David Morgan 10 Foot Bullwhip from 1992

[Mitch LaRue]

Hi everyone,
I'm pretty sure this is my first posting here in The Bullwhip Section (so please excuse any glaringly uninformed terms or references I might make while I'm here visiting... Consider me a newbie)

About a week or so ago I'd posted a few updated shots of my gear in the "Full Gear Shots - Post (and Identify) - Your Stuff!" Thread in the Scrapbook Section... COW Member tomek9210 was kind enough to post the following:

Mitch, could you show us more photos of your bullwhip, please? It looks so beautiful, I've read somewhere around here that it's from 90's. The color is just perfect. Do you use it from time to time or just keep in closet?

I wrote back:

tomek, thank you for mentioning this... It made me realize that I've done a poor job of properly showcasing this bullwhip that I love so much.
I promise, that soon I'll do my best to take some nice, close-up shots of it... You are right, though: I got my David Morgan sometime in the early 90's (I'd have to double-check to confirm the year - but I still have the box it came in so that shouldn't be a problem)...
While I'm no whip expert, I still refuse to lock it away in a closet...
I handle it, uncoil it and coil it at least once a day...
but I won't lie, it sure deserves more of a workout than it gets.

tomek replied:

Thanks Mitch, it would be great to see some close-ups of such awesome whip. Please post it in Bullwhip section so everyone can see it

And so here I am.


A word or two about this whip...
- I did check the original box (which still contains my original notes) and packing slip to confirm: After placing my order by phone I received my whip in July of 1992.
- It's a 10 foot 12 plait natural tan kangaroo hide No. 455 David Morgan Bullwhip
- I've admittedly done poor job of using (and caring for) this bullwhip as much as it deserves to be used... and I'm certain there will be some whip afficionados here who will doubtless spot the many small areas of waxy build-up and be able to quickly diagnose where I've lapsed in caring for this excellent piece of Indy Gear.

But I wasn't just taking advantage of tomek asking about the whip in order to post some photos... I also wanted to post some shots here to ask of all of you fine bullwhip experts:
Can you offer up a little bit of evaluation about this whip and tell me whether it can be "saved" and brought back to a more useable condition?
Or is it destined to just play the part of the "Prop Whip" for photos?
I'd love to get some good feedback on this.



All photos were taken outside under natural light on a "sunny with a few cloudy periods"-type day.
For color comparison, the whip rests on my Tony Nowak 747 Cowhide Raiders jacket.










And here's some portions of the shots originally posted in the Thread where tomek first asked about the whip:





Thanks in advance, everyone...
Hope you like the photos.
Mitch

[whiskyman]

Lovely looking Morgan - not sure what you mean by "saved", it seems to be in a perfectly good and useable condition as it is.

[whiskyman]

The waxy stuff you mention is what Morgan calls "spew" - my old 90s Morgan had it too, and I was told to gently wipe it off with a damp cloth. I think it has something to do with the oils in the leather coming to the surface. Nothing to worry about.

[tomek9210]

Yep, I agree with Pagey, it is beautiful and in good condition. Have you used pecard? Is that fall brand new or original?
Few more questions :
How long is the distance from bottom of buttknot to top of ringknot?
How thick is handle and thong?
Would you mind checking the weight?

BTW, the whip is only 6 months younger than me

[Indiana County Jr.]

Always so cool to see an earlier Morgan,

You have taken excellent care of that one Mitch !

Crack On!
Allen

[Gorak]

Mitch, that is one beautiful whip you have there. Your post reminded me of my baby. I have an 8 foot David Morgan that I purchased somewhere in the early 90`s. I remember saving up all my income tax and then some for that year. Then, I didn`t have a credit card and had to ask a friend to charge it for me. It has darkened up beautifully and even has that dusty shading look that the Cairo whip has. It`s been in all kinds of terrain and all kinds of weather and, kinda like you, I never really cared for it other than the occassional wipe down with pecards. After so many years the braiding at the end is finially beggining to look very weak so I have been toying with the idea of sending it in to David Morgan for a tune-up. Enjoy that whip.....looks like an old sidekick instead of an old side-arm.

[DarenHenryW]

Sweet whip, Mitch! Why you been hiding that thing?

It's gorgeous! I'm definitely jealous. Although I am proud to say that I own a Morgan from 2001, one like yours is a real rarity these days.

Hold on to that one, my friend! That's a keeper. Heck, one might even say, "THAT BELONGS IN A MUSEUM!"

Mitch's Museum of Excellent Gear, that is . . .

DHW

[Noah]

That does belong in a museum! That whip is just beautiful. It's great to see earlier Morgan's

[thefish]

Fer cryin' out loud! Don't put it in a museum! Take it out and WORK IT!

That IS one beautiful whip! Looks like all that really needs to be done to bring it "Back to life" is a good wipe off, a little conditioner on the fall, (it's whitehide. That stuff dries out FAST!) and then just give it some light cracks.

[kwad]

I agree with thefish,

All that thing needs is a little conditioner and some use!!
Get crackin' Mitch!

[Gaucho]

Wow





Just perfect.

[BullWhipBorton]

Hi Mitch,

Very nice example of one of David’s older #455 whips. It looks in excellent and very usable condition. I'm guessing it hasn’t been conditioned in a while though, so I would second those recommendations of using a leather dressing like Pecards classic on it. You can find whip care and maintenance recommendations here.
viewtopic.php?f=3&t=19880
As Dan (Thefish) mentioned those type of white hide falls do tend to weaken as they dry out, so keep them well conditioned especially if your going to be using the whip.

As Nick stated sometimes leather whips included will get a white waxy/powdery coating on them, its pretty common if they have been in storage for a while or exposed to temperature/climate changes. (It shows up on some of the screen used bullwhips that have been in storage too.) It’s called leather spew or bloom and occurs when the plaiting soaps, oils and leather dressings work their way out of the leather over time. It can be easily wiped off and does not harm the leather.

If you ever have to part with that whip, give me a heads up I’d be happy to give it a good home and a good work out!

Dan

[Mitch LaRue]

Wow, guys!
I'm overwhelmed... Thank you so much for your response!
It's more than I'd hoped for.

And sorry that it's taken me a little while to check back in on this Thread... I started writing some responses, but then more kept showing up! So, instead of trying to immediately reply to everyone here, let me just say a few quick things...

First of all, to Indiana County Jr., Noah, kwad & Gaucho:
Thank you, guys... I really appreciate your kind words about this great whip I feel so lucky to own.

Now, I've got some very specific things I wanted to say to a few of the rest of you who were kind enough to write... but I guess it's gonna be a little bit later today: Just found out my son's basball team is having an unscheduled pratice this afternoon.
Gotta run!
Thanks everyone!
Mitch

[Mitch LaRue]

Hi again guys,
Okay... a few more things to say:

whiskeyman:
Yeah, when I wrote "Can you... tell me whether it can be 'saved' and brought back to a more useable condition?" that was really nothing more than my own inexperience with this whip (and concern over that waxy build-up - or "spew") talking... THAT, along with my worry that it's infrequent use had somehow harmed it or made it difficult to use.
In a nutshell, I thought I'd somehow "broken" my whip by not using it as much as it should be...
Sort of a "use it or LOSE it" mentality.

So, thanks for explaining the waxy build-up... that really put my mind at ease.

tomek9210:
tomek, thanks again for inviting me here to show the whip (and giving me a good excuse to ask some questions about it)... here's some of the info you requested:
- Distance from bottom of buttknot to top of ringknot:
7&1/4 Inches (18.5 cm)
- Thickness of the handle and thong:
The Handle - 3 Inches (7.5 cm) ...
The Thong (I'm not quite sure how this gets measured since it - obviously - tapers, but here's what I got): I measured it right after the ringknot and it's 3&1/4 Inches (about 8.3 cm), then about a 12 inches along from the knot it measures the same as the handle: 3 Inches (7.5 cm) ...hope that makes sense.
- The Weight:
Sorry, but I'm going to have to get back to you on that one... I don't really have anything here to measure that with.

BTW, the whip is only 6 months younger than me

Ouch... my back! Now GET OFF my LAWN!


Tundrarider:
Thank you Michael for those nice words... coming from a guy who's got such a keen eye for "The Look", it always means a lot to me when you like the Gear I'm working with! (And by the way: This whip was one of several "wise" decisions I made about 19 or 20 years ago... guess I got Lucky...)


Gorak:
Your comment about saving up your money (for your DM 8 footer) reminded me of those details of my own story: I think I'd forgotten how long it took me to save up to get the whip "just like the one Harrison Ford used in the Indiana Jones movies" (as I referred to it) Plus, I was a pretty young fella and money was understandabley tight (PLUS I had only been married a few months! As I recall it, this would be one of my earliest realizations that I believed perhaps I'd married THE Most Understanding Woman in The World: Married only about 6 months and my single biggest puchase as a new husband was a 10 foot bullwhip!)


DHW:
Glad you like it, Daren... but I was never hiding it. It's always been on my hip in every "Full Gear" Shot (or "Mitch LaRue Raiders Scene Re-Creation" Photoshop job) that I've posted since joining C.O.W.
And don't worry, my friend... I won't let it go anywhere without me.
Thanks for the compliments, Jack!


thefish:
Fear not, since gaining a little bit of education here from all of you, I'm committed to getting my hands on the right stuff to do a better job looking after this wonderful whip! (And thanks for mentioning how the whitehide dries out quickly... just one MORE thing I didn't know!)

And last but certainly NOT least...
BullWhipBorton:
Thank you for chiming in as well and not only reinforcing the info whiskeyman, Dan & others here were sharing BUT also for providing the Link with some helpful and easy to use info that I'm embarrassed to admit has been waiting for me ("there for the taking" as it were) for some time.
With this information as a reference, I think I can definitely do a BETTER job that I have been caring for this prize I'm so lucky to own.

Oh... and while I appreciate your offer to give this whip a good home, the fact is: thanks to the reassurance and direction all of you whip aficionados have given me, my love for this whip has undergone a healthy "re-kindling"
So, I think I'll continue to hang onto this "old friend" of mine for a while - especially since it seems we're about to start a New chapter together!


Anyway, once again to ALL you guys who wrote replies:
Thanks for the warm welcome here in this Forum... and for making me feel so instantly at home.

Cheers,
Mitch

[whiskyman]

Glad to hear your love of this whip is rekindled! It's a terrific whip that you can be proud to own. I regret parting with my own 90s Morgan and know I'll never find another. Nor will one of my own whips ever make up for it.

[tomek9210]

Thanks Mitch for measurements. It's a perfect Last Crusade bullwhip, those pieces of advices given here will make it even better and more beautiful, so we will be more jealous

[Mitch LaRue]

And for that, I have you - and you fine fellows - to thank for it.

Cheers,
Mitch