Club Obi Wan

Well i have started whip plaiting/braiding as a hobby testing my skills with nylon, now my question is where can i buy leather, (he same tipe of hide used for indys whip) because i cant seem to find a place to get it...
jim and paul and kyle could you tell me where you get your leather
or is that a secret you can not reveal.???

You can find places on the internet. Search for kangaroo skin or kangaroo leather. Many Australian platters also sell skins. I buy mine from David Morgan since he knows what to look for in a good skin, and I haven't ever had trouble with stuff he picked out for me. I have had trouble with one supplier, but they are not selling skins anymore.

You will also find many price differences, too! Keep in mind that if you buy over the internet or phone, and aren't there in person, you will be sent what that person thinks is a good skin. Knowing that, I would suggest buying from whipmakers, since they almost always have a great working knowledge of what a good skin is, and what a bad skin looks like.

Best Regards,

Paul Stenhouse

Try this: http://www.davidmorgan.com/search_resul ... 91-1324821

Or this: http://www.davidmorgan.com/search_resul ... 91-1324821

There ya go! Hope that helps
-Scott

Which exact hide would i need to buy to make a good 6 plait bullwhip , whip with 4 plait belly and core, and how much would i need to buy?

Molorom,

It's not just the plait count but the length of the whip you desire, width of the strands, number of bellies, bolster material if you choose to use roo hide instead of kip, number of knots, wrist loop or not, etc. that determines what size hide you need. I'm not going to presume to tell you what size hide you need or want because I don't know what your expectations are and what you ultimately desire to create. I suggest you gather your thoughts as best you can on paper with questions geared towards your objective. Then call David Morgan and talk to him personally about what you want to do. He's the best person to give you advice as to what size and weight skin you will want for your project. Keep in mind that a small to medium sized roo skin will run you anywhere from $60 to $80.

I'm sorry I'm not being more helpful but I really think you would be better off talking to a true master of the craft about this. David will set you on the right path.

Molorom,
I have invested a great deal of time in gathering that information that you have requested. If you go to:
http://www.indygear.com/gear/whip_links ... er_sources

All the sources I know of, are there in those links.

-Sergei

Not just that....i am asking which exact hide you reccomend out of the ones you have gotten kyle, so out of the ones you have gotten from dm which do you reccomend and which do YOU use...
Thanks
IndyA


P.S.
Thanks for the advice paul...

Molorom wrote:Not just that....i am asking which exact hide you reccomend out of the ones you have gotten kyle, so out of the ones you have gotten from dm which do you reccomend and which do YOU use...
Thanks
IndyA


P.S.
Thanks for the advice paul...

This seems like an odd question to me because each and every kangaroo hide you buy is going to be different. Even if you buy multiple hides that are all, say, 65 square decimeters size each one will have it's own unique shape, tick marks, scratches, stretch, etc. I'll do my best in telling you what I use though.

First off, I buy my kangaroo hide from David Morgan directly. Because I live in the area and work close to his business I am able to go in and hand pick which skins I want to use. The skins I buy are usually medium to heavy in weight and thickness. Also, I usually buy in sizes that range anywhere from 62 to 76 quare decimeters. Color: Natural.

The English kip (skived thickness of younger cows) that I use for bolster material and the White Hide I use for falls I buy from Siegal of CA.

Hope that helps.

Bottom line: 99% of the kangaroo hides come from one place, Packer Tannery in Australia. Austalia is the only place to get kangaroo! That's where David gets his from, Seigel of California, Hardke in El Paso, etc. Like Kyle says, each hide has variation with tick marks, barbed wire, etc.

-Sergei

Sergei,

Last time I spoke with Seigel, there were discontinuing kangaroo hide. And, they had it sent by Jim Hurlbutt in Wyoming. I haven't had any luck in getting skins from Jim Hurlbutt. The skins I got from Siegel, while cheap, were a hit and miss kind of deal. About 2/3rds of the skins I received, I sent back. This was even after having specified on the phone what I wanted.

Kyles sentiments about skins being different is correct. Remember that you are working with a biological product (the kangaroo) and that no two skins are going to be identical. They may be close, but not identical. David is EXTREMELY knowledgeable, and will help you out immensely.

Best Regards,

Paul Stenhouse

PS. You're very welcome for the advice. Always happy to lend my 2 pennies.

So if i call DM with the number on their site or email them will i be directly linked over to david him self??? how do i get in touch, i dont completley understand...
Kindest Regards
Mola