Club Obi Wan

My white hade fall keeps breaking on my Morgan. I keep it well treated with pekards but every time I use the whip I end up loosing another couple of inches. Maybe I need to learn how to use a whip properly . Can anyone tell me if it would be possable to have a nylon fall put on or if there are any reasons why this would be a bad idea. Any help would be great.

Thanks.

Matt.

It could work (Florida Cracker uses nylon falls on leather whips) but if I were you I would contact nearest maker to fix the problem.
Cheers!

How are you using the whip? Are you cracking while on concrete or abrasive surfaces, or out in the grass? Are you hitting anything with the whip when you crack? Also how old is the whip? It could be that the fall has gotten frail from use and just needs to be replaced. If you keep it treated, then it doesn't sound like it's drying out...

Thanks for the replies guys. The whip is only a year old and I have only been cracking it for about a week. Even though I have'nt used the whip much I have always made sure to keep it well treated. I only use it on grass and never when it is wet. I have only just learned the basic cracks so have not even been working it that hard. I must be doing something wrong.

Thanks again,

Matt.

You can post a pic to resolve doubts

why not If I need I put leather fall on nylon whips, nylon fall for leather whips -

Matt, are you muscling the whip when you crack it, meaning you put as much muscle into it in order to get a very loud crack? If so, that may be part of the problem. I used to be guilty of trying to whip too hard. You should just let the whip do the work for you, which is something I'm always trying to work on.

How long was the fall and how long is it now?

binkmeisterRick wrote:Matt, are you muscling the whip when you crack it, meaning you put as much muscle into it in order to get a very loud crack? If so, that may be part of the problem. I used to be guilty of trying to whip too hard. You should just let the whip do the work for you, which is something I'm always trying to work on.

I think you may be right. That does sound a bit like how I try to crack. Think it's time I got my self a good 'how to' DVD. Thanks for your kind help.

Matt.

Gary Williams wrote:How long was the fall and how long is it now?

I think when new it was 18". Now its down to about 10"

Matt, there's admittedly something cool about getting a thunderous crack out of a whip. I won't lie. My first whip is the prototype Winnrich IOAB, which I cracked the snot out of as hard as I could too many times to count. Yeah, it sounds like a cannon, but I also got pretty sore in the arms and shoulders from the excessive amount of force I was putting into it. Now that I have one of Sergi's Joe Strain whips, I'm having to relearn what I know because you should be able to get your whip to crack with barely any effort. It's not about how loud the crack is, rather the finesse of cracking the whip efficiently. I'm working on getting that finesse.

It sounds like you're a bit like me in the beginning in that I wasn't near anyone who could teach me any whip skills. It was trial and sometimes painful error learning a basic crack on my own. Once I got to a summit and met up with folks who have a far bigger clue on whip cracking than I do, I was finally able to get some helpful pointers. I'm still learning. It sounds like a good beginners DVD might do you some good, too.

Thanks again for the advice Bink. I'll order a DVD now. I know what you mean about the pain, my back is starting to look like Indy's in Doom. At least its more SA than some of my gear. I don't think there is anywhere near me that has any dealings with whips. Anyone I mention to that I own whips thinks that I'm into S&M

Thanks again buddy

Matt.

No problem. I'm sure the whippers in this forum can recommend a good DVD to get you started. Heck, I probably could use it, too!

Regards!

The late Leonard Wheatly put twisted nylon falls on the leather bullwhips he made for years and they worked very well.

White hide will usual stretch more then it break unless its damaged, so I suspect your either cracking your whip way too hard and blowing bits off it, or possibly you had gotten a bad white hide fall to start will. One that was too dry, or two brittle, etc., It happens.

Either way though if its now worn down to 10 inches, its time to replace it. I would get another white hide fall, cut to match your whip and then try going easier with it and see if that makes a difference, I think it will. Remember that good whip cracking comes from technique and timing, not power and noise.

There are a lot of good training videos that would help you though. Mastering the Bullwhip with Anthony De Longis, Whip-Cracking made Easy I & II with Alex Green, Whip-Basics a beginners guide I – III with Robert Amper will all server the purpose when it comes to working with an Indy style bullwhip. There are other good videos too but they tend to be more focused on stock whip work. Indy gear is also working to get a whip cracking and maintenance video up on the main site to add to our resources here as well.

Dan

There you have it! I knew you'd chime in sooner or later, Dan.

I was going to cut and paste a couple posts from the AWPA site kinda' on this subject, but I think since it's 10" that they don't apply. The gist of the posts were that a whip will pick the correct length of it's fall. Meaning that if to long, it will shorten to the correct length over time. A whipmaker from Australia, Glen Denholm mentioned this and LemonLauren, of this site gave some insightful comments as well, in support of his comment.

Thanks again everyone. All this info has been a great help.