Club Obi Wan

I took it to a park, and I let a friend try it, and he accidentally dragged it through some dirt. After that I had him stop, and showed him that the grass was in fact the propper place to crack it. How though, might I clean the thong so that the dirt doesn't ruin the whip? Do I need saddle soap, or will Pecards do the trick for me? I'm thinking about dressing it right now too, but for all I know, that'll send the dirt deeper in, and probably won't help anyway.

In Christ,
Shane

Shane,

I think you can relax a little bit there buddy. Your whip is not ruined, and it is probably not going to ever show the effects of "accidentally being dragged through the dirt."

While it is an expensive investment, it was made to be used and used often. For the dirt to really effect the whip. you would have to spend a lot of time in the sandy dirt just wailing the fool out of the whip, and then it is going totake some doing to damage the whip.

Just relax, take a deep breath, and put down the Pecard's for a bit. Inspect your whip thong closely. Check to see if there is any clinging particles of dirt. Brush them off. Use a soft bristled brush or an old toothbrush. Be firm but gentle when brushing. You are not trying to remove plaque, just a little dirt.

If you need to use some saddle soap, get a soft brisltled brush and mix up a light watery paste and apply with your fingers, then brush it in, then take a clean cloth and wipe off any remaining saddle soap. Then, let the whip dry for a day or two before conditioning the whip. And once again, just a "light coating of conditioner, and then wipe off the excess."

If you had recently conditioned your whip, which I suspect is the case, there should have been enought conditioner in between the strands to prevent dirt from getting in. Whips are actually pretty tough and they can take a lot of abuse, and still function for many years. Many of the WWAC performers have whips that they have used for years, and the conditions ain't always plush green grass. Rodeo arenas are big time dirt, Fair grounds are dirty and even some little local community festivals want the performer out in the middle of the street so the crowd can see 'em. But the whips keep on crackin'. 'Course they have learned pretty much how to crack without getting the whip thong on the ground most of the time.

So, just clean it up, give it a little conditioner and get back at it.

Jerry R

ps: of course if that had been a Rasmussen WHip, I'd have told you that you just voided any warranty that the whip might have had!! (just kidding.)

Thanks a bunch! I appreciate it!

In Christ,
Shane

Shane,
If your keppler is a real whip (which i think it is)
Theres no reason why it should be affected by that.
I treat my whips like junk and they always come out fine.
Cowhide is tough.
Adam

Just to add my tupenny....

Don't worry, but don't ignore it either. Our whips, from 4 plait cheapy cowhides right up to our top of the range 'roos, get absolutely filthy at times. I'm talking so much mud caking them that you can't tell what colour they were to start with! In fact, you can't even see the individual strands. With a bit of tender loving care, they come out fine.

However......

Whilst a whip can be treated in that way, it does shorten it's life a tiny bit. The gritier and rougher the dirt or surface, the worse the potential damage. Think of a whip as being a rope. Think of the strands as the fibres in that rope. As any caver will tell you, abrasion, dirt and grit are the enemies of ropes - so you protect them from rough surfaces and clean them any time they get dirty. Otherwise, the tiny bits of grit in the mud abraid the fibres as the rope moves. Of course, the individual strands of a whip are loads more resistant to this than the individual fibres of a rope, but the principle and process are the same.

For cleaning, saddle soap is the stuff - as has been said. It allows you to wet the leather and dry it again without undue loss of oils. If the dirt is really caked on, I generally try to remove any that can be flaked off BEFORE wetting it. In that way, I hope to avoid smearing it into the gaps between the strands as I clean the whip.

Hope that helps

Dave