Club Obi Wan

why does some bullwhips have a knot on the falls?I see one or two of the Indy whips has them...does it make the fall stronger or so it doesnt stretch?...

and how long does a fall last?

thanks
Eric

no knots in falls...it is a mistake. Sometimes when throwing them they get a knot, but should be removed.
It will cause a weak spot at the pinch, and will break off eventually.
Ron
P.S.
The short answer on how long they last is however long they last.
Depends on conditioning ammount of use, type etc.
P.S.S. Got your pakage THANKS!

Eric,
the knot I think you are talking about is at the very end of the fall right? If so it's just another way of tying on the cracker. Some methods of tying on crackers do not create a knot, while others do. There is no other reason for it.

Falls have different life spans depending on the type of leather used, the quality of the leather, the quality of the cutting out of the fall (is it well cut or is there a weak spot in there), the way the whip is used and cracked of course, and the way the fall is cared for (do you grease it often or is it always dry).

If the fall is your standard good quality red hide or white hide, and you don't over-muscle your whip and you keep your fall well greased, it should last you a fair bit of time. Of course, I live ina country where half the year is covered in snow so Ionly practice during spring to fall...

Hope this helps,

Franco

thanks.how often should I condition the fall? or the whip itself?

I am just afraid that it will eventualy tear fast after a few months of use and then I have to replace it...I dont have any clue about how I replace the fall..

Holt

I pecard the fall before and after each use. Probably a bit overkill, but the fall does see some abuse. The rest of the whip a couple of times/year.

To change fall w/o unbraiding...
Cut the eye of the old fall, and pull it out.
Use a fid, screwdriver, icepick, knitting needle whateveryagot to loosen the half hitches. Stick the eye of the new fall over the tip of the whip, and thread the end through the channel you just made. Return the last hitch's "tail" up through the eye
Securely tighten the half hitches and pull everything securely.
Dats it.
ROn

I condition the fall after every practice, but then I don't use it everyday either so you have to exert some judgement here. You basically want the fall to feel... not sure how to word this... like it has some grease in it. It shouldn't be messy except right after you condition it, but it should not feel dry like it just came out of storage. A sort of grease dampness I guess...

If you don't over muscle your whip to get it to crack the loudest it can, then you should be fine, your fall will last you for some time.

Like Bernie says 'don't let fear hold you back'. Falls are MADE to be changed, don't worry about it. Bernie and a few others have very detailed instructions on how to change your fall and I promise you it will not require any special tools and it will not take more than a minute or so to change the whole thing. It's very easy to do, really.

The whip itself is a bit trickier. Again, you don't want it to become too dry, because then the greases that are inside will begin to evaporate and the leather will loose some of its strrength. So you want to keep the overlay nice and healthy. But you don't want to overdo it either. Too much on the overlay too often might cause the fibers in the leather to stretch too much and become a bit too loose. If you don't use it too often or in a wet climate (rain, snow morning dew on the grass...), then a few times a year should do the trick. But if you are cracking it every day then that's a bit different... You have to become familiar with how healthy leather feels and looks and this will come with time too...

Be sure to use a thick paste type of conditioner too. NO liquid oils! Those will loosen the leather fibers too much! There are a few brands out there that will do the job. Most seem to use Pecard's, but I use Fiebieng's Aussie because it's locally available. These do not have any animal fats that could go rancid and protect leather from the ellements and oxigen, which would over time, oxidize the leather and make it dry and brittle.

After every practice I wipe down the thong with a clean, lint-free cloth I keep in my whip bag, and I put a bit of conditionner to the fall and let it soak in for a day of two. I do take the whips out of the bag while the dressing is on however... I then wipe the fall with another cloth that already has conditionner in it from past wipes. This oily cloth is also uselful if you feel your whip needs a bit of a pick-me-up but you don't have your whole kit at hand. Two clothes in the whip bag with a very small container for the dressing and you are ready to go. An extra fall and a few crackers is not a bad idea either, along with a small pair of scisors. Nothing worst than having to stop your practice because your cracker popped off and you don't have spares. The extra fall it not really a necessity since that type of work should be done at home before you go practice (like a lot of other pursuits, one needs to care about the equipment for it to serve well and that means a bit of preparation). All these items take minimal space and are very handy to have at your disposal. Would you really go on a road trip without a spare tire?