Learn To Crack a Bullwhip

Learn To Crack a Bullwhip

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I just had another dozen copies of The Art of Whip Cracking Made Easy Vol. 1 come in.

Here’s the description of the DVD:

Join host Mark Allen as Alex Green, a stuntman and technical advisor with thousands of performances to his credit, uses overhead camera angles and slow motion to show you how to do some basic but impressive tricks. This one-of-a-kind video will teach the beginner the four basic whip maneuvers that you’ve seen in Circus, Night Club and Wild West Shows.

You can order a copy of The Art of Whip Cracking Made Easy Vol 1 at: http://bullwhips.org/bullwhip_store/viewitem.php?productid=73

Louie
http://bullwhips.org 

Deluxe Beginner’s Bullwhip

Deluxe Beginner’s Bullwhip

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Today I braided the overlay for a 6 foot Deluxe Beginner’s Bullwhip and put the knots on it, so it’s ready to go!

bullwhip

My Deluxe Beginner’s bullwhips are a 4 plait leather bullwhip with a leather core and plaited belly inside.  These are excellent for learning the basic whip cracks on.  This one is listed for sale on my IN STOCK whips page and if ordered before 12/19/12 for delivery in the USA it will arrive by Christmas.

I’m going to try to bang out at least one more of these this week.

Louie
http://bullwhips.org

Kangaroo Waste Conclusion…

Kangaroo Waste Conclusion…

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I finished the bullwhip where I was weighing the amount of kangaroo used and thrown away during the whip making process.  Here’s the inside of the whip ready to have the 12 plait overlay put on:

bullwhip

There was 24 grams waste from trimming the overlay during the plaiting process.

bullwhip

And the finished overlay:

bullwhip

Lace for heel knot was 7 gram.  The skin was 56 grams before cutting the lace and 46 grams after cutting.  There were 3 grams of waste from cutting and paring and another 3 grams of leftover lace.

bullwhip

and in different light / background.

bullwhip

The actual color of this bullwhip (to my eyes)  is between the two pictures.  Here’s the finished bullwhip:

bullwhip

This bullwhip is available for sale  on my IN STOCK whips page.

Here’s the breakdown

Kangaroo skin (uncut): 262 grams

Kangaroo skin leftover: 46 grams

Kangaroo skin in whip: 105 grams

Kangaroo skin waste: 111 grams

I’m starting to doubt my kitchen scale that I’m using for this experiment.  Aside from a wacky scale another factor that might have skewed my results another factor would be that some of the wasted had been coated with and sucked up plaiting soap making it heavier.
Plaiting soap

To put it in perspective one gram is about the weight of one paperclip.  I’m having a hard time believing that I trimmed off of the overlay during the plaiting process almost the same amount of kangaroo that’s in the plaited belly and that I threw away more kangaroo than I used.  So while I believe I threw away kangaroo equal to about 111 paperclips, I have a hard time believing the kangaroo used in the whip was equal to only 105 paperclips.

Louie
http://bullwhips.org 

Bullwhip Pics

Bullwhip Pics

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I found some neat pictures of bullwhips on Getty Images website.  They don’t really let you take their images for use for free, they are in the business of selling them. That is why I’m linking to them instead of putting the pictures up here.

Here are the links to the interesting whip ones:

Indiana Jones bullwhip (Christies)

Indiana Jones Bullwhip (Bonhams)

The Velvet Underground & Nico

Jim Hurlbutt

Bob Dylan

Terry Moore 1

Terry Moore 2

Terry Moore 3

Bullwhip

I always like seeing how photographers use bullwhips…especially Getty Images that is in the business of selling pictures, not just taking artsy ones.   For example the difference in feeling between the Bonham’s and Christie’s pictures of the Indiana Jones Bullwhips.

Louie
http://bullwhips.org 

How Not To Crack a Whip in Slow Mo!

How Not To Crack a Whip in Slow Mo!

by Bullwhip maker - Louie ♥ 1 Comment

One thing I’m a huge advocate of is learning to properly crack a bullwhip.  There are several advantages of learning to properly crack a bullwhip.

1. You can progress beyond one crack!

2.  It’s much safer!

3. Your whip will last longer!

Here’s a video I found online of people trying to show whether or not a bullwhip breaks the speed of sound.  Now for me this video isn’t about proving speeds, it’s about proving how unsafe their method of cracking is.  Watch the video and you’ll see them hit themselves over and over:

 

If you look at the crack that starts at the 6:40 mark you’ll clearly see how when you crack the whip this way it yanks it back to your face.  When you properly crack a bullwhip it cracks at the full length of the whip putting the cracker and your face at a safe distance from each other.

Do yourself a favor and learn to crack a whip safely and properly!  An easy way to learn to crack a whip is from a DVD. I recommend Whip Cracking Made Easy vol 1.

On the Art of Whip Cracking Made Easy Vol 1, Alex Green and Mark Allen teach you how to properly and safely crack a whip!  What’s also  nice about this DVD is the price coming in at $20, when compared to the price of the glass eye you’ll have to buy when you put your eye out by cracking a whip unsafely the $20 is a good investment!  When you order the any bullwhip from me you’ll get the option of getting the Art of Whip Cracking Made Easy Vol 1 at a 20% off discount (when ordered with a whip).

Louie
P.S. My 20% off  the base price on all MADE TO ORDER BULLWHIPS sale ends tomorrow morning, order now and save!
http://bullwhips.org 

Kangaroo Waste…

Kangaroo Waste…

by Bullwhip maker - Louie ♥ 1 Comment

The skin before cutting the overlay was 186 grams and the leftover skin after cutting weighed 56 grams.  The overlay after I cut it out and pared it is 100 grams.  However that 100 grams will probably change as I tweak lengths and widths during the whip making process.

There was 30 grams of waste from cutting the overlay and a total of 81 grams of waste total so far for the whole whip.

Hope fully I’ll have some time to work on this whip today and I have plans to try to crank out some of my Deluxe Beginners Bullwhips this week as well…we’ll see if I have time…

Louie
http://bullwhips.org

Bullwhip Sale!

Bullwhip Sale!

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This weekend I’m having a sale on Made To Order Bullwhips.  I classify a “Made To Order Bullwhip” as one that hasn’t been built yet.  If you order one of these bullwhips now through Tuesday morning (11/27/12) you’ll save 20% off the base price of any Made To Order bullwhip!

bullwhips for sale

If you order during this sale I your order will be finished and be delivered by Christmas.  This is a great deal if someone you know is looking for a bullwhip!  To see what I options I offer in Made To Order Bullwhips visit: http://bullwhips.org/bullwhip_store/viewcategory.php?groupid=0

This sale will end Tuesday 11/27/12 when I get up in the morning and return the prices to normal…so order now!

Louie
http://bullwhips.org 

Kangaroo Waste Experiment…

Kangaroo Waste Experiment…

by Bullwhip maker - Louie ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

I’ve always been curious how much kangaroo gets throw away when you make a bullwhip.  I’m making a 5 foot 12 plait bullwhip and starting with a 46 dm skin that weighs 262 grams.  Keep in mind I’m doing all my weighing with my digital kitchen scale which may or may not be super accurate.

veg tanned kangaroo skin

After the initial trim to cut the jagged edges off the kangaroo skin it now weight 224 grams.

veg tanned kangaroo

So after the first trim we’ve lost 38 grams.

After cutting out the first belly the kangaroo skin weighs 186 grams and the belly is 25 grams.

bullwhip

Cutting off the belly have given us approx 51 grams of waste

Currently there is 25 grams of kangaroo in finished belly of the bullwhip.

bullwhip

Currently I have the bolsters on the whip and have cut out the overlay, but still need to pare it and I will weigh it once it’s ready for plaiting.

Louie
http://bullwhips.org 

Blind Leading the Blind about Whip Making!

Blind Leading the Blind about Whip Making!

by Bullwhip maker - Louie ♥ 6 Comments

I came across this on the interwebs the other day:

You can view it online at: http://www.ask.com/answers/248618201/i-m-thinking-of-making-a-bullwhip-will-that-be-hard-right-now-i-m-looking-to-see-if-the-home-depot-has-everthing-that-i-need?qsrc=14106

There are several reasons why I cringe whenever I see things like this.  The main one is that it’s two misinformed people trying to give advice to someone that’s not really smart.  That can lead to someone ending up with a bad impression of sport whip cracking or worse an injury.  An improperly made whip will require you to “dishrag” the whip to get it to crack (like snapping a towel) however by using that technique you are cracking the whip in probably the most dangerous way a beginner can do it!

Now let’s get to why I believe the person asking the question is a couple strands short a 12 plait.  They are at the actively at the Home Depot looking for supplies when they asked for advice.  Was the question asker going to  hang out at the hardware store until someone replied?  That’s not a person who has done a bit o research (or any) to see what the might need.

As for the two people that put in answers the first is probably the smartest of the lot, but still in my opinion not a Mensa candidate.  The only decent advice is when the first guy warns about eye protection.  Both people answering the question mention leather.  The person asking the question is at the Home Depot  which is a hardware store, so unless that person is completely dumb (and would have no business with a bullwhip because they don’t make good decisions), they at the wrong store for the materials they need, this guy is trying to make a nylon whip.

Also why would the person asking the question simply throw “how to make a bullwhip” into the Google?  I just did that and a bunch of good information popped up.  Instead they went to ask.com where I’m sure a ton a whip makers hang out waiting to answer whip making questions.   Personally a better option to get an opinion would be to a leather, whip or braiding forum.

Now for the Bullwhips.org challenge of the day.  Here is a video made from the bullwhip page on wikipedia, it’s the whole article read by a computer, I think this is for people that are way to lazy to read.  I personally dare you to make it through the whole thing (almost 10 minutes!):

Louie
P.S. I’m still working on my wasted kangaroo experiment.
http://bullwhips.org 

Finished 5 Foot Bullwhip

Finished 5 Foot Bullwhip

by Bullwhip maker - Louie ♥ 3 Comments

I’ve had this bullwhip hanging on my hook for a long time just waiting to get the heel knot put on it and I finally got around to doing it.

This bullwhip is available on my IN STOCK whips page.

Sorry that I haven’t been updating this blog as often as I normally do, I’ve been swamped with getting orders out and performing.  I’m staring work on one last 5 foot bullwhip and this one will be a 12 plait bullwhip.  Here’s the core attached to the handle and the kangaroo skin that I’m using for it:

Bullwhip

I’m going to do something that I’ve always wanted to do with a kangaroo skin when I make this bullwhip.  I’m going to weigh the skin and keep track of the weight used, thrown away and leftover.  I’ve always wondered what percentage of a skin ends up in the trash.  This particular skin might not be the best for this because it’s a 5 foot whip and a 46 dm skin which is way more than I’ll need to make the belly, overlay and knots for this whip.  Something like a 55dm and a 6 foot bullwhip would be better because there’d be a lot less leftover.

Louie
http://bullwhips.org