Club Obi Wan

In the words of bobm2004 "Ain´t nothin´like package day! " Whether you are waiting for a Joe Strain or a more modest offering. Well, here it is and I must say I am rather impressed! I concur with everything Mr. Borton had to say on the matter: viewtopic.php?f=3&t=44735 The knots and the keeper are very well done, but it does feel a bit dry. I was able to do a few cracks with it right out of the box. I am going to see if I can customize it a bit. I plan to dye the ring knot a darker shade. I am now giving it a good dose of Pecard and will let it seep in for a few days and see how it takes it. I also gave the fall a good slathering. Maybe I won´t have to replace it, as it appears to be white hide, albeit pretty dried out. At some point I would like to shellac it. Gotta read up on that!
I will post some "after" pictures when I´m done. In the meantime, here go the "before" shots":
Thanks Todd!
IndianaBravo

Color me pleasantly surprised.

Very nice. Another wiinner from Todd

Very nice! It's true, aint nothing like package day!

Enjoy it!

Crack On!
Allen

Keep us updated on progression. There has been a lot of questions concerning this whip.
Some video of the whip in action would also be cool.

Looks great.

The fall is dry because whitehide is very very dry when it leaves the tannery; it is only because whipmakers put a lot of leather dressing/plaiting soap while making the fall that the leather becomes soft. Just keep putting dressing on it until it won't take any more, and by the looks of it, that may be a while, so just dress it frequently and it'll be fine.

As for the shellac, I assume you meant shellacking the whip, not the fall, right? You never want to shellac the fall BTW. You want to make a very liquid solution of shellac and use a pad to apply it, not a brush. Make the shellac too thick, either in the mix or by applying too much of it, and it will flake. I dilute a bag of shellac flakes (I think its about 250 grams +/-) into about 1.5 liters (maybe a bit more) of denatured alcohol (alcohol with a very high level of purity 95%). You'll have to test it on scraps of leather first to be sure its thinned down enough. If you ever make it a bit too liquid, don't panic, it's basically just alcohol, so just let it air out for a while (do this outside) and it will become thicker again, mind that you cover the top with something so that dirt doesn't fall in to the mix jar (like a stretched out piece of very thin cotton). But if you go slowly and test the mix as you go along, you should find a good mix solution without going overboard. Always apply the shellac in very thin coats. Better to put on a few thin coats than a single heavy one. Now for the pad I make mine out of a square of clean cotton doubled and wrapped around a bit of wadding. You can use old (but clean) t-shirts or even socks for the wadding. Just cut them up into little pieces before you put them into the cotton square. No need to get all fancy with this stuff, as long as it is clean and lint-free, it's fine. Trust me, the leather won't know the difference. Don't make your pad too big because it will absorb a lot of the shellac mix at first and a part of that is going to end up wasted, so you want to keep the waste to a minimum. Just dip the tip of the pad into the mix and go over the whip from handle to thong and re-apply a bit of the mix when you see it starts to dry up on you (you'll feel it because it won't glide on as easily because the shellac will become tacky as it starts to dry). Do the entire whip like this and if your mix is right by the time you get to the fall, the handle should be dry. If you want to really do a good job, roll the whip after and apply another thin coat of shellac. To roll your whip just get a clean wood board and a piece of clean 2X4, place the whip on the board and roll it between the board and the 2X4. You might want to wrap some paper around the 2X4 so it protects the leather from any sharp edges the wood might have. Brown paper will do fine, as long as it is clean.

What I've just told you may seem simple, and it is, but it is also a bit of a trade secret. Not one I will get in trouble for sharing, but just so you know that this is something many people have spent a long, long time refining to get it just right, so someone like me can one day come along and explain it in a few lines.

Do take pics of the finished result!

yeah, it really does look great!

i got to play with one not long ago when I was at Todd's picking up some other stuff.

I'll be getting mine this coming week. I really liked it and this pic seals the deal...

Franco

Thank you so much for you concise tutorial on shellacking, as well as the correct rolling technique. I´ll do my best to get all of this material and get to work on this project. I also liked the advice on conditioning leather in the Adam Winrich post regarding parrafin wax. I am applying a warm/slightly liquefied Pecard solution to the whip to aid in the soaking in process.
Cheers!
IndianaBravo

Be careful with using liquified pecards on the fall. I tried doing that a long time ago and never like the results as much as other ways to lube up the fall.

An easier way for mixing shellac is to buy a can of premixed shellac at the hardware store. You will still need to thin it down a bit for using on a whip...but you won't have to buy a pound of shellac flakes. I used to use the premixed shellac, but have switched back to using flakes. It gives me more control over what I want and I can mix it up in small batches so it's always fresh.

I think Rockler sells a shellac flake kit that comes with the everything you need (except alcohol).

For applying shellac I use scrap wool pieces that I get from my local tandy. I trade them some of my scrap leather for it.

Louie
http://bullwhips.org

Thanks for the tips Louie. No, I didn´t really use the liquified Pecard on the fall. I usually apply it in its normal consistency or I use dubbin, and when I don´t have that, vaseline. I think I´ve tracked down some suitable shellac here in Spain. It´s sorta hard to go into a hobby store and try to explain this to them, "You want to shellac WHAT?" is the initial answer I got

I am an avid reader of your whip blog and I find your website extremely informative and interesting!

Best Regards!

Regarding the shellac is there a spray-on method?

Looks really good I have Todds older version and this looks better

Any word yet when Todd will be releasing a newer version in the 10-foot? As I recall, the (new) 8-foot version does not have a rubber core like the 10 footer, and is more for cracking than the 10 foot. A rep from Todds told me once that there are plans on releasing a new version of the 10 foot that is made of the higher quality like the 8.
Those pics look really good - I'm glad Todd offers great looking products that look just like the screen used counterpart, and at an extremely affordable price.
These really are THE option for someone looking for screen accuracy but does not need to spend close to a grand for a performance-ready whip when they will only be using it mostly for costuming and display.

WOW. Todd's latest whip looks excellent! Much better than his earlier offerings. Congrats on a great purchase, IB!

I just picked up mine today. No point in posting pics of it yet because it looks EXACTLY like Bravo's

However, I'm doing a couple things to it while I'm conditioning it to make it a little more SA.

I'll post pics when I'm done.

It's awesome that Todd offers these items and at such an affordable price.

Hi everybody, new guy here!

Just received my 8' Todd's whip today and I couldn't be happier!

They really are nice whips for the price. Like others have said, it was very dry when I received it, but a little bit of pure glycerin solved that (however, it did leave some very dark spots that will hopefully lighten up over time as the glycerin leaches into the core).

Although it's a bit late, I just couldn't resist slipping out onto the patio and giving it (what I thought would be) a light crack.
I'm used to putting alot of muscle into my other whips, which are all of the cheap variety. I was quite suprised when it went off like a firecraker with little effort.

Hopefully tommorow I'll be able to try a few more cracks with it.

I've gotta commend Todd on his great customer service.
I placed my order yesterday on my lunch break and it was at my doorstep a little under 24 hours later!

Congrats KWAD!!! I haven't cracked mine yet. I wanted to get it conditioned and we've had a lot of rain.

Try to take some pics or video when you get a chance.

and most importantly

welcome aboard COW.

Congrats to the both of you and welcome Kwad. It´s good to see other people also customizing their Todd´s. I´m nearly done with the conditioning phase myself. Basically applying liquefied Pecard, with just a tad of neatsfoot oil ( before you jump all over me, the neatsfoot oil was recommended by a Master Whipmaker, albeit very sparingly )I have already obtained the shellac, the dye for the ring knot and the rolling materials. I´ve also had the whip out in the Sun briefly to help with the absorption of the conditioning agents.

More news as it develops...

PS: Give those falls a good slathering of Pecard or whatever you are using!

That's what I've been doing, just conditioning and rolling.

I've dyed the ring knot darker with Olive Oil (and a little on the turk knot as well). Pictures coming soon.

So this is where it's at so far. I used Olive Oil to darken the leather on the ring and turk knots.

I've used Olive Oil for years when nothing else was available to recondition horse tack and other leather. It does a great job of darkening the leather, it's an all natural product, and other cultures have used it in their leather care, so it's stood the test of time. Modern day saddle makers still use it.

I know there was a gentleman the other day in a thread asking about darkening the ring knot on his whip, but I wanted to wait till this was done before answering his post, but now I can't find his post, so hopefully he'll stop by here or maybe I'll just make a new post...

anyway...

Hey RaidersBash, that looks awesome. Olive oil, who would´ve thunk it? There are pools of that stuff in the street here in Spain! It never occurred to me. I´ve dyed my ringknot with some industrial leather dye. My only concern would be if olive oil would end up loosening the knots. Still, the color you have there is really nice!
Thwak!
IndianaBravo

The whip looks really good - I may have to use the olive oil trick myself when I get mine.
How long does the leather stay 'oily' after application?
I see that the rest of the whip has darkened a little too though not as much as the knots - can you share how much (or how little) oil you used to achieve that effect?

I maybe spent 30 mins while I was watching T.V. rubbing the olive oil in with a rag. I'd apply, wait a few minutes for it to soak in, then apply again.

The darkening of the rest of the whip is just the conditioner I've been applying. I know some people might kill me for saying this but I like to use a lanolin based lotion, like "Bag-Balm". But I've also used on other whips and leathers most any hand lotion of a decent quality, the only caution is that a lot have very high alcohol content (to keep from growing bacteria I think) and I try to avoid those if possible. That's just personal preference though because I've used both and to date haven't noticed any major adverse affects.

The real trick is buy a high quality lotion (usually lower in water and alcohol content), and if you like what it does or how it feels to your skin, you'll probably like what it does to your whips or other leather gear (since leather is just skin...more or less).

Those are just my opinions based on my experiences.

Thanks for the welcome guys.

Raidersbash, your whip looks great !

I think I'll have to stop off at the grocery store on the way home and grab a bottle of extra virgin. Thanks for the tip!

I've noticed that the sweatband in my Henry is turning a darker brown where it hits my forehead. I have seen a similar effect where people are prone to hold thier whips, where the butt of the whip becomes darker from the oils on your hands. Pretty neat little science lesson here!
So are you using vegatable oil, extra virgin (gotta love thos virgins!), canola, peanut...?? Maybe it doesn't matter, but perhaps a certain kind of oil may be better for the leather.

Well, I can't say about other oils...i'm sure they're all relatively the same.

I just know Olive Oil works, and has worked for centuries in treating leather goods and saddle making.

Something else might work as well or better, it'd just take a little R&D time...researching on the net, and experimenting on some leather.

Well, I dood it. Having followed Cannuck Diggers instructions as well as advice from other forum members, here it is. Dyed, conditioned, rolled, shellacked, rolled and shellacked again. I chose not to dye the heel knot as I think that will get darker on its own through use. Before shellacking it, I took it out to the park for a few cracks. This is a tightly braided whip and still needs breaking in time, perhaps even more so now with the two coats of shellac. It was a fun experience to be able to customize this whip, I really enjoyed the process. Anyhow, here go the pics!





Thwack!
IndianaBravo

That looks really good Bravo!!!

How was the rolling process? I've got a couple flat spots near the fall that are giving me a wee bit of a hard time. I know it just needs a little more elbow grease.

In the meantime I'm enjoying mine more and more. I've only cracked it a few times inbetween conditioner treatments, but it seems that it'll break in nicely.

Where can (we) find the instructions to enhance the whip like you did?
I would like to find step-by-step, preferably with photos and a product list.
WOWZER, that whip looks JUST as good as any high-end whip, I'm really impressed!

Bravo,

All I can say is, well "Bravo"!!

I really wish mine would have come out like that.
Unfortunately, the glycerin I used to condition the leather left some very dark discoloration (Trust me, I won't do that again).

I was pretty bummed at first, but decided to make the best of it and went with an aged and distressed look (ala KOTCS).

I used RaidersBash's olive oil tip and did the whole thing darker. Then I used some Fiebings oil dye and did the ring knot black.

All things considered, I think it came out alright looking;




(Sorry for the bad pics, my camera batteries were dying.)

I had the day off today, so I took it outside to work on my cracks.
With a good overhead crack, this thing can make one heck of a bang!

One of the neighbors heard me and stopped by to see what was going on. He said to me, "Wow, that whip just screams Indiana Jones! Can I try?"
I showed him how to do a simple forward flick (It was the first crack I learned, so I thought it'd be the easist for him). He got it after a few tries.

WOW! I think it looks great! I hope you were happy with the Olive Oil idea

Looking great folks!

Crack On!
Allen

Let this thread be a testament on how good Todd's whips look out of the box and how they can look even better with darkening techniques.
Very nice!

Is this the prop whip that Todd offers or is he offering another type of whip?

I'm pretty sure everyone is posting pics of Todd's current 8' offering, with the darker color achieved by conditioning and oiling.
As I said before, this thread really shows off just how good Todd's whip looks right outta' the box and how even better it can look with some 'aging'.

fenris wrote:Is this the prop whip that Todd offers or is he offering another type of whip?

Fenris, here is your answer straight from Todd in another post (comprehensive whip list):

Puppetboy wrote:For a time, we made 8' whips with a rubber core. We called them "deluxe" whips because they were very good crackers.

At the same time, we had 8' and 10' whips with rubber cores we called "prop whips" because they were not suitable for cracking.

We no longer have either. Our current 10' "prop" whip is all leather. It is a totally useable whip, but not well balanced or easy to crack. Really not up to par for the whip crackers. We are out of the leather 8' "prop" whips.

Our latest whips are cowhide, very tightly plaited with two plaited bellies and two bolsters. We don't need to call them "props" anymore. They are good crackers. The only shortcoming is that the leather really needs conditioning right out of the box, and the handle needs to be weighted better. But you can crack it 24/7 if you'd like.

We will be adding 4', 6', 10', and 12' whips of this type (with conditioned leather) in the near future. Prices haven't been determined. Someone posted a YouTube video of a kid doing some mean cracking with one of our 4' whips that he purchased from Robert Dante.

I hope this clears things up.

Hey everybody, nice work on those whips and thanks for the compliments as well. Kwad, I really like the color. RaidersBash's olive oil tip really works well. The rolling process was at first a bit cumbersome, but I just went at it until I finally managed to "get things rolling" so to speak. FRosty your question regarding a tutorial for this process; You need look no further than this very thread or use the "search" feature to get down to specifics. Louie Foxx´s site is also very informative. I wish I could give you a product list, but as I live in Europe, all that stuff comes from different brands/makers. The Sun is out today, so off I go to the park to spend some quality time with my Todd´s!

Yeehaw! Thwak!!
IndianaBravo

Great thread! I really like what you guys did with your whips. This affordable whip looks promising. Thanks for sharing what you did and the wealth of information here. Happy cracking!

Cheers!

Dan

Todds whip really does look a lot better now! Much better than the rubber core version that I have

Hey all!

just a quick update. I soaked the fall overnight in neatsfoot oil and then lay on some dubbin and it has really worked well. When I took the whip out the other day the popper flew off and I couldn´t find it, so now I´m using a Joe Strain popper and WOW, wotta diffrence! After several sessions with this whip, I must say it cracks like thunder and handles very well, we shall see how it holds up in the long run. The only thing missing is a lead loaded heel knot. This is my first 8 footer, the rest of my whips are 10 or 12 feet long. I found this length to be very manageable, and it still looks good coiled. Anyway here goes a pic in the afternoon Sun.

Cheers!
IndianaBravo

The whip looks great good job Much better than when you first got it.
Graeme

Very disappointed.. I just bought one a few months ago. Or one of the prop ones
I still can't put it back together yet either.

blueoakleyz wrote:Very disappointed.. I just bought one a few months ago. Or one of the prop ones
I still can't put it back together yet either.

Hi blueoakleyz.

What do you mean by "can't put it back together yet" maybe I can help?? Whats wrong my friend?
Graeme

i think he means the popper, and without a replacement, it can't be "put back together"

yeah...my popper came off straight away, maybe after 10 cracks. i was lucky enough to find it though and put it back on and really cinched it down. it's been fine ever since.

If it is the popper/cracker than there would be no need to be disappointed All you do is make more, Plenty of tutorials out there showing you how Really easy and cheap to make
Graeme

this looks like a easy and straightforward video for making poppers...

what do the pros think?

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

Hey!

As I said b4, my popper also came off, never to be found again, so I put a Strain on there. I think it may have flown off (mine) due to the dry fall. I would really condition it , I used neatsfoot oil & Pecard. That may help to keep the popper on more securely.
Thwack!

IndianaBravo

I thought it was NEVER neatsfoot.