I’ve finished work on the 8 foot 12 plait bullwhip that was made with the same construction as David Morgan uses. I think it came out well:
This Bullwhip is for sale on my IN STOCK whips page!
Finished Morgan Style Bullwhip
Tag: pictures
Growing a Snake Whip…
Currenly I’m working on four snake whips. I’ve done a little work on each so that I could show the progression of how I”m making these and then have one picture with all the layers.
Currently I have two of these finished and the next two should be finished today!
Louie
http://bullwhips.org
29 foot bullwhip on ebay
I’m cleaning out my closet of one of a kind whips that I made as fun projects and I just listed my 29 foot 2 inch bullwhip on ebay: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=220619008201#ht_2176wt_943
Here’s a couple of pics of it that I took today:
This was a fun whip to make and learn to crack, but I don’t really use it, it’s just taking up space (a lot of space!).
Louie
http://bullwhips.org
Indiana Jones Bullwhip Pics…
Here are pictures of the bullwhip used in the Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Show at Disney World.
You can click on the pictures to see a bigger version of them. This bullwhip was made by Joe Strain, and it’s takes a beating in the show, but it still works great!!!
Louie
http://bullwhips.org
Finishing an Indy Bullwhip
Yesterday shipped out a 6 foot Indy Bullwhip. Here are some pics of tying the heel knot and the finished bullwhip:
I’m very happy with how this bullwhip turned out! I almost wanted to keep it for myself, but it shipped out to its new owner yesterday.
Louie
http://bullwhips.org
Cat O’ Nine Tails
I’ve wanted to make a Cat O’ Nine Tails for a while now. The main reason (beside that I think the look kinda cool) was that I didn’t know how the nine lashes fit into the construction of the whip.
I made this one out of cowhide (with kangaroo knots) as my “proof of concept” for a plan to make one from cowhide. I’m going to make a couple of changes between this cowhide one and the kangaroo one that I’ll eventually make. The main difference will be the kangaroo one will probably NOT have a rigid handle, where the cowhide one has a 10 inch spring steel handle.
Here’s the finished cowhide one:
The handle of this whip is 12 plait. I’m not really in the Cat O’ Nine Tails business, I just wanted to make one to figure out how. I have no idea what they should sell for, so I’ve listed this one on ebay and I’ll let the market figure out what it’s worth. To view the auction visit: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=220510764879
Also yesterday I got a few more kangaroo hides in:
Louie
http://bullwhips.org
2 Bullwhips
Here are two more bullwhips that I finished:
My next whip that I’m going to be making will probably be an 8 or 10 foot 12 plait kangaroo whip. It’s been a while (a few weeks) since I’ve done a bullwhip in kangaroo.
Louie
Thoughts on Shot Loading…
I haven’t done a ton of shot loading of the thongs in my bullwhips (except for signal whips and snake whips). I’ve talked with David Morgan several times about the advantages of shot loading the thong of a bullwhip.
Now a shot loaded thong is different from a lead loaded butt. With a shot loaded thong there will be lead shot for the core of the bullwhip. So that will move weight out of the handle and into the beginning of the whip, making the bullwhip a bit more nose heavy.
A lead loaded butt has a sheet of lead wrapped around the end of the handle to form the butt knot foundation. That will put the more weight at the base of the handle in your hand.
I made the bullwhip below with a shot loaded core.
This bullwhip (not shot loaded) shipped out to it’s owner in Texas earlier today.
Louie
Let it Snow!!
It’s been snowing here in the Seattle area for the last few days and it really hit yesterday. I’ve got about 8ish inches of snow and my shows today have all rescheduled for next week, so I’m having a “snow day”!
When I wasn’t outside playing with my daughter found time to sharpen my Osborne 86 Leather Splitter and split the overlays for the pair of 4 foot whips to an even thickness.
Ever since I started splitting my overlay’s I’ve fallen in love with my splitter. When I first got a splitter I used to just split the bellies. Then I started doing the bellies and evening out the the bolsters. Now I use the splitter to even out all the layers of my bullwhips. I’m amazed at how much variation there can be within a couple of inches on a strip of leather (kangaroo or cow).
I also put the bolsters on the pair of bullwhips and now I need to do the knot foundations before I can start plaiting the overlays.
Louie