Oh, wow... This is a long story, of about 27 years, I guess...
It all started when I was around five years old. They were showing Zorro cartoons in my country and I became fascinated with swords and whips. Well, swords were pretty straight forward, I guess, but the WHIP, now that's where the magic was.
My grandpa was telling me stories of whips they used when he was a kid (simple rope whips for cattle and sheep), how they would crack like thunder. But I was five, with no knowledge on anything... So my first "whip" was made of yellow yarn, braided in three, with a piece of metal at the tip and a piece of faux-leather sewn on as a handle... I thought it was awesome.. the best I could create at that age...
I shouldn't write a novel here... but enough to say around that time I started seeing all kinds of movies with heroes using bullwhips... mainstream movies, and not so popular ones, but the whips were always magic. My obsession increased, always. Now... there was no access to information like we have now, no internet with hundreds of sources and bullwhips were not know in my country. As I said above, the whips in Romania are even today utilitarian, made from rope and wire and whatnot.
As I grew up I made whips from all kinds of things: jumping ropes, climbing rope.... whatever... and I used to play with them like crazy. But I still didn't know what real whips were, or how they were made.
When I became a teenager I used to go to my mom's work place on Friday's and while she needed to do overtime, helping colleagues and sorting this and that, I had my first access to a computer. I searched and searched for whips each Friday. I saw pics and still I couldn't get a clear picture of how they were built, but I found out about the basic anatomy of a whip (handle, thong, fall, cracker). The information at that time was still scarce at that time... I also found sites selling real bullwhips and I almost fainted in disappointment: the prices were $500... That was much more than a month's salary... an impossible dream.
I guess the next step was that I discovered how to do a round four plait just by playing around with straps.... What followed were a few months where I built a few four plait whips out of everything I could find. But they were all limp, empty on the inside... Still, for me they were amazing.
After some more research I found that whips had "small whips" inside them... and I got an very old leather coat from which I cut straps. I did not know how to make them long enough, so I was only able to obtain long strands by sewing them end to end. Nonetheless this resulted in two whip which started to act like actual whips... they held a shape and somewhat cracked (don't get me started on the no technique I had).
For a long while this was it.... I was satisfied, but still baffled at the shapes of handles.... However did they make the transition knot and the handle knot. For me it looked as it was all one piece... MAGIC...
Some more time went by, I got an old PC from an uncle and when I was in college I got internet access... Right about now I guess the internet started to have all kinds of info... all kinds of things were popping up... and one day I found something amazing: "How to make a bullwhip" on Instructables... I was blown away... I followed the tutorial using some round string I had and made the ugliest whip imaginable... But it didn't matter, I had made a whip with 'real' whip making techniques. Next I needed to put some money away, to buy Paracord. Only one place in my country sold this... and I calculated how much I needed to buy. I got the paracord and managed to make my first actual whip, transition knot, heel knot and all...
For the next few years all was quiet. I was satisfied I had made a whip, but I daren't crack it... What if I destroyed it???
Then a few years ago I got into leather working and after making this and that I 'remembered' whips... Making a leather whip, though... this was of course out of the question. So I bought some paracord and made an Indy whip. Which also brought me a new obsession, Indiana Jones and made me join this group. You can imagine how this site can feed your whip obsession... The pictures, oh God! I read the entire bullwhip section, looking for pics and info. I started looking at all the videos on Youtube as well and made a few more whips.
Having all this info and experience I decided to go for a leather whip. I bought three cowhide bellies (stretchy and breaky....) and over the course of a few FEVERISH, OBSESSIVE weeks I made my first cowhide whip. I was quite happy. I had made a leather whip, an okish leather whip, but I was so proud of it. It was chunky, very heavy, not perfectly plaited and not so tight... Some pics here:
https://imgur.com/a/TVcH0
I really wanted roo hide... but of course it was expensive and hard to import... Until I found a site in Germany that sold roo hide. A bit too thin, not great for whipmaking but I gave it a go. I managed to make a short 5 foot whip. I barely got long enough strands for it, but I was happy nonetheless. This was it:
https://imgur.com/a/evmkh5g
Then I went ahead to make a Pocket Bull, a 1/4 scale Indy whip, and a seven footer:
https://imgur.com/a/SAZYo8Q. This one was amazing, I love it and I still love it. I still had the stress of the strands always breaking, so I couldn't make a 10 footer.
Last year I studied a bit more and decided to try something new. I would cut the whole hide in a huge strand, heavily apply Pecards to it and then I would stretch it. This worked... The strands still broke while stretching, but I still managed to get long enough strand for my ten footer. And I am VERY happy with the result:
https://imgur.com/gallery/m3HNMlO.
For me this is the end of the journey. I made what is (for me alone and only by my standards) the best possible whip. I have a full roo hide Indy 10 footer, fully made by me.
Probably it is not the end of the obsession, but some of my thirst has been quenched.
Thanks for reading!
Cheers,
Bear
