The making of whip #2

[Ron May]

This will be the documentation of the making of whip #2.

I have gleaned a lot of useful information from the short comings of the first whip and , though not many, the positive aspects as well.

I am using this information to attempt to make this whip better in construction, asthetics and performance.

The plan , which is obviously subject to change, is to make an 8 footer with a tapered twisted core, two belies and a 12 plait overlay using two colors for clarity of how the strands are orientated while plaiting and to make the over all presentation of the whip more interesting.

There are , at this stage of planning, three major changes or differences that I am going to try to impliment.

First is the tapered twisted core. Second is using sinker line inside the strands of the first and second belies.

The third and final change is one that came to mind while watching videos of leather plaiting. I am sure some one else has thought of this before but it seems like a logical process to do at the moment.

I noticed , even before rolling it out that the leather strands lay much flatter and smoother than gutted cord and might make it easier to plait and start out keeping it flat in the begining . Rolling it out would make it even smoother.

I am thinking of using an iron to flatten out the strands before plaiting.
Kind of like ironing a polyester shirt or pants. Taking care of course not to let the nylon get too hot. Melting the strand is not part of the results I am looking for. Using a pillow case or something to cover and protect the cord while ironing.

It's just something that came to mind and I find no negative reasons not to do that before plaiting .

If anyone has tried before I would appreciate some feed back on how it worked out for you. And if every one thinks this might be a valid and useful process.


I have found sone metal rod from some signage I had laying around that I will do the ' bend test' with and if it seems strong enough I will use that for the handle .





So, fasten your seat belts and make sure your tray table is in the upright and locked position the adventure begins.

[Jessie Edwards]

Am I the only pervert in the group that sees what happened to that sign in the picture? Because...*snort* I am in second grade, obviously.

Pokkis ironed his strands once. You need to ask him but, I think it was only once.

[Ron May]

Yeah Jessie, one might assume that a critter marked his territory on it, but it's actually rain drops of a storage building that is the culprit.

[David Cross]

Oh. I was looking at the letters which, due to their being obscured by the other literature there, actually look a bit like somebody's legs. Or...two somebodies' legs.

[Jessie Edwards]

I was looking at the cut off letters at the top reading "Cuming" soon. But yeah, I saw the legs too...which added to the ambiance. Second grade over here.

[Ron May]

David, now that you mention it...

Observation is one of the parents of innovation and just an insight into how your magnificent mind
sees and thinks of things that others don't and either improves or invents a better way.

Jessie, right after I posted it I was looking for an " edit" button. (might be a good idea for posted entries)
Never saw the legs though.

[Jessie Edwards]

NOPE! Editing is not allowed because we all need to commit and be accountable for what we say. Its kind of part of the rules. This is awesome. I giggle every time I see it. It stays!

[Ron May]

I am glad then for the giggle it put in your day.
Glad to be of service.

[Ron May]

These are the two colors that I ordered from Whip Nation that I am going to use .

[Jessie Edwards]

Nice! I love the idea of not having to gut it. That alone will cut down on build time.

[Rachel McCollough]

Ought to look real nice Ron.

[Ron May]

By the way, they come with the core all ready taken out!

[David Cross]

Good. Now I know what color to order. Last time I tried to get a blue that dark, I ended up with...something...else.

[Jessie Edwards]

I want to so something with gradient browns, but I am having trouble knowing what is true brown and what has red in it. I have a feeling I will be buying a butt-ton of colors and putting them together in real time, which sucks on a strict budget.

[Ron May]

Thank you Rachel, midnight blue and electric blue are sort of understated but will still show contrast in
the over lay for the 'fancy' plaiting. (pattern to be illustrated later)

Absolutely right Jessie, that makes me a very happy camper!
On long strands it can be a trial, not to mention burned (by friction) fingers when coring them.

Absolutely a plus!

[Ron May]

Jessie, when I ordered these Roy sent me a link to what the colors would look like.
It was pretty accurate as to the true colors that arrived.

The midnight blue is a richer navy color and the electric blue has an almost multi hue iridescence.

I think together they are awesome.

[Ron May]

I am thinking of using this pattern on the overlay of the handle.
Depending on how it goes perhaps twice to spread it out.
One might look a little lonely.



I'm not sure about how to layout the strands at the crown start, but I am thiking
that darker color on the left and lighter color on the right to achieve this pattern.
Right?

[Paul Slater]

You are not going to run out of cord for a while Ron.
Nice looking pattern. I was looking at something like that in Ron Edwards book the other day & thought to myself I must have a go at that one day.
I wish I could get gutted cord over here but that's something I just haven't come across as yet.
I don't mind gutting the cord as for the shorter lengths the children enjoy pulling the guts out of the cord.
That just leaves me with the longer ones to do.

[David Cross]

That site is amazing.

Ron, I've got three things to say about this. First, you really want to have more contrasting pattern in there, because the way pattern work goes, the strands tend to lock together better when there isn't so much open space between colors. The actual part where the lighter blue begins is totally fine, I think, but you'll want to do something with the rest of the handle.

I think it's great that you want to try out pattern work. That shows a hell of a lot of initiative. I also think it's very wise to approach something simple, like this, because then you're not overdoing it. Really crazy patterns will make you hate life.

You might consider o2u2, or Chessboard Plait, for the empty spaces in this pattern. That might really lock things in well. Just be sure you take your time, and get it done the best you can do it. It's extra time, sure, but it's worth it.

[Ron May]

Paul, it's super that you can involve the kids that way.
They might remember doing that with you for a long time as a fond memory of childhood.