Here’s a Make Your Own Stock Whip Kit that I just sent out:
I know I keep saying this, I don’t know how much longer I’m going to offer these. I don’t make a ton of money on them, and they are lot of work for what I charge for them. I’d almost rather charge a few bucks more and make the whip. The fun part is assembling the whip, not cutting out the leather!
Louie
http://bullwhips.org
Today I noticed I was out of crackers, so I went out and made a few:
If you need any crackers you can find them on my Whip Accessories page.
Louie
http://bullwhips.org
Right now I’m working on a six foot 12 plait bullwhip in natural tan kangaroo. I had some natural tan in stock, so I didn’t need to drive up to David Morgan to pick up a kangaroo skin. I’m using a 57dm skin, however I also found a belly that I had cut out a while ago for something else, but for whatever reason didn’t use in black kangaroo. Since this will be in the inside of the whip you won’t see it.
Currently I have both bellies and bolsters finished.
Next up is to put some lead on for the knot foundation on get to work on the overlay.
People always ask how I can cut out the overlay before I’ve got the inner layers finished. It’s pretty simple, I know about what the strand widths should be and cut them a smidge wider than that. I then will resize them once the inner layers are finished.
On the surface it sounds like it’s more work than cutting it later, however it actually saves me time. By doing all of one task at the same time (i.e. strand cutting) it saves time in set up and clean up. Regardless of what point I cut the strands they still need to pared which also accomplishes the resizing.
The more I make whips, the more I’m looking for ways to save time…not cut corners, but to save time by eliminating steps that are duplicate, like sweeping the floor twice or putting away the leather only to take it back out an hour later. While these are small amounts of time, when you add them all up they can add up to a decent chunk of time.
Louie
http://bullwhips.org
Yesterday I got some braiding done and cut out some of the lace for the whips. Here’s a couple of overlays and an inner and out belly:
I’m always amazed at how fast the inner layers of the whip get made, it’s the final layer that takes all the time, especially when I already have the bolsters cut out.
Louie
http://bullwhips.org
Recently this ad for bullwhip someone is trying to sell crossed my path:
Vintage Braided Leather Bullwhip – $25 (Madison)
Vintage Braided Leather Bullwhip
Great Condition, A little wear
60″ Long
This was a Craigslist ad (view it here) and I’m hoping the person has never seen a whip before in their life if they think it’s in “Great Condition” and that the end being blown off is “A little wear”.
However the plus side is that it’s only $25 bucks. If it was in my local area, I’d probably try to get it for $15 – $20 and take it apart to see how it was built. There’s probably no surprises in there, but I’d drop $20 on it as a learning experience.
Louie
http://bullwhips.org
I’m working on a six foot bullwhip. This will be an 8 plait kangaroo whip. It’s got a 4 foot 8 plait bullwhip to go with it. Here’s the inner belly:
Here’s it with a bolster on it:
This whip should be finished very soon and will ship out with the 4 foot whip when it’s done.
Louie
http://bullwhips.org
Here’s a whip…well it’s a whip like object that was a custom project:
This is going to be a part of a costume. The plaited part is about 12 inches long and it’s hollow.
Louie
http://bullwhips.org
It’s time again for me to make a bunch of crackers.
I changed how I tie the knot in the crackers:
It’s a very small change, however it gives the crackers a slightly lower profile.
Louie
http://bullwhips.org
Here’s a bullwhip that’s 8 feet long with a 12 plait two tone overlay:
I’ve been working on this bullwhip off and on for a little bit. It’s an order for a friend of mine that needed it mid-January, so I worked on it in between other projects.
It’s been a while since I’ve done a two tone whip with a plaited pattern. It was fun to do!
It’s shipping out today, almost a month ahead of schedule!
Louie
http://bullwhips.org
Recently I was performing at a festival and ran into Henrik Bothe. He’s a juggler and many years ago he had gotten a 4 foot bullwhip from me. He had the whip that I made with his show and still uses it in the show.
Here’s the whip:
When I saw it I notice it could use a bit of a tune up. The point over the years had loosened.
I replaited the point of the whip:
Now Henrik has a whip that’s good as new! If you need a whip that needs a bit of a tune up, let me know!
Louie
