Club Obi Wan

Hey all,

As some of you know, last December I purchased a new Terry Jacka bullwhip from David Morgan. It was Terry's standard 11" handled bull, 8 foot long, in dark brown. I bought this whip to study Terry's work closely to be able to accurately capture its look in my own version of the KOTCS whip.

I was expecting to get one of Terry's chocolate-brown whips, but when the whip arrived, I was glady surprised to see that it was braided in whisky color, the same as the KOTCS whip. Other than the longer handle, the only other difference were the color of the knots, that in my whip came in natural tan. See pics below:





I photographed the whip in both light and dark backgrounds so you can see its color properly.

For a size comparison, in the following pic you can see it next to one of my Morgans:



I originally planned to study the whip and then put in on ebay, but since the color of the whip was the same as in the fim, then it ocurred to me to change the funny looking natural tan knots, to black so that the whip resembled more an Indy 4 whip.

Then someone (I think it was Dan "Thefish") mentioned that a whipmaker could chop off a few inches on the handle of a standard Jacka and get the new shorter handled Indy whip. Well, that's what I did, and the resulting whip is here. I did my best to try and reproduce the look of the new whip based on the limited photos we've seen so far.

I am extremely happy of how the knots turned out, and how the whip feels now. So much, that I'm thinking I'll add it to my collection. The whip felt too nose-heavy for my taste, the thong being even thicker than a Morgan, and the handle being very light.

Now with the shorter handle it feels so much better! It is still nose heavy, but now it balances better. I also increased the amount of lead in the handle (Terry does put some lead there, but very, very, VERY little, almost nothing). This together with the hand being closer to the center of gravity, made the whip feel more confortable.

Not much else to tell, so here are a few pics. In the bottom one I tied a little knot in the wrist loop, trying to simulate the knot that Anthony Delongis seems to favor.

Enjoy! )

Bernardo

BOY that's a pretty thing! NICE whip!!

HIGH regards! Michaelson

Looks good!
Can we expect more in the future?

Bernardo, I know I’ve mentioned to you in our conversations that I’ve really been looking forward to seeing this whip. I am very impressed! You did a great job modifying it to recreating the KOTCS bullwhip. The black knots you added also look better then I expected. Maybe you where right about them, hopefully we will know soon for sure

I remember talking to you back before you ordered the whip, about what to do with it after you planned to take it apart, suggesting that you cut down the fiberglass handle and rebuild it, This worked out even better. Knowing your attention to detail and personal pride in building the very best whips you can, I’m looking forward to seeing your own version of this billwhip next, However, I’ve decided that as Bullwhip Moderator you will be required to send it to me for close inspect first before you can start advertising them here. kidding. In the mean time, I wouldn’t be surprised if you started having people try to order customized Terry Jacka bullwhips from you, I know after seeing this one, the thought crossed my mind.

Dan

That's a beautiful whip and beautiful job Bernardo !
Jim

I love it......But the ring knot seems a little big to me.

I love it......But the ring knot seems a little big to me.

Yes, it does look odd when you are used to Morgans style but the bigger ring knot is just the way TJ does it...

Awesome work Bernardo

-Nebraska

coronado3 wrote:

I love it......But the ring knot seems a little big to me.

Yes, it does look odd when you are used to Morgans style but the bigger ring knot is just the way TJ does it...

I know....but I was comparing it to this pic. Still looks biger than this to me.

Glad you guys liked it. I certainly love the shorter handle look and feel.

The ring knot is actually a bit smaller than the original ring knot, although I agree that it looks a bit bigger than the ring knot in the pic above. Not a big deal though, I can tie a slightly smaller ring knot to so that it matches the look of that whip. )

Right now I'm trying to finish my own version of the KOTCS whip. I think it will be ready tomorrow. Stay tuned for pics!

Dan,

Actually it wouldn't be a bad idea to send that whip over to you, along with your new Raiders whip ;-)

Bernardo

That's just awesome, Bernardo! I'm glad my little out loud musing inspired such an idea.

Exactly how long was the whip to begin with? The coil about looks my 6' Jacka. What you've got there could be a good be a good service to folks who want a screen accurate Indy 4 whip without all the length, (10's are hard to learn on, plus take a CRAPLOAD of room to work with!)

I'm tempted to send you my 6' Jacka, but I've gotten spoiled by the length of that handle, (a nice cheat for target cutting. I don't do it often, and when I do, I like as much help as possible.)

-The Other Dan

EDITED TO ADD: And something that I keep meaning to bring up, what's with the popper on that last pic of the hat and whip in the closet? Is that white nylon spot cord? WOW! Here I've never really given much thought to screen accuracy for Indy, and between the Jacka whips and the spot cord poppers, it's coming to ME!

Hey Dan,

Thanks for the kind words.

The whip was originally a bit longer than 8 feet, and after I cut 3 inches off the 11" handle, it is just about 8 feet long, including the fall hitch.

I also find 10 footers a bit too long, so this 8 footer whip is just the perfect length for me. I'm having a hard time deciding if I sell it or not

Bernardo

DON'T SELL IT! DON'T SELL IT!

(Wait for a little bit...let me gather up the cash to snatch it up! ;-) )

Thanks Bernardo. I couldn't tell if it was a 6 or an 8. And yeah, I've noticed that Jacka's whips tend to come in odd lengths, (I call mine a 6' just because it's easier than saying that the whip is closer to 6' 7" from knot-to-knot.)

That whole length thing, along with the price tag was one reason I'd never have actually got a Crystal Skull whip as they are. What am I going to do with a 10 foot whip? Where am I going to use a whip that long? I'd rarely pick it up, and I buy whips to use them, not hang them on a wall and look pretty.

So yeah. Sixes and eights all the way, and that Jacka modification of yours looks far more comfortable than the whip pictured on Aussie Saddle's site, (nevermind your photography skills are better. ;-) )

But I'd like to take a look at that whip as well.

I know I'm not a moderator, but I feel that shouldn't really make a difference. So rather than sending it to Borton with his Raiders whip, just send both of those whips here to Athens, Ohio, (to save on postage.)

I'll evaluate them, and make sure that Borton gets them....Eventually ;-)

Hey, us "Dan's" are honest guys!

Trust me...

-The Other Dan

But isn't a ten foot technicaly "Essay"?

Hey Dan, Its probably a polypropylene bailing twine popper, A lot of Terry’s whips will ship out with them as a standard. Oh and by the way stop trying to steal my whips!

Bernardo, I’ll be keeping an eye out for your version of the bullwhip, as well as for that extra large box from fed-ex with the 2 bullwhips

10 foot might be cannon for Indy’s bullwhip, but shorter whips are alot of fun too!

Dan

I can't wait to pick up my Peter Jack LyD Fighting Whip