I’ve gotten some more work on the bullwhip that will have an ostrich leg handle. Right now I have the two bellies completed:
Sometime today I’m hoping to at least the the final bolster on it.
Last weekend I met a whipmaker named Derek after a show:
He makes nylon whips, it’s always nice to chat with another whipmaker. I had a lot of questions for him because I don’t do nylon whip and they are very different from leather in how they are made.
Last night I was looking on ebay at what people are selling for whips. Obviously I saw the David Morgan whip that was “used in Raiders by Harrison Ford“. In my opinion for $47,500 this bullwhip better come with more than a stuntman saying it was used in the movie to verify it’s authenticity. The seller claims that it was used on screen, so how about a still of it? If it was actually in the movie it wouldn’t be to hard to get one…and the handle on this bullwhip looks very different from the handles of the whips assoicated with the Raiders movie, so it shouldn’t be hard to spot. Also the seller says the whip is made from calf leather and to me it looks like kangaroo (but I’m not 100% positive from the picture) For me if I had the 50K, I’d pass on this.
The “Raider’s Whip” isn’t what my little rant is about. It’s about another bullwhip being auctioned which you can view here: http://www.ebay.com/itm/bullwhip-6ft-12-plait-kangaroo-indy-IV-style-/271031619986
For what it is the seller has it priced about right at $225, but my issue with it is in the description:
…something i do to all my whips is bevel the corners on the underside of all the strands which makes the overall whip alot smoother and aerodynamic which if this isnt done you will reaally end up with a cheap looking whip that doesnt look or crack as good …
I’ve got no problem with the typo’s in the listing or the huge run on sentence. My issue is with the seller is saying that a bullwhip that is pared on opposite corners will:
- Look like crap
- Not crack well
The general thinking from whip makers that I respect and had talked to about paring when I was starting out is there is no one specific way to bevel your lace. I personally agree that there is no one right way to do it. All it will do it affect the texture / look of the whip, however that is all cosmetic.
I wonder if the seller is aware that Jacka used to (I don’t know if he still does) pare his strands on the Indy IV bullwhips on opposite corners? So this whip seller is making a copy of a whip, but making it incorrectly and saying that the whip he’s copying looks like crap and doesn’t crack well.
Hmmm…to me it sounds like someone doesn’t know what they are talking about. Now for me to support my theory that you can pare a strand any way other than both flesh sides and it will be an awesome whip in both function and looks:
- David Morgan – He made the most famous movie bullwhip in the world and he pares top left and bottom right. I don’t think anyone would say his iconic bullwhip looks like crap.
- Joe Strain – Joe’s also made some very well know movie whips, including some that were in the Indy IV movie (that the seller is copying) and he frequently pares top right and bottom left. I think you be hard pressed to find a professional whip cracker that would say that any of Joe Strains whips don’t crack well.
- Chris Barr – In the USA we don’t hear about Chris Barr as much as we should. His 72 plait stock whip is simply amazing! Chris has mentioned that he frequently doesn’t pare his lace at an angle, but leaves it with squared corners. I’d be willing to bet you can’t find someone that has seen or cracked one of Chris’s whips that will say they look like crap or don’t crack well.
If those three people don’t support the theory that you can pare other than flesh side and end up with an awesome whip then you haven’t seen or cracked their whips.
The seller also says his whip is “…identical to the original whip even the knots are exactly the same …” . This is one of those statement where the seller isn’t honestly looking at their whip. They knot shape is totally different from the shape on a Jacka Indy IV Bullwhip.
In my opinion when you are selling a movie copy bullwhip it should be an actual copy, not just something that matches the general color scheme. Personally in principle I wouldn’t buy this bullwhip. Here’s a tip when you are getting started in whip making be honest about what you are selling instead of hyping it up. Oh and in your description don’t use one long sentence, break it up into multiple sentences it makes it so much easier to read.
Louie
http://bullwhips.org
