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.
Whoa, is it August Already?
Apologies to all who visit my site. As I mention in my last post, I am in school right now and I have had less time for projects than I used to. Not that I haven't done any projects, but they were small and I didn't take the extra time to document them. I expect this lack of availability to continue at least until the end of 2012, but if you check back occasionally, you never know. Something might pop up.
In any case I have a few weeks off and I am finishing a couple of whips for an order so I'll post those this weekend. One of the girls in my class browsed my old project photos on Facebook and saw some of the bracelets I made a few years ago and she asked if I could make her one. I spent the day yesterday practicing and I made up a few for my son to wear. Most use a knot button type clasp, but there was one that I made as a slip on solid ring (not pictured). While I prefer the solid ring look, I personally find them too loose. I ended up making a two tone Solomon bar button clasp bracelet for my class mate.
Lastly, someone named Gary contacted me asking about stock for fighting sticks. Gary, if you are reading this, I got your message but your reply address bounced. Feel free to contact me again if you like, but I'll post my reply here:
"For the batas I use in Irish stick fighting I look for 1" thick pieces. Where I get my hardwoods from they seem to have extras and off cuts that are actually 1" and not 3/4". I don't have the tools to re-saw my own stock so I take what I can get. Beyond that, I use a circular saw and jig saw to rough cut the stick and knob then I use a spokeshave on my shaving horse to shape it. Stationary belt sander to clean things up after the shaping. Hope that helps. Send me some pics of your stick when you get done."
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!
Whip #68 & #69
After making the Kelly style whip, I wanted to incorporate some of the essential construction methods I learned with a few other ideas I had simmering on the backburner. I made whip #68 (pictured on the right, black with red) a couple of weeks ago, just after completing the cow whip. 7' with a 9" handle, BB and ball chain loaded core, 10 plait belly with a 12 plait overlay in black. Keeping the core and belly simple really made a difference. I finally have a fluidness to the thong that has been eluding me. Part of this whole process was to also try and develop a kind of scalable standard method for myself that would be practical and efficient. Making whips is somewhat labour intensive.
So I just completed whip #69 today as a follow up (pictured left in all black) to see if I could essentially replicate what I came up with. 7' with a 9" steel handle, extra bolstering for thickness at the handle and more tapering of the core, BB and ball chain loaded core, 10 plait belly with a 16 plait overlay. Overall it seems like I certainly can replicate things and maintain the flow I've been wanting. I'm still experimenting with a few things so my standard is almost there, but I still some ideas to hash out.
One thing I borrowed from another whip maker is rolled paracord covering for the end of the knob. I call it the "Susanka Swirl" after the original whip maker. It turns out to be very simple to construct and it looks sharp. I will be applying this to many whips in the future.