Whip Basics. The Forum

This latest whip is somehow both traditional and futuristic at the same time. Brilliant work, Rhett!

Looks nice Rhett.

I'm with your wife! I really love that one!

Thank you all.

Very cool whips Rhett i like so much the whips made for
Comic strip and for the NRA's American Rifleman magazine !

Well, it has been a while since I had a whip that I thought was interesting enough to post here. This is a 9ft, 16 plait that the customer ordered in turquoise, neon yellow, and black. I cannot recall having made a whip with a solid color handle using a minor color from the thong. I like how it turned out. Thanks for looking.

A very fine whip, Rhett - though definitely not my colours! But the idea of using a minor colour from the thong as a solid colour for the handle appeals to me.... (I also think 9 foot is a very good length for a bullwhip.)

Funny enough, but... I like the combination of colors. I don't know why, but - I like it! Rhett, the heel knot looks bigger than usual. Is this just an optical thing or is it really bigger? Being myself a bit taller (1,90 mtr.) I have large hands. And so I enjoy a larger heel knot. Anyway - that turquoise amazes me!

Thank you for the pictures, Rhett!

Robby

Cool Rhett! The color scheme reminds me of something, but I can't quite put my finger on it...I'll wake up in a week and blurt it out and my wife will look at me like I'm crazy

Thanks guys.

@ Robby: I made the base for the heel knot probably a little bigger. Wasn't on purpose, just came out like that.

Now, I just hope its owner will like it. I wasn't given any specific instructions on what to do with the colors, so I just did what I thought would be cool. :P

Nice work Rhett, it is actually a pretty interesting combination of colors. I do like your application of the minor color to the solid handle though, it works well.

It looks amazing! I love what you did with the colors.

Very striking color combination. I'm kind of like Robby, that's usually not something I would care for but I love this combination. The handle is really cool looking. Fascinating whip there Rhett

Very striking colors very nice work.

Looks nice Rhett.

BIG colours. A little 'busy' for my taste but the solid handle makes a nice difference. Almost gives it a 'woody' handle look.

Thanks everyone.

@Roger: Of course, the customers picks the colors, but the thought behind doing this was based on something I figured out on some cow whips I made in the past when I was doing more colorful laminate wood handles.

It just seemed to me that if a customer wanted (for example) a red/black thong on a red/black laminate wood handle, the handle and thong competed for the eye, making the entire whip look to "busy."

What was more striking was to have a solid black ebony (or redheart) handle on a red/black thong.

Or, to have a solid black thong on a red/black laminate handle. From then on, I tried to talk customers out of trying to go multi-color on both the handles and thongs on cow whips. (Not a problem as much these days as I can't seem to get those laminates anymore)

With this bullwhip, I was almost ready to do the grip in turquoise and knots in black and yellow, but then I thought of the above the principle and decided to try a solid handle instead. It worked.

The tendency we can fall into is to try to do everything flashy and/or fancy. You know, cram everything into it like it's some kind of a fruit cake, just to make it as over the top as possible. But sometimes, IMHO, "less is more."

I'm doing another 3 color bullwhip right now that I'm going to do this with it too.

I have to agree on "less is more". A black whip with a bright colored detail is, in my opinion, better than a bright colored whip with a black detail.

This particular one is difficult to comment on. It's quality work as expected, and I like the pattern, but... The colors. Long ago I did some work as a graphics designer and the "guy not covered with ink and grease" around offset printing processes. Every now and then the printing press ran out of one of the colors, and that's when the end result turned into something very different than intended. It still looked sharp and professional, but with just one part of the color rainbow missing. To me that whip looks just like that.

It's a matter of taste, and I admit being somewhat color blind, but somehow I find this color combination uncomfortable. Don't get me wrong, it's just the turquoise. Otherwise that's a really nice looking whip.


- Pokkis

Nice work Rhett. The solid handle and the colors work well.

Is it just me or does the thong look a bit fuzzy? Maybe it is the way the colors are laid out but it makes it look "unfocused". Maybe it is a stealth whip that forces people to look the other way!

@ Jeff: I took the pic with my phone. I'm guessing that's it.