Whip Basics. The Forum

I think a loaded fall is almost a must for a shortish snake whip.

Ron

Ron, I would agree!

Rcahel, the only word for that little snake is 'nifty'! I like it very much indeed!

Very cool, Rachel. I like the color combo, especially.

Mr. Robert, Mark, thank you very much!

Rachel, I realy like that little Snakewhip!
It looks fantastic and judging by the width of the diameter/taper, it's heavy for it's size which is very good for a small snakewhip - love it!

Ben

Ben, thank you very much!

A cow whip that I made very early on, within the first 30 I think (it had an oak turned handle). I believe it is 8’.
A 16 plait that I’ve replaced the fall on for the owner, and added a new handle from hickory that I had hand shaped awhile back. Lonnie colored it a bit with the torch.

Rachel, this is a good example of how quality lasts.
It's probably nice to know that someone has used their whip long enough to wear out the fall.
Good job.

Ron

Ron, thank you! Yessir it is, and a cow whip is definitely sees some of the heaviest use.

I love that had, Miss Rachel.

It's a very, very nice handle. I think it is absolutely incredible that the whip is in such good condition when the fall needs to be changed. It does not look worn at all. You have such a whip all your life

You're quite right, Flemming! The thong scarcely looks worn at all. A very well-made whip!

Rachel, you're one of the very best!!!

Mark, thank you, sir!
Flemming, thank you, sir!
Mr. Robert, thank you!

The condition of this whip shows how superb your whips are, once again outstanding work Rachel!

Thank you, Ben!

Here’s a “test whip.” Garret requested a 6’ cow whip, so he provided an opportunity for me to test the style of single tapered strands surrounded by a single plaited belly and an 18 plait overlay. No twisted taper core inside this one. It is a popular design by many makers. I’m not advocating for or against, but I wanted to test it for myself so I could see how it performs. Garret provided the perfect opportunity. I know I’ve already posted this prior in the Roll Call, but I figured after it has been tried out now I should post it here. I won’t be building this design on a regular basis, it was simply a test run so I can know for myself how it moves. I personally prefer to build with a twisted taper core due to the slow rollout and precision it gives mine specifically.

Preliminary report from Garret, Lonnie, and some coworkers who have handled my other whips:
Faster cracking, more limber than the twisted taper core whips. Appears to handle well.

6’ 18 plait single belly gold, waxed, Olive wood handle.

https://youtu.be/c7UmywUj3ZU?si=G2FAMgU2um6DDM5D

It cracks better than I thought it might.
Of course being a lighter, faster whip it needs a little more energy to crack I would imagine.
Garret's skills have improved a lot.


Good job, both of you.

Ron

Thank you, Ron! I mirror your thoughts. I was pleasantly surprised at how well it moves. I have access to see it from time to time as it ages and is used quite heavily by Garret and some of his friends. While i have a particular style I make and won’t change that, i think it is good to observe other ways if nothing else to know how they move and affect the cracking style. It is a type of whip especially as a cow whip that is a fun thing if you want to crack fast with a lot of changes quickly.
I’ll stick to my regular thing but it was a good opportunity to “study” another style.