Club Obi Wan

Why are DM and other whips only made out of Kangaroo? Is it more flexible? Durable? Why not goat? I have been thinking about this for some time. The jacket section talks about all these different leathers to use etc, etc. But here, 'roo is, aparently, the only way to go.

Just wondering,
Pyro

Kangaroo hide is the strongest leather on the planet when it comes to tensile strength. The fibers are packed tight and uniform, unlike cow hide which is very loose and random. This makes roo hide the best choice for fine braiding. I have a stockwhip where the strands at the point are about 3/32" wide and they have never broken. When I braid the thong at the junction coming off the handle it has to be very tight and I'm able to lean back with my entire weight in addition to pulling as hard as I can on a 3/8" wide strand with out breakage. The strands get even more narrow as they taper towards the point. And it's much thinner than cow or goat. Goat is strong but stretchy. You can't cut thin strands with out it stretching out of shape. I think DM told me he tried braiding a whip out of goat skin once and it was just awful stuff to work with. Cow is also strong and makes good heavy overlays but you can't cut it as thin or as narrow with out loosing most of it's strength. Deer hide is also much too stretchy and fiberous for braiding. I haven't asked but I would imagine that lamb is much too stretchy as well.

Cutting out the sets for whip in roo hide is truly a pleasure. If it wasn't for the scars and tick marks that you have to cut around you'd swear it was a synthetic material. I've never seen anything else like it.

-Kyle

...I personally have a hand made deer hide stock whip that was made for me by a Florida Highway Patrolman that I worked with when living in FLorida back in the 1980's. It's a 12 footer, and so far the most accurate and best made whip of my collection. Apparently he had no problem with the hides I provided him, but then I'm more than likely the exception to the rule. My point is, deerskin whips do exist, and they work quite well, but I'm sure NO where near as well as 'roo hide. Regards. Michaelson

Very interesting, Michaelson. Could you do me a favor and measure the strand widths at the beginning of the thong and at the point? How many plaits? Does it have a plaited belly? Pictures?

I remember asking DM about deer hide, since my Dad had a bunch of it, and he said it was much to stretchy to make a good whip. I tried cutting some and braiding it and found that it was also really fiberous. Especially when I tapered them very narrow. The strands got very fuzzy and broke easily. However, I have no doubt that whips can and have been made out just about every leather.

-Kyle

i've been reading dm's book latley and he asid that buckskin was just as good as kangaroo but its not easily available. has anyone ever made or felt a buckskin whip before?

FYI...
Up until the 1970's, most Floridian cattle herders used buckskin whips. For that matter, some whips are still being made from buckskin today here in FL. While I have only seen one of these buckskin whips, from what I can tell, they are well made and about as durable as roo hide. Indeed, Michaelson was correct as far as the whip's plaits being cut pretty narrowly; the whip I saw was done in twelve-plait braid.

And KyleS, you are quite correct in assuming that whips have been made from just about every type of leather. I can recall reading in an article somewhere where a guy was saying that he had seen a whip braided from rhino hide. And while on the subject of whips made from exotic leathers, I actually heald and cracked a stockwhip that was braided partially from the hide of an impala and the rest was braided from the hide of a kudu. From what I could tell, the leather did not taper well. The braid was (if I remember correctly) eight-plait. The truly odd thing being that the braid only went about 3/4 of the way down the whip. From that point, there was just a single, tapering strand of leather, which the fall was tied on to.
The weird construction did not effect the whip's performance, but the whip let out more of a wush, rather than the resounding crack that we all try for.
I've rambled on for long enough...

High Regards, Indiana_Hall

Indiana_Hall wrote: The weird construction did not effect the whip's performance, but the whip let out more of a wush, rather than the resounding crack that we all try for.

I am sure BOOM-BOOM (aka Rundquist) could get the resounding crack!

Given that kangaroos are in plague proportions in some parts of Australia, there's bound to be no shortage of good quality pelts. We've just had a cull of 15,000 kangeroos not far from where I live, and that is planned to become a yearly event to keep numbers down.

falconau wrote:Given that kangaroos are in plague proportions in some parts of Australia, there's bound to be no shortage of good quality pelts. We've just had a cull of 15,000 kangeroos not far from where I live, and that is planned to become a yearly event to keep numbers down.

Hmm, does this mean the price of roo-hide whips will drop in the next year or two :
Or is it all down to paying for the unique skills required to make a good whip

Well Pipster, the price of hide will not be going down. Stories of tens of thousands of cullings are quite common. And your hunch that the "labor" associated with making the whip is the prime driver for the cost. It's unbelievable when you find out where the roo hide is being used. Products like soccer (football for the rest of the world) balls, athletic shoes, baseball gloves, jackets, etc. It's truly a wonderful, super hide.

And congrats are in order for you Pip. I hear you are ordering your new whip. Enjoy your new hobby. Oh, excuses for your wife. Well, whipcracking is one h-e-l-l of a great upper body workout. Also some routines are really a great exercise for the mind. And may I suggest that you buy another. Double handed routines are a nice mental workout as well as a nice physical one. Welcome to the club!

-S