Currently I’m making an 8 foot 12 plait bullwhip. The overlay is 12 plait in tannery dyed whiskey colored kangaroo. Here’s the overlay after I did the strand prep:
Later today I’ll start plaiting the overlay. I’m making this bullwhip for fun and when it’s done it will be listed on my IN STOCK whips page.
Louie
http://bullwhips.org
It’s been a while since I’ve had whips available on my IN STOCK whips page. I just listed two bullwhips and a riding crop.
If you need a whip right away visit:
http://bullwhips.org/?page_id=7361
Louie
A few months ago my friend and sideshow historian James Taylor had seen a mini bullwhip that I had made and wanted one for his collection. I finally had some time to make him one. This mini bullwhip construction had a core, plaited belly, bolster then overlay.
One of the challenges with making this type of whip is that you have to really thin down the leather, so it’s very fragile if you aren’t careful about going around the scars on the leather when you are cutting the lace.
The overlay of this whip is 12 plait.
Making these mini whips which are about a foot long are a lot of work, but fun to make and you can get little cracks out of them!
Louie
http://bullwhips.org
Yesterday I started work on a snake whip that will have a sewn leather cover. This type of covering on a snake whip was more common a long time ago and has fallen out of fashion. I think the main reason it’s less common is that sewing the cover take a lot of time for not a lot of functional benefit.
I’ve got the insides of the whip finished and working on the plaited layer that will stick out from under the sewn cover right now. The whip is going to be 4 plait for most of its length, then it will transition into a 12 plait. Here’s the lace:
What I did was cut 4 strands as if this was going to be a 4 plait whip. Then at about where I wanted them to transition to a 12 plait, I simply cut each strand into three strands, giving me 12 strands. Here’s a close up of the 4 plait to 12 plait on the lace:
When braiding there will be some more adjustment needed, but it’s way easier to cut most of it now than when it’s on the whip.
Louie
This morning I’m packing up a 4 foot stock whip and shipping it out to its new owner. This whip is made from kangaroo and has a 12 plait handle and 12 plait lash.
This is a whip I made a long time ago for fun and didn’t list it for sale until a few weeks ago. I’m cleaning up and listing whips that I’ve made for fun over the years, and never used or listed for sale. Keep an eye out on my IN STOCK whips page for some sweet deals!
Louie
http://bullwhips.org
Recently I was contacted to make a Martinet Whip. I’d never made one of these whips before or knew what they were. You can learn about them by clicking here. Basically it’s a flogger with multiple lashes.
The customer wanted 10 lashes, so I had a plan. I did a six plait braid over a tapered rod, then at the end of the rod, I did a 4 plait section that the six plait when over. That gave me 10 lashes.
However these 10 lashes being kangaroo didn’t have much weight to them, making them ineffective at transferring energy. I didn’t like this. So I tied them off below the rebate in the rod that was the handle.
I took some five latigo strips and thinned them down in the middle. I folded them in half and bound them to the end of the handle. Doing it this way gave me very little bulge at the end where the lashes were attached and also gave the lashes a very firm foundation.
I braided the 12 plait overlay over the top of that and here’s the finished Martinet Whip.
It’s in the mail to its new owner.
Louie
http://bullwhips.org
Today I’ve finished the overlay and knots on this bullwhip:
Here’s a close up of the knots:
I still need to shellac it and roll it a couple more times before I ship it out to its new owner.
Louie
http://bullwhips.org
My current project is working on a 4 1/2 foot bullwhip with a 12 inch handle. I’m using a 57 dm veg tanned drum stuffed kangaroo skin that I got from David Morgan:
This bullwhip will have a core, plaited belly, two bolsters and a 12 plait overlay. Here’s the first bolster sitting on the plaited belly:
And here’s the bolster after it has been tied onto the belly:
I then attached the 2nd bolster (not pictured) and cut out the 12 plait overlay:
Tomorrow I’ll get onto plaiting the overlay.
Louie
http://bullwhips.org
Here’s another signal whip that I made the other day:
This one has a loop on the end to make the cracker easily replaceable.
This signal whip is available on my IN STOCK whips page. I think I may pick up some more black kangaroo and make some more of these signal whips.
Louie
http://bullwhips.org
For fun I made a 3 1/2 foot signal whip (aka single tail whip).
This is made from 12 plait kangaroo with a shot loaded core. I put a loop at the end so that the cracker is easy to change.
This is my first signal whip that I’ve made with a loop for the cracker to attach to, instead of a cracker that’s braided to the whip. The advantage of the loop is that it makes changing a cracker easier for the user.
This whip is currently listed for sale on my IN STOCK whips page.
Louie
http://bullwhips.org