Club Obi Wan

i, I recently received my first whip (one of Todd's) and I love it. It came out of the box a perfect Raiders shade and although a little dry it is more than I payed for. The bullwhip is 8' long and after I covered it in Pecards oil and let that soak in i went out to tray and crack it. I was very pleased at how easy it was to crack but was horrified to find that the cracker/popper had 2 new knots in it from when i was trying to crack it. What should I do? Will this affect its ability to crack? And how can I stop this from happening in the future?
Thanks

Hi,
yes it will affect how the whip cracks and you should always take care to undo new knots in the cracker as soon as you notice them. I don't know what material is used in your cracker, but it's probably some form of nylon. The two most common types of cracker material are nylon, which is very tough and long-lasting but because it is rather soft and pliable, has a tendency to get knotted rather a lot. The other material is polypropylene, also known as bailing or packing twine (but I am not talking about the largest kind here, but a smaller gauge bailing twine), and although it does get frayed a lot faster than nylon, it is more rigid and as such tends to not get caught in the fall or become knotted as much. So there you have it, the whip cracker's conundrum; do you take a cracker that lasts longer but gets knotted more easily or one that doesn't last as long but stays out of trouble?

A common type of nylon for crackers, at least the cheapest one, is mason line, which can be found in pretty much any hardware store for a few bucks. I don't know exactly where you could find the sort of bailing twine I'm talking about, perhaps someone else could chime in here, but Mike Murphy sells it in a ball and you can make a lot of crackers with that ball. It's what I like to use myself if that means anything.
Cheers,


Franco

Weeeee wrote:how can I stop this from happening in the future?

Don't crack it!

Seriously, it just happens, especially when learning new cracks where the whip is not moving quite as gracefully as it could. Get used to checking for knots when you stop to catch your breath, and remove them ASAP before they get too tight.

I ignore how long the twisted part of the cracker and how long the tassel is in your whip, but I've found that when it comes to nylon crackers, a good standard length is 6" for the twisted part, and 2" for the tassel. That way, the frequency of the formation of knots is considerably reduced.

As Franco and Tash stated, it is good to untangle them as soon as you notice, otherwise they may get very tight and difficult to undo.

Hope that helps.

Aldo.

Marhala wrote:I ignore how long the twisted part of the cracker and how long the tassel is in your whip, but I've found that when it comes to nylon crackers, a good standard length is 6" for the twisted part, and 2" for the tassel. That way, the frequency of the formation of knots is considerably reduced.

As Franco and Tash stated, it is good to untangle them as soon as you notice, otherwise they may get very tight and difficult to undo.

Hope that helps.

Aldo.

I make mine 6.5" twisted part, 3-3.5" tassel and rarely have tangles

The tangling and knotting of the cracker has more to do with the fluidity of the whip's movement and the "link" between your arm and the whip than with the length or material of the cracker, IMO. Take this for example:

This is a custom double-tassel cracker of my own design (although by no means original, so I can't take the credit for the invention.) I seldom get tangles or knots, however I will admit that when I do they are usually a nightmare requiring replacement of the cracker. These are also made from cheap Walmart nylon, so they wear rather quickly anyway. The cracker is extremely loud and provides a little extra "gripping" surface for doing wraps, which is why I use this design. It should be said here that I got my first whip at seven years old and am now 31 and have been cracking for 24 years, so I have a little experience. Hang in there because it is a really fun hobby. Before long you will be focused more on learning new cracks than on untying knots, as the knots will become fewer and further between as you get better at the craft. Glad to see some new interest in whips and cracking. Cheers.

P.S. Just ignore the amateur radio equipment in the background of the photo. Just another one of my esoteric hobbies. If you want more info on THAT, feel free to PM me any time.