Club Obi Wan

I need some replacement crackers for my whip. I don't really have the time to ship some out to me as I need it in one week and don't want to risk having it arrive late. I'm going to the Orlando Mega Con and want my whip to have a cracker attached to it. So I figured I would have a go at making my own cracker but I don't know what type of thread to use. Can anyone recommend something and where to get some locally? Thanks in advance.

Dave

crackers or popers? eather way just make one

I thought they were two names for the same thing. Either way, I do want to make one, just don't know what to use to make it. I would assume that nylon thread would be best but how thich should it be? Also, does anyone have a god tutorial on how to make a cracker...or poper.

Dave

Few topic under your is viewtopic.php?f=3&t=37665 . I think you can find here what you need.

IF you can find nylon uphostery thread (#138) is what I use.
In a pinch masons twine from your local home improvement store works great too...it just doesn't last as long as the nylon.
Ron

PM Sent.

DR Ulloa wrote:I thought they were two names for the same thing. Either way, I do want to make one, just don't know what to use to make it. I would assume that nylon thread would be best but how thich should it be? Also, does anyone have a god tutorial on how to make a cracker...or poper.

Dave

your right a few too many whiskies last night

BullWhipBorton posted this tutorial on making poppers/crackers. I have not tried his method yet but it looks pretty straightforward.

http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fusea ... ID=5787754

Hope this helps. Happy cracking,

Ryan

BullWhipBorton posted this tutorial on making poppers/crackers. I have not tried his method yet but it looks pretty straightforward.

I have tried this method and it really works well. I purchased a spool of the popper thread from Joe Strains site for around $15 and haven't bought another popper since. It saved me more money than Geico!

Cheers Dan! You Rock!

Crack On!
Allen

I have to agree. Dan's tutorial is one of the best! I have been using it and have not turned back. I bought my upholstery thread at a place called JoAnn's. I actually had to have somebody help me find the stuff. The lady looked at me as though I were weird. She asked why I was buying the tread. Because of the look, I decided did not tell her it was for whip crackers. I might have been ushered out of that fine establishment...

Anyway, any fabric store will have something close to that. Just use Dan's tutorial and you are good to go!

Pete

Thanks for the kind words, I'm glad so many of you are finding that tutorial helpful.

You can find the Coats & Clark brand nylon upholstery thread which is what I am using, just about anywhere. Aside from JoAnns fabric, Walmarts was carrying last time I checked. It’s a bit thinner gauge then the thread Joe Strain sells but works just as well. The way I make them they are the same thickness as David Morgan’s poppers, but you could easily just add a few more loops though if you like them heavier.

Aside from being pretty inexpensive, this stuff also is it comes in a wide variety of colors. For the SA indy look standard black is the way to go, but you can produce an assortment of different colors and two tone poppers too which look really nice on fancy or colorful whips.

You can really make poppers out of just about any thread or twine though; nylon mason twine, artificial nylon sinew and polypropylene bailing twine are other popular materials. Silk thread, horsehair and even just cotton thread will work in a pinch too, though proves not to be as hard wearing as nylon.

Dan

DR Ulloa wrote:I need some replacement crackers for my whip. I don't really have the time to ship some out to me as I need it in one week and don't want to risk having it arrive late. I'm going to the Orlando Mega Con and want my whip to have a cracker attached to it. So I figured I would have a go at making my own cracker but I don't know what type of thread to use. Can anyone recommend something and where to get some locally? Thanks in advance.

Dave

Howdy DR. Dave,

Do you live near a Tack and Feed store? I have experimented with the Polypropylene bailing twine they use for hay. It's a little more forgiving than nylon thread, and delivers a terrific crack, but I've found it wears out faster too. I use the thread also sometimes, but it can cut the leather thong on your whip if you're not careful. I've had some success twisting both the nylon thread and poloyprop into a hybrid popper that cracks well and lasts longer than the poly alone. It's fun messing around with it, and making your own.

BullWhipBorton wrote:You can find the Coats & Clark brand nylon upholstery thread which is what I am using, just about anywhere. Aside from JoAnns fabric, Walmarts was carrying last time I checked.
Dan

For whatever reason, I can only find the Polyester upholstery thread in my area, and it's much thinner. I've checked JoAnns and Walmart, and can't find seem to find any nylon thread. I have to use approximately twice as many strands to get a decent popper. The polyester seems to work fine, and I actually have a hard time telling the difference, but I would like to find a thicker gauge. I just started experimenting with this, and at first it seems like maybe it's tangling a little easier, but the wind was also blowing like crazy, so I'm still experimenting with it.

Kenton

You can also try a Tractor Supply store if there is one near by, I have purchased the thicker poly from them and it works well. I use the Coats & Clark brand nylon and Poly upholstery thread from Walmart. You do have to use more than the thicker poly but it makes excellent poppers/crackers.

Nick
http://www.nickammann.com

Kenton, that is odd they should have the nylon thread. Mine did, but I suppose product can vary by location. The Coats & Clark website does have a store locator though, you might be able find more stores in your area that carry their product, and call around to see which ones have the nylon upholster thread in stock. http://www.coatsandclark.com

The polyester thread works fine of course, the cotton thread will work too though I don’t think either is quite as durable as the nylon. If you have a local Tandy leather store in your area, they sell spools of a heavier gauge black nylon thread for around $20. That stuff works great too. The other nice thing about Tandy is they carry a lot of other whip maintenance supplies, like Fibings Aussie leather dressing, saddle soap and Artificial Sinew, which also makes good poppers.

Dan