From falls & poppers to plaiting & cracking technique, this section is dedicated in memory of Sergei, IndyGear Staff Member and Whip Guru. Always remember to keep "Celebratin' Life!"
Just thought I'd share this. Since my other paracord whips have been plaited really tightly, and seemed a bit too stiff to me, I bought 300' of "desert sand" paracord and made this bullwhip with it:
It looks OK in the picture, but could have done with another 2 strands in the overlay since there are gaps in the plaiting, but I don't really mind the flawed aesthetics since it was an experiment. I decided to plait it more loosely than my previous ones, to see whether this improved the handling characteristics. It did. I didn't pull the strands as hard as I did on my previous ones, and this made it more fluid, like a broken in leather whip. Not to mention it was easier on my fingers.
Minstrel,
I, too, found plaiting more loosely with nylon made for a better cracking whip. The first few I did, I tried to get them very tight. The problem was that they were just too stiff, and would never break in. They retained their shape way too much. I made a six foot that I could hold by the handle horizontally at my waist where the thong wouldn't touch the ground. That was about a year ago, and even though I've cracked it over and over, it still retains that stiffness.
However, I tried a more loosely-plaited 6 footer following the same construction techniques, and this one cracks very smoothly. I also made a 9-footer with a looser plait, and got the same results.
EvilDean wrote:I like the color alot, and yes, you should prolly have used 2more strands
How many strands did you use, and what's inside?
The overlay is a 12 plait (but should probably have been a 14 plait) tapering to a 6 plait.
Most of the inside is made up of paracord and electrical tape, as well as some nylon thread to strengthen the transition between handle and thong. The handle is built around a metal rod, about 1/4" diameter.
As Will noted, paracord doesn't "break in" the way leather does. That's why I decided to try the slightly looser plait. I still pulled it tight as I was plaiting, just not as much as I did with my earlier whips.
