The making of whip #2

[Philbert Lim]

RoN, i think you could try a diamond plait

[Ron May]

I think I finally got the crown start figured out and done.
Does that look right?





Now to try to transfer it to the handle and snug it up.

Ron

[Rachel McCollough]

From what (very little ) I know about it that looks right! Look forward to seeing it "in action"!

[Grant Weaver]

I couldn't tell you if it's actually right, but it looks great to me! I'll have to give it a shot some time!

[Philbert Lim]

Ron, that looks right

[Ron May]

It was not as hard as my brain was trying to make it.
The hard part was working with some strands around 480" long.
The really tricky part will be snugging it down to the handle.

Ron

[Philbert Lim]

Ron, honestly, i think the crown start isn't worth the hassle unless you do not plan on doing a turk's head knot at the end.

[Ron May]

Philbert, I am using the crown start to be able to keep both colors on apposing sides for the ability to try plaiting a " fancy" pattern.
It just looks so much neater and a heel knot is a must for me on a bullwhip.
It gives a better pivot point for cracking the whip than with out.
It also makes the whip looked professionally finished.

Ron

[Philbert Lim]

Ron, ah that makes sense,

[Brandon Lewis]

Ron, i tried the crown start on whip #3. I had all the longest lengths on one side and had to start over. It was a good learning experience. I wont be making that mistake again.

[Grant Weaver]

I agree Ron. The Turk's head is a crucial part of connecting the whip to the body.

[Ron May]

Right Grant, with out the heel knot you are eliminating about 3" of handle.
That's 3" of leverage and that equals less velocity using a minimal amount of energy.
Not to mention the extra strain on the wrist.
More leverage = less energy needed to create velocity and a positive crack.

At least that's the way I understand it.

Ron

[Devin Bauer]

Ron, so long as you have the appropriate strand lengths on both sides, it looks like you are off to an excellent start as all that remains is to begin passing strands around back to join the plait. Good luck!

[Ron May]

Thanks Devin.

[Rachel McCollough]

Yeah! There you go Ron, you got it goin!

[Ron May]

Rachel, thanks. It will be interesting to see how it turns out.

Ron

[Ron May]

Rachel, it's not going to turn out.
As you all can see from the picture I have a major problem.
I have the colors separated for making patterns, but I did not plan my strand lengths that way.
All the long strands are on one side and all the short strands are on the other.
This will not work for me using the crown start.




I wanted the lighter blue to do the handle and then sort of fade down the whip into the darker blue in the end of the thong.
That's the way I cut the strands.
It would work if the strands are on both sides of the whip equally using these strands cut like they are, but only with a square start.
However the ability to do a pattern is lost.

Unless some one can come out with a fix I am going to have to abandon the 'fancy plaiting' using the crown start for a random pattern with a square start.
Any suggestions before I undo the crown start and start over with a square start?

Ron

[Philbert Lim]

Ron, how about splicing some of the darker cord to the shorter strands? that should give you enough cord to work with.

[Ron May]

Philbert, I was thinking of that but not sure how secure the splice would be.
I would also hate the idea of plaiting with 240" (10' doubled) of cord on each side. .
But with out cutting some and 'welding' some I can't think of another way to keep the crown start and strands as they are currently for 'fancy' plaiting.

Ron

[Philbert Lim]

You'll probably need to splice a longer section of cord, and sew the splice to make sure it'll never come out