Club Obi Wan

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=6I_ESNuLwGA" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Anyone know where I can find a heavy duty whip like this?

Indywanabe91 wrote:https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=6I_ESNuLwGA

Anyone know where I can find a heavy duty whip like this?

Well you could probably get one from most any whip makers as long as you tell them what you will be doing with it- that way they can make the propper adjustments-

What? I swing from my Joe Strain whip off trees all the time.

I seem to recall someone else making a paracord whip in a similar manner in which one or two pieces of paracord ran the entire length of the whip and created the fall so those strands supported all the weight through the whip and the rest was more of a wrap covering the inner cords.

Regards,

Indiana Jeff

Indiana Jeff wrote:






I seem to recall someone else making a paracord whip in a similar manner in which one or two pieces of paracord ran the entire length of the whip and created the fall so those strands supported all the weight through the whip and the rest was more of a wrap covering the inner cords.

Regards,

Indiana Jeff

Sign me up I really want a heavy duty whip for stunts! Is it only paracord? I want a leather one! Also, I've see whips with a steel cable in the core, would that make it strong enough to handle stunts like that in the video?

The trick is that the fall is what's really doing the wrap and subsequently supporting the weight. That's why the whip that I'm thinking of essentially was two strands of paracord with the whip plaited around it. I don't see any reason the same couldn't be done with leather plaiting, but I'm not a whip maker so I'm not familiar enough with the construction.

The steel cable whips (I have one myself) still aren't made for swinging on. The cable core doesn't run the full length of the whip so the very end of the whip that would be doing the wrap and supporting the weight will put a strain on the full length of all the leather plaiting and very likely damage the whip beyond use.


Regards,

Indiana Jeff

That makes perfect sense, Thanks for the input Indiana Jeff

Here we go again!

Do not swing from a whip. Period. It's likely to damage your whip, if not break it in two, and you run a very real risk of injury.

I now you just saw Adam do exactly what I'm saying don't do, BUT you have to keep in mind a few things: 1-Adam IS a whipmaker at the start, so he really knows what he can get away with for his weight and for this particular stunt. 2-Adam has very likely surveyed his yard and examined very carefully every inch of it for rocks and roots etc before this video was shot. 3-He also most likely tested, or was previously aware of, the strength of the branch he swung from. Adam is an expert whip artist with thousands of hours of practice with whips and he knows the limits of his whips as well as the proper technique needed to get a successful wrap of this kind.

What happens if you decide to swing from a branch and the branch breaks, or the whip breaks or the whip slips and you fall, on your tail bone or on your back or you hip bone, on a rock or tree root or a toy that was in the yard, and you break something -like your spine, that leaves you permanently paralyzed? Seriously. Is it worth your health just so you can recreate something from a movie? Also, when people say the stunt in Raiders or Temple of Doom, was done with a whip that has a steel cable in it, you have to understand how stunt work is done. This is NOT a real whip that just has a steel cable that the stuntman swung at a log in the studio and swung from it. That's not how films are done. What they mean when they say it had a steel cable in it is this: they mean it was a steel safety cable (which is usually rated for at LEAST TEN TIMES YOUR WEIGHT!!!) over which a leather cover was braided to make it look like a whip. The stuntmen did not hold on to this with their hands -it was fastened to a safety harness that was hidden under their clothes and extended past the edge of the camera frame for a fair distance and secured, probably to the studio rafters, by a team of highly experienced stunt professionals who know what not to do as well as what to do, so this is a safe stunt. When you see the whip being thrown at the log, that;s a real whip, but that is not the same thing that is used when they swing across the pit. That's called editing guys. It was not done with a special magical steel-cable whip. Get that out of your mind and stop taking unnecessary risks with your health and your future!

I know I'm a spoil-sport and sound like your mother, but I would hate to see someone seriously injured because they misinterpreted something that was written or said by film people, or are seeing this video and not taking it in it's proper context (Adam is a professional). Please, please don't do it. Play safe.

Canuck,

Thank you for your insight. You are absolutely right that what we see on screen in the movies is a far cry from reality. Countless safety measures are put in place by professionals to make HF look like a hero.



Regards,

Indiana Jeff

I agree, but all if what Canuck wrote seems like common sense to me.

Canuck Digger wrote:What happens if... the branch breaks...

Better not climb any trees either. You must have had a boring childhood. But yes, I agree, don't go ruining your whip designed for cracking by swinging on trees.

Fine. Be my guest. Good luck.

EDIT: Here's the thing, it's one thing for a kid to go out and climb a tree or a mountain for that matter; that falls under parental guidance. BUT to have someone who is impressionable try that because he/she read it in a forum and was never made aware of the potential dangers of this is quite another. Personally, I would say if you're daft enough to try it, it's on you whatever happens, but we live in a time where youth has access to bits of information but won't necessarily read through the entire subject material or do extensive research to find out what's what. I'm trying to give information that might be very helpful, but whatever man, swing, don't swing, at this point I don't give a rat's ***. My conscience is clear.
Cheers.

Canuck is absolutely right. An ill-conceived whip swing might cripple you for life. If you want to feel like Indiana Jones, try using a professional zip-line (like the mine car swing in Temple of Doom) or chop a thick vine growing up a large tree in the woods. You can swing on them for a month or so until they begin to dry out, then they're liable to break and drop you. I did that all the time as a kid, and it was exactly like Raiders! I confess that I did a few whip swings once using a durable 8-plait cowhide bullwhip, but only because the lash got firmly stuck around a thick tree branch in my front yard (I used to whip dead limbs down after storms), and the swing was over a slight hill, only a couple feet off the ground. Also, I was a lightweight kid, so there wasn't a real danger of the limb snapping (and I gave it a few really good test pulls with all my weight before I attempted it). After a few joyful Indy-style swings, I had to climb a ladder to unwrap the whip from the branch, and I never tried it again. So... heed Canuck's words of wisdom.

Its not wisdom. its common sense.

Same difference.

Jeremiah wrote:Its not wisdom. its common sense.

And too many people today lack both. Must be all those Jack@$$ movies.

I thought I read somewhere about the making of CS they made a 15' whip with a cable running the full length of the core for the scene where Indy swings from the rafters in the Area 51 warehouse.

whipwarrior wrote:Same difference.

You meant the same difference of course, but those two words and their meanings are far from the same thing. Wisdom being the ability to know when, where and how to use knowlege one has gained through years of experience. Common sense is the ability to know WHY one would use or not use the knowledge in any given scenario. I.e. Urinating on an electric fence.

I think this is a great forum and i highly doubt many people in life swing on their $400+ whips, and if they are kids, like Indy said, let them have fun and I would bet the whip is strong enough to hold their weight should they do so. If they are adults, obviously they are lacking in the Common sense department and no amount of lectures will change that.

We live and learn by making mistakes, not by being coddled. I have three kids of my own and have worked with kids at a group home for the past 15 years. Sometimes the best lessons are learned from past failures. All my opinion of course. Feel free to disagree with my cavalier attitude on the subject.

OK, let's keep this conversation focused on whips and leave the wisdom discussions to socrates-gear.com.


Regards,

Indiana Jeff

Indiana Jeff wrote:OK, let's keep this conversation focused on whips and leave the wisdom discussions to socrates-gear.com.


Regards,

Indiana Jeff

"Socrates-gear.com"... Love that

I will say that many whips are stronger than people think, but as is always the case, how skillfully they're used makes a big difference. Knowing a secure wrap from an tenuous one takes a bit of experience, which I think Indy had. Now as for damaging a good whip, that is heartbreaking but if your life depends on it...

Tibor wrote:I will say that many whips are stronger than people think, but as is always the case, how skillfully they're used makes a big difference. Knowing a secure wrap from an tenuous one takes a bit of experience, which I think Indy had.

At 31:16, Mythbusters' Adam Savage substantiates that theory many times:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KDJd-Fk9nY4" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

That was cool. Soon as he adds the sand paper. Viola

Your average tree limb offers very good grip. Now, as for wrapping a loose group of cables in a rainstorm on the Austrian border, you'd have to be REALLY good.
To me, flying in a 'fridge seems quite plausible in contrast.

If you've ever gotten your whip stuck on a low hanging branch, you'd know that it's pretty hard to remove the whip once it gets a good grip.

Happened to me a couple of times.

While any whipmaker if they are professional like dovewhips, midwestwhips, trinitywhipco, northernwhipco...wont make whips for you to swing from. For safety reason they do make these whips for stunt crews with special care and testing. Before these whips are even shipped, they are put thru a long series of tests. Casey Tyler at dovewhips.com has devoted thousands of hours to testing various whips for different things, but he also wouldn't make a whip for anyone to swing from if you tell him you want one made for swinging. He will refuse your business for safety and liability reasons. I think most whip makers probably would. Any how no one should be swinging from whips. Adam made the video for fun, but I don't think he would have liked it if he knew it would cause others to risk getting hurt trying from his example. God Bless

My website is about to get published...but here is a F.A.Q. I will have posted...

Can I swing from your whips?

The whip used in Raiders had a steel cable core and the cable was securely attached to an enforced beam. If you were to take one of our whips...or one of the whips by any top quality whip maker, and wrap the end of the whip from a "crack"
it would wrap around with the fall. The fall is a slim piece of cowhide and is not able to hold the weight a an average sized man. If the thong itself was able to do the wrapping it may be possible. We don't endorse or condone any one risking their health by attempting unsanctioned stunt-work with our whips because one could get injured and it could damage the whip. So, could a whip hold you weight if you were swinging(if wrapped securely with thong)?...yes. Could it damage the whip?...yes. Is it dangerous as well as lead to injury to attempt such shenanigans?...Most certainly YES! But, if you happen to be on an archeological quest and there is a GIGANTIC boulder rolling toward you and will definitely crush you and lead to an unavoidable demise should you risk it?...YES!!!