quick question. About how big of a final diameter should I shoot for in a para-cord whip? I'm working on a bull whip like Cracker's but I think I made the handle a little thin. I have an 8 plait down to 4 plait with a little bit of the last single cord sticking out. I now have a 10 plait overlay and am working it down. I will try to post pictures later today. I think I'm getting the hang of the checker board plaiting.

Arthur, here are the diameters on the two I have left here:

16 plait Brown whip: Handle 21mm, thong right below transition knot 23mm, thong center of whip is 15mm, thong right above fall knot 7mm.

16 plait Pink and black whip: Handle 19mm, thong right below transition knot 23mm, thong center of whip 13mm, thong right above fall knot 8mm.

I don't know how these would compare to Tony's though.
Jim

OK that's about what I have, maybe a little thinner. I finished last night. All I have left is to roll it, make/ attach the fall/ cracker, and tie some turk's heads. Not to sure on how to post pictures on this site, but I'm going to try to get some up.

Question regarding chessboard plait...
Do you extend the basic under3 over3 onto the handle and cover it with the TH, or is it cut off above the handle?
Ron

Do you mean plait the thong with seperate strings? If so no.

There are lots and lots of ways of going from one pattern to the other, if your on checkerboard on the handle part of the whip as you reach the the end of the pin with your checkerboard (at the front) your plaiting will in effect be at a short diagonal...

Go...

L2R under one over 5

R2L under one over 5

L2R under two over four

R2L undertwo over four

L2R under three over three

R2L under three over three

then your into your cowtail/herringbone/whipmakers plait whatever you choose to call it

the transition knot will cover up the pattern change, Like I said lots of ways of doing it but thats as good a way as any when your learning....

That'll either help you or I've totally misunderstood your question

I understood and I just used it Thanks Tony !

I got it as well...
Thanks a million!

I'm working on the second para-cord whip. I'm going 8 footer on this one. On my six footer I used the double shot with one empty single for the core. I used an 8 plait belly, and 10 plait overlay. Should I have more layers of plaiting? The next whip I'm changing the core with adding one more shot cord and staggering them at 2 feet. It will start with a 10 plait belly and hopefully a 12 plait overlay. Should I think of one more overlay?

Arthur, I've always put 2 plaited bellies in the nylon whips I've made. I do it mostly to build up the girth, but I think it also adds some weight to the whip. The first belly is around 24" and the next will be around 48" for a 6ft whip. The whips pictured at the beginning of this thread all have 2 plaited bellies. They also are 16 plait. 12 plait may not cover good enough if you use 2 bellies, but it all depends on the thickness of the whip after the final belly is on.

Arthur&Jim,

use a 5mm steel pin as the handle...

1 x de cored paracord weighted (I use sink/plug chain) 1/2 the length of the whip your plaiting eg 6 foot whip use a 3 foot weighted paracord

1 x 2 foot weighted

1 x 1 foot weighted

Tie these and bind them tight to the steel pin so that the flat paracord goes over the handle and the weight starts at the end of the pin, take the binding 3/4 inches over the weighted core...Roll smooth...

This is exactly the right diameter then to take an 8plait belly...

Drop to a 6 plait at the end of the 2 foot length of weighted cord...

Drop to a 4 plait at the end of the 3 foot weighted cord.....

Continue in 4 plait for 8 inches...

Tie off using a little artificial sinew(you'll cut this off when you reach this length on your next belly)

After you've tied off cut off 2 strings altogether.....

The 2 remaining strings cut one at 4 inches the other at 8 inches....with an 8 inch handle your whip is now around (just under) 5 foot...

Bind the transition....

Roll it


This is now the right diameter to take a 12 plait, bring the 12 plait down dropping strings as you go till you reach the end of your first belly in a 4 plait...

do 4 inches in a 4 plait after the belly ends, then tie off using sinew again....cut out 2 strings altogether, cut the remaining 2, 1 at 4 inches the other to make the belly 6 foot....

Bind the transition

Roll it.....

Your now ready for the overlay and the diameter is just right to take a 16 plait.....

Thats it....I'm sure there are other ways but I do it this way, the whip will be weighted nice, it'll roll out easy and crack loud No lumps and bumps in the thong either that you see with a lot of paracord whips

Tony

Tony, that's the best description of building a nylon whip I've read yet.
Thanks.

Would this work?
I'm starting my next para-cord, and it looks like I'm starting this exact way. I was going to go with a 12" handle this time, to change it up a little, and to see which style I like better. I was going to make it and 8 footer and have the weighted cores ending at two foot intervals with the handle in cluded in the length of the core. The first step down will be at the end the 12"handle and 12" weighted core. The next at the end of the 12" handle and 36" weighted core. The last step down at the end the 12" handle and 60" weighted core. Then empty strand for the last to 96". Plating similar as descibed above.

What do you think?

It sure sounds to me like this should work good. Maybe Tony will see this and add his comments.

Just give it a go Arthur, thats the beauty of whipmaking, nothing is set in stone and we all have our own way.....good luck

Tony

I've got two of the cores finnished, and I have 18" on the third core loaded. Takes a while I'm using BB's. Made a small tool to assist in the loading.