Whips #72 and #73
So, finally, last week I had some free time to catch up on my commissions and I just finished the knot work late last night. I'm actually pretty happy with both of these, especially in comparison with the previous failure. 6' bulls made as a matching pair but going to two different individuals, 14" fiberglass handles, BB+ball chain+nylon core, 8 plait Dacron inner belly, 8 plait nylon second belly and 12 plait nylon overlay, lead and nylon knob foundation. I went with the nylon overlay instead of the Dacron mostly because I didn't have enough material for two whips, but partially because I didn't think I'd be losing sensitivity especially in comparison to the work involved with the higher plait count. I modified the core construction to adapt better to the lighter handle and overall, I'd say these are probably have the best action of all the whips I've made to date. The solid black was a specific request so I differentiated them by using a different end cover on the knobs.
Whip #71
While I was in school April or May, I was commissioned to make a whip for a martial arts instructor in the US. I eventually had some time to proceed in late may so I thought it would be a good time to try working with my spool of Dacron that I picked up last year. I was asked for a 14" handle and an overall length of 6'. I went with a fiberglass handle for the first time and I really like as a handle core for bulls. Much easier to work with than steel. I used an inner core braid of Dacron, and second belly of nylon and an overlay braid of Dacron, something like 18 plait. The knob has a lead base and is overlayed in black and gold nylon. It's a fantastic looking whip. However, I consider it overall to be an inferior product.
I used too much weight in the core for the thong so the whip feels too heavy. And I didn't find the action to be good as I had hoped the Dacron would provide. In any case, I decided not to release this whip into the wild. It's also a shame since I had also begun work on a second whip to match this one for another practitioner under this instructor. It wasn't until June that I was able begin work on another pair as replacements, and I just finished those last night.
Wet Folded Leather Masks
About two months ago I went to a one day workshop about making leather masks. I figured it would be a nice intro for me into the world of leather crafting. The guy who taught it is actually well known in the film industry for his leather work. It turned out to be a very easy technique that pretty much anyone can do. All you need is some vegetable tanned leather and a bit of water. You cut out your shape, moisten (not soak) the leather then bend, fold, crease, or otherwise shape your leather as you like, mostly with your fingers but some tools can be used to help with the shaping if you like. Then, once you have your shapes, let the leather dry and then paint with acrylics. Easy. These were the masks I made in class. Not bad for first attempts.
Whip #70
Pretty busy the past couple of months. Only managed one whip build amongst all my other projects and the other demands of life. 
So I close out the year with whip #70, which is an 8' bull requested by a client. I used all of the fundamental techniques I had worked on with the last couple of whips I made, with the exception of adding another belly layer: 10" steel handle, BB and ball chain core, 6 plait and 10 plait bellies with a 16 plait overlay in red and black. The first belly was more for tapering and general strength at the transition and it ended up working well. Overall, I think the balance and weight of the whip could be better. With a second belly I think I need to scale back on the amount of BBs. Otherwise it flows and cracks well.
Starting in January I will be attending school part time so I expect to have less time for projects in general, but I should be able to manage to sneak in something here and there. I have been experimenting a fair bit with food recently so do expect to see posts about food and cooking sometimes, mixed in with my other projects.
Happy New Year everyone!
Recent Work and Updated Pictures
Since this blog is new I figured I should post some images of my current generation of whips. A few are no longer in my possession but I retook the photos of some that are to take advantage of my light tent.
