8 ft Snake

[Mark Elliott]

I started an 8 ft snake whip yesterday and since I had a few beers tonight (after I finished plaiting) it seems like a good idea to bore you all with the build. So far i'm really pleased with how it's going, the TT core is smoother than any other I've done. I've had a few problems with one strand wanting to wrap around the other unevenly. I really worked hard on keeping the tension even between the two this time and it has paid off. I just decided to refuse to accept any imperfections, no matter how many times I had to redo it. Of course, when I finally finished it, I found a few places had slipped by me, but a few whacks with a hammer seemed to get everything in line. I also really focused on trying to feather the ends of the binding, transitioning from a closed loop to an open in order to not have any hinges. One other thing I tried that I've never done before is instead of using BBs for mass, I threaded several strands of leaded fishing line into the gutted paracord strands that I used to make the TT core. We'll see how it turns out.

I used four strands of this line inside both of the paracord strands


and this is how the TT core turned out


Core bound


First belly on, starting the binding

First belly binding complete


Starting the second belly


That's as far as I got tonight. I think I want to use a piece of wood for the heel on this. The overlay will be solid black as well. I've got a piece of hickory, some Goncalo Alves, and some purple heart that I could use for the heel. Might even try to work in a brass or nickle ferrule as well. We'll see what the whip wants to do.

[Christopher Milton]

Looks like a great start!

How did you taper the twist? The few times I've done it, I've used different length paracord pulled inside the two twisting strands.

[Ron May]

Nicely done Mark.
I feel that this will be a good one.

Ron

[Mark Elliott]

Chris, I could explain it, but then I'd have to shoot you.
Actually, Rachel has a video that explains it much better than I ever could.
https://youtu.be/NoFvpAmaOgI

[Christopher Milton]

Mark, this looks MUCH easier on the hands than doing it without tool assistance. Thanks for sharing.

Rachel, if you read this, thank you for the video.

[Sven van Leeuwen]

That's looking great already. It takes time, but I believe it'll pay off.
Good work.

Sven

[Jyri Haveri]

Looking very good Mark!
Thanks for the link abd thank you Rachel for doing it! I have to try that!

[Robert Gage]

Mark, that's an excellent start! Well done!

[Rachel McCollough]

Mark, this whip is looking great!!! I can't wait to see what you decide (what the whip tells you) to do!

Chris, welcome!

[Mark Elliott]

Thanks guys, I'm kind of excited about this one as well.

[Roy Partin]

Mark, that looks like a great start. It was built with care, so you should have excellent results. Thank you for the pictures

[Brandon "Sparky" Lam]

Mark, this is a good start! Your starting diamond plait looks interested, though I wonder how heavy this whip will be in the end~

[Sir Roger Tuson]

Although I keep records of every whip I've made and refer back all the time, I am a firm believer in letting each whip tell me how it needs to be made. Sometimes two whips of the same overall length will have slightly different drop points 'cos it just felt right to do it that way, that time. That's the lovely organic factor of whip-making.

[Mark Elliott]

Thanks Roy and Brandon and Sir Roger.

Brandon I have a 6 ft snake that has 2 bellies and weighs 412g (14.5 oz)with a BB load. This one is 2 feet longer and so the extra cord will add a bit of weight to it (about 15g or .5 oz.)The amount of lead line I put in this one weighed 27g (0.9 oz) and the bbs in the 6 footer were 32g (1.15 oz) the lead line is spread out over longer length than the bbs as well and I'm really curious about how this will affect the balance of the whip. I'm hoping that it will shift the balance point a bit toward the end of the whip. All in all the new whip shouldn't bee too much heavier than the 6 footer with the weight more spread out. Jeez, I sound dorky! The diamond plait is only there to give a bit more stiffness to the handle section.

Sir Roger, i didn't keep records until I joined this group, there was a lot of information lost on the first whips. I really regret that now that I'm getting serious about improving my skills.

[Brandon "Sparky" Lam]

Mark, you keep such amazing notes on your weighting!
I do have to ask, how long of lead lining did you use to get to 27g? :O
It's not dorky! I love talking to others about specifics~ It will be interesting to see how the whip goes with the new weight distribution!

[Ben Varsek]

Mark, that's a superb start, thank you very much for sharing!

All the best
Ben

[Mark Elliott]

Sparky, I put 50 foot into it. I didn't go all the way to the ends of the cords because I didn't want pieces of the line sticking out where i cut the cord as I tapered.

Thank you, Ben

[Ron May]

Mark, it's only dorky to those who don't understand the passion. That is true of any passion.

Own the dork, honor the dork, live the dork. Be proud. Your work says you should be.

Ron

[Scott A. Cary]

That looks great, Mark!

Well said, Ron.

[Mark Elliott]

2nd belly on and bound. 12 plait.