Club Obi Wan

I emailed Ron (rjallen70) early last week about getting an 8 ft. Raiders style nylon whip, and to my amazement, not only did he get this thing made fast and to me quickly, but he was also nice enough to send progress pics as he was making it. And this sucker cracks! Thanks again, Ron, for a beautiful whip!

-Corey

My pleasure!
I have to admit when this guy on ebay bought one of my whips I was sweating a bit...this was his message
"Thanks for the feedback, I’ll do the same shortly. I’m very excited about getting your whip, I have followed your auctions for some time now. This will be my first non-leather whip (I have several from an original David Morgan Indy whip to cheaper but well made ones) and I hope I can use it all the times I’m afraid to use my leather ones. Who knows, maybe this will be the one I always carry... thanks - Bo"
then the feedback came...
"fast shipping, and excellent, well-made Indy whip - thanks! bozilla2 "Buyer: bozilla2 ( 277) May-27-08 15:53
INDIANA JONES style crystal skull Bullwhip bull whip (#120263538343) US $125.00
Indy fans seem to like them...and more importantly whip guys do too.
I absolutely love making them.
Ron

;0

Just curious, but is there anyone else besides me that cringes at the thought of a nylon whip?

Perhaps I am, as my son suggests, a dinosaur. But, to me the words whip and nylon are not compatible.

I fully admit my bias so, mea culpa.

how much did it cost?

I've been thinking of getting a nylon for a while, as a back-up. I assume they'd be pretty durable and not affected much by moisture,dirt etc. Am I right? Looks nice!!
-raider 57

i can't wait to get mine Ron!!! They look great!!

I'm torn between wanting one and not wanting one. On the one hand, would Indy have a nylon whip? Don't think so. But on the other hand it's disappointing to look outside and see it raining and know I won't be able to crack mine until it stops raining and the grass dries.

Boggstandard wrote:Just curious, but is there anyone else besides me that cringes at the thought of a nylon whip?

Perhaps I am, as my son suggests, a dinosaur. But, to me the words whip and nylon are not compatible.

I fully admit my bias so, mea culpa.

Would you want to crack one of your 16 plait whips out in a new england Ice storm? I don't enjoy making nylon whips at all, and they are super cheap so I bought one instead of making it. There's not too much difference between it and a cowhide whip of the same price. Besides. If I were go to make myself a roo whip 12ft long, and I realize just the hides are going to cost over 200$, I'd much rather just pick up a nylon, than have to use up my time to make myself a whip.

I only own one, by Steve huntress:
http://neawhips.com/default.aspx
but It handles real well, and I generally pick that one up on the way out to practice over my other cowhide whips. (its about 5 LB lighter )

I have been making nylon bullwhips for a little over four years now, I am currently sending one to BullWhipBorton to review in this next week and hoping all goes well. I also make kangaroo and cowhide whips and it has been my goal from the beginning to have my nylons handle as close to a leather one as possible. I know Indy probably would not carry a nylon whip but for those on a budget and others who are not looking to use there leather whips all the time, nylon is a great alternative. If anyone ever has any questions about nylon whips feel free to ask and I will be happy to answer your question.

Happy Cracking,

James

Indy does carry some strange gear, though. If you were to put an Indy costume together than would even come close to withstanding the abuse he puts it through, you'd probably get a cowhide or horsehide jacket and boots with substantial tread. Why not continue to the whip and suggest that a nylon whip would be more practical?

I just placed an order for a nylon whip as a starter whip.

Here in the swamp it is always wet in the morning so a leather whip would limit my practice time to the heat of the mid day

I think if there was a "modern" Indy he might very well carry a nylon whip as a $600-800 leather whip would be a tough loss in the jungle. I suspect the leather jacket might be gortex instead and the pants would certainly be cargo pants of some type.

Question is, in the 30's what type of whip would an American have? Would it have been roo or cowhide? I supose Indy could have gotten it just about anywhere, plus I suspect he has a closet full of jackets, fedoras, and whips

Boggstandard wrote:Just curious, but is there anyone else besides me that cringes at the thought of a nylon whip?

Perhaps I am, as my son suggests, a dinosaur. But, to me the words whip and nylon are not compatible.

I fully admit my bias so, mea culpa.

I'm glad you posted this, because I've kinda been feeling the same thing and thought I was the only one . I think the leather whip feels like a more natural extension of yourself... the nylon just strikes me as "artificial". I completely understand the all-weather aspects, so that's a plus for sure. But there's something almost ancestral about knowing an animal hide was used to craft the whip. As soon as the whip is complete, it already has a history. I don't know if any of that makes sense, but to me leather craft of any sort has a weight and a history to it that certainly is my preference over work with plastics and man-made materials.

All just my humble opinion! I am very impressed at how the nylon whipmakers can get such a nice taper and look, so in no way am I disrespecting the talent they have in making nylon whips!

How does the nylon feel as it throws, in comparison to a leather whip?

With all due respect, because I know nylon whips have their place (as described above), right now I see a nylon whip like I see a stainless steel sword. Looks nice and is affordable, but has none of the balance of live steel. Using one doesn't reflect using the other.

I'm happy to change my opinion though. How do nylons handle?
(Not crack, because I know they crack well)

I have handled many different types of nylon whips and to be honest there is nylon whips and there is nylon whips, it mainly depends on the whipmaker that you are getting it from. For those wanting to get into whipmaking it is good starting material because it is cheap and will help you grasp the techniques needed. I have seen some people that make a good looking nylon whip from there second try but that does not mean i would use it. There are issues with weight, the transition between the handle and the thong and the tightness of the plat. There is nothing like using a whip that whips like a limp noodle. (I have to admit I made a few of these types of whips when I first started out but have shrived make my whips more like leather ones) To answer your question of how a nylon whip handles compared to a leather one is really the question of who made the whip. I have made both leather and nylon whips and strive to make the cheaper nylon ones react and handle as close to leather as I can. So I know that answer is not directly to the point but I hope that helps some what. Each whip will react different then the next, even in leather and it has been my goal to try to create the feel and look for all that I produce weather it be leather or nylon.

Keep the questions and comments coming I am always happy to answer.

Keep Cracking

James

That does help, Thanks, James.

And I hope I didn't offend. Wasn't my intention. I know a lot of hard work and skill goes into making them.

No offense was taken, I to had the same feelings about nylon whips when I first started making them, I just want everyone to be well informed and happy if they order whip form me, even if it is a nylon whip. People sometimes have bad impressions about nylon but I have tried to make them just as good as the more expensive kangaroo whips that I offer.

James

I make nylon whips and they "handle" great! I reach for my nylon 9 out of 10 times. If I am not wearing a hat and a jacket the nylon is in hand.
Are they as good (as far as handling) than a high quality roo whip? I would have to say no in all honesty...but the margin is much smaller than you would think. The first couple I made also seemed to lack the "backbone" of a good leather whip, but that has been solved with core construction improvements and binding the frag outta the transition.
They are well balanced and the lighter weight of the nylon is also solved in the core...i use steel shot.
Like any whip the old saying stands.
"A whip is like a man...no Guts, no Good."
For $108 shipped for an 8 footer it is a tough deal to beat.
Now get crackin'!
Ron

Nylon whips do have there uses and a lot of people seem to really like them but for years I have always been in the leather only camp too. I have tried a lot of nylon whips by a lot of differnt nylon whip makers but none of them have ever really wowed me or won me over in comparison to a well made leather whip at least not yet. As James of Nylonwhips mentioned he is sending me one of his bullwhips to try out, I'll be putting though all the paces and posting a full review off it. I am anxious to try the whip out and see what I can do with it as he mentions he works hard to try to make them perform like a high quality leather whip as well.

Dan

Thats the challenge with nylon......to replicate a leather....

Nylon has it's place, actually if you live here in the UK and have both you'll probably find you use nylon more than leather due to the climate...

It takes a while to get your patterns right but once you do there's no reason at all why a nylon won't replicate a leather, especially a bullwhip rather than any other style..

I fancy that half the reason Nylon has such a bad rep is some of the rubbish that chucks like a noodle thats been sold over the years....

Tony

stealthboy wrote:I think the leather whip feels like a more natural extension of yourself... the nylon just strikes me as "artificial". I completely understand the all-weather aspects, so that's a plus for sure. But there's something almost ancestral about knowing an animal hide was used to craft the whip. As soon as the whip is complete, it already has a history. I don't know if any of that makes sense, but to me leather craft of any sort has a weight and a history to it that certainly is my preference over work with plastics and man-made materials.

I like your 'history' perspective on leather. I never thought about it like that.

nylonwhips wrote:I have handled many different types of nylon whips and to be honest there is nylon whips and there is nylon whips, it mainly depends on the whipmaker that you are getting it from. For those wanting to get into whipmaking it is good starting material because it is cheap and will help you grasp the techniques needed. I have seen some people that make a good looking nylon whip from there second try but that does not mean i would use it. There are issues with weight, the transition between the handle and the thong and the tightness of the plat. There is nothing like using a whip that whips like a limp noodle ..... Each whip will react different then the next, even in leather and it has been my goal to try to create the feel and look for all that I produce weather it be leather or nylon.

I handled a few leather whips from makers like Strain, Morgan, Shold, and Stenhouse (I own a Strain and a Shold). I've also thrown some poorly made, unbalanced, cheap whips.
With that as my baseline, I've really enjoy cracking nylon whips from Tim Bass and Rhett Kelley. I only bought them after some research and rave reviews--and I must say, I haven't been disappointed. In my experience, they handle the same as my leather whips with the exception of how they sound. I'm not talking about the crack but the actual slicing of the air. I really don't know how to articulate it but a leather whip just sounds more menacing as it cuts through the air.
Back to the issue of handling, I think James is right about the quality of handling--it comes down to the whipmaker. At least that's my experience with the whips that I have.

I have a question, was wondering, James, rjallen70, has either of you ever tried using a leather fall on your nylon whips?

It seems like a leather fall maybe 6 or 9 ounce's in weight would cause the slicing effect and aid in doing wraps easier, but would prolbey have to be just right in weight as to not throw off the balance of the whip.

My curiosity is peeked, I’ve heard of some nylon whip makers in the past having a whip custom ordered that way and I’ve always wondered how that would turn out

All the best.


Jim J.

I'll get a "real" whip someday, but for now, my 10' nylon one has defended the front yard from imaginary Nazi's just fine.

Russ

To answer your question racerx, Yes, ever since I started making my nylon whips I have made them so that if someone wanted to replace the nylon fall with a leather one they could without any conversion of the whip. Even with my nylon falls I have tried to represent that leather bullwhip style by plating down to a 6 plat at the end of the thong then attaching the twisted fall. I think that I may be the only nylon whipmaker to do this, most have two attach points after the end of the thong (Not that thats wrong, im just trying to closely mimic the leather whip look and feel the best that I can.) The leather falls are more ridged and allow for better target cutting then the nylon falls. So the answer is yes I have made a nylon whip with a leather fall but usually they come with a nylon one.

Keep Cracking

James

PS - BullWhipBorton (Dan) the name for the company is no longer nylonwhips like it has been in the past it is classicbullwhips. The reason for the change is that I make more then just nylonwhips now, was wondering if there is anyway that my name could be changed to that and not loose all my current standings and posts. Thanks Again, Whip is coming soon.

I was wondering the same thing about the fall being leather.
Nylonwhips has answered my question as well.
Something I just may have to try.
Ron

Nylon KOTC 6 foot 12plait Bullwhip.....not to sure why I can't load photo's but if anyone is interested click the links below to see the pictures....



http://www.flickr.com/photos/24963737@N ... 5/sizes/o/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/24963737@N ... 8/sizes/o/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/24963737@N ... 7/sizes/o/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/24963737@N ... 2/sizes/o/

Nice looking KOTCS....Looks FANTASTIC seems thinner than usual...is there a bolster in there?
Thanks for posting.

To answer your question racerx, Yes, ever since I started making my nylon whips I have made them so that if someone wanted to replace the nylon fall with a leather one they could without any conversion of the whip. Even with my nylon falls I have tried to represent that leather bullwhip style by plating down to a 6 plat at the end of the thong then attaching the twisted fall. I think that I may be the only nylon whipmaker to do this, most have two attach points after the end of the thong (Not that thats wrong, im just trying to closely mimic the leather whip look and feel the best that I can.) The leather falls are more ridged and allow for better target cutting then the nylon falls. So the answer is yes I have made a nylon whip with a leather fall but usually they come with a nylon one.

Thanks James, that also answers my question,
I'll have to look into getting a nylon whip my self again, one day,
do you also make nylon stockwhips?


Cheers

Jim J.

That's a great looking whip Tony.

Fantastic looking whip!

I'm curious - Your fall is a single strand of nylon. Is the core still in the strand, or did you remove it?

Thanks!

Whippedguy

No it's a strand fed back through itself.......I don't know if your a member of the APWA if you are I just did a full photo tutorial for them that'll be published soon....

It wouldn't be fair to post it here until they've published it but once they have if anybody on here wants a copy just drop me an email and I'll pass it on......

Tony

rjallen70 wrote:Nice looking KOTCS....Looks FANTASTIC seems thinner than usual...is there a bolster in there?
Thanks for posting.

Bolster Ron???????

The handle dia is 20mm

Tony

I guess the floor gives that impression...
I have hardwood floors and the slats are narrow, I guess it is an optical illusion in my case.
Ron

Tony,

That KotCS really looks nice! Thank you for sharing pictures...

Lauren Wickline
www.midwestwhips.com