The "Making of" Gallery - Ben Varsek

This new Gallery replaces the former "Masters Gallery", which will work from now on as pure archive. Here you will find not only the work and art from folks who sell whips, but also from folks, who create their whips out of pure passion. And we have an additional gallery. It is called "The Gallery - Making of".
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Robby Amper
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  The "Making of" Gallery - Ben Varsek

Post by Robby Amper »

In this thread, Ben will post his making of pictures. The finished whip will be presented in the Makers and Masters Gallery. If you have questions on materials, braiding, patterns and what ever... Post it here!. If you like to comment on a finished whip... Post it here. The Galleries will be only what they're called - Galleries.

When you are exited on something - post it here. If you like to say how much you like something - or not - post it here. All comments which are made in the respective Masters Gallery will be simply deleted. The galleries will be like an exhibition. The whip, the art, the name of the whip. Not more. If you want to say something... You know where to post, right?


Thank you for your cooperation!

Robby
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Ben Varsek
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Post by Ben Varsek »

Here are some making of pictures of a 5 foot, 20 plait snake whip. It's the same "formula" as the dog shelter donation whip.

The core consits of one single lead loaded strand of paracord. This picture shows the first layer of open loop binding:

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I'm using 5 layers of binding on the core and on each belly (2 layers of open loop and 3 layers of closed loop binding on top of each other). Therefore, there are overall 20 layers of binding in this construction.

here you can see beginning of the first (8 plait) belly:

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Square start of the third and final belly (16 plait)

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Image

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All the best
Ben
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Ethan Mitchell
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Post by Ethan Mitchell »

Cool Ben! So very cool!
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Ron May
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Post by Ron May »

Very nice job Ben.

Ron
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Post by Georg Ernst »

Very cool.
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Ben Varsek
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Post by Ben Varsek »

Tank y'all very much!

All the best
Ben
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Rachel McCollough
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Post by Rachel McCollough »

Ben, very well done!!!
Inch by inch.
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Jyri Haveri
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Post by Jyri Haveri »

Ah.. So clean.
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Robert Gage
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Post by Robert Gage »

Wonderfully meticulous work, Ben! :)
'Less is often more!'
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Flemming Bo Christiansen
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Post by Flemming Bo Christiansen »

Ben - I don't know how you do it so I am just impressed.
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Mark Elliott
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Post by Mark Elliott »

Beautiful work as always, Ben.
"Always be on the lookout for the presence of wonder." -E. B. White
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Scott A. Cary
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Post by Scott A. Cary »

Jyri Haveri wrote:Ah.. So clean.
That's exactly what I was thinking - very clean plaiting. Well done, Ben!
I'll give it a try, Dad, but it's going to be really hard...kind of like trying to saw something in half using a banana.
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Ben Varsek
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Post by Ben Varsek »

Thank all of you very much :)!

All the best
Ben
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Ben Varsek
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Post by Ben Varsek »

Here is my very first attempt of working with wavelace. For the core, I have decided to use a single strand of 550 paracord filled with lead.

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As always, I've made a little groove for attaching the core strand.

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Before sliding the core over the tapered portion of the steel rod, I'm applying epoxy glue over that portion to strenghten it and for additional attachment of the core to the handle.

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It doesnt show well on this picture, but in reality the part of the core which is slid over the steel rod is wet due to the epoxy glue on the inside.

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I'm also applying epoxy glue on the outside at the groove of the steel rod before binding it with a spliced strand of artificial sinew. After that first "attachment binding" the diameter of that groove and the tapered tip of the handle will be identical.

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After a couple more layers of binding, the core is finished and I can start plaiting the first belly.
Since I'm using wavelace, I had to go for a higher plait count for the first belly to cover that core - in this case 12 plait.

It still needs to be rolled a little more, but here is the first belly:

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I've stopped plaiting after the 6 plait and then swiched to a 6 strand TT.

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As you can see, I've incorporated the core strand for the first section of the TT.

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Just to give you an idea of how small wavelace is, here is a picture of a 4 strand wavelace TT next to a single strand of 550 paracord:

Image

To be continued...

All the best
Ben
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Robert Gage
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Post by Robert Gage »

Golly, Ben, that wavelace really is small!

As ever, your work looks incredibly neat!
'Less is often more!'
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Ben Varsek
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Post by Ben Varsek »

Robert, thank you very much for your compliment!
It is very thin and very small but a lot of fun to work with!

All the best
Ben
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Ron May
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Post by Ron May »

Ben, that looks so precise.
Great job.

Ron
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Flemming Bo Christiansen
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Post by Flemming Bo Christiansen »

Ben - It looks good.

I never really understood how you can make that TT and get it to hold without turning it around a lot of times like a rope
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Post by Sir Roger Tuson »

Lovely plaiting, Ben. Looking forward to the end result.
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Ben Varsek
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Post by Ben Varsek »

Thank you Ron, Flemming and Sir Roger!

Flemming, turning it around a lot of times is basicaly the way TT's are made (the same way ropes are being made). After the TT is done, I'm sewing the two remaining strings together to prevent them from unravelling.


I'm done plaiting the second belly (16 palit):

Image

Image

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In the end it will be a 6,5 footer (my favorite length when it comes to bullwhips) with three palited bellies and a 24 plait overlay.

All the best
Ben
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