#24

[Sir Roger Tuson]

They'll be cut off at staggered lengths to help the taper into the last section.

[Robert Gage]

Roger, you can't go wrong with black and burgundy in any combination!

[Guest]

Looking good! What a nice, even taper.

[Sir Roger Tuson]

Rachel's whip must have tickled my subconscious. Her's has Burgundy and I've used it before for bracelets

[Rachel McCollough]

Craig suggested it and it worked perfectly! I look forward to seeing your combination!!!

[Sir Roger Tuson]

As teased in today's Roll Call, I'm working on the overlay now (Burgundy cord arrived yesterday) and for better or worse, I've decided to go 'off piste' on the handle design, trying something very tricky and intricate. I've absolutely no idea whether it'll work and the time it's taking means it would be a very expensive design choice for a buyer but what the hell... if you don't try, you'll never know!

[Ron May]

Roger, good luck with your tricky design.
I have no doubt that you can do it.

Ron

[Rachel McCollough]

Roger you've been one of the very few to even attempt initials in plaiting (and you succeeded, by the way!) so this I got to see- it sounds really cool!!!!! I'm sure you will get it as I have no doubt in your skill.

[Sir Roger Tuson]

Ok guys, I was going to wait until the while whip was complete but wanted to show you what I've been playing with...

What's this?



Going up...



Here's the top


Now the lacing



First design attempt. I didn't carry on with this because it was sooooo time consuming.



Restarted with new design



I struggled getting gutted cord into my No2 Fid, so used it as a guide for the bigger one.



Handle finished. Pre trim...



And tidied up ready for Heel knot and thong...



Opinions?

Has anyone ever tried anything like this before?

I can't believe I'm the first.

[Ron May]

Roger, that's very interesting.
I would be concerned about the vertical strands loosening up when used.
I like the O1 U1 in your first design it looks more secure and solid. Maybe it would be worth the extra time to complete it on another whip.
It's very innovative to be sure.

Ron

[Sir Roger Tuson]

I can't see why they'd loosen. After all they're not under any stress, they're wrapped around a steel handle that shouldn't flex and tightly bound at either end. It was difficult to tighten the vertical strands and bind them at the same time but I'm happy that they're all secure. We'll just have to see how well it stands up under use.

[Robert Gage]

Roger, that's very stylish - it somehow looks slightly Japanese to me!

[Sir Roger Tuson]

I'm seeing slightly distressed Rattan Cane. I like it.

[Rachel McCollough]

Mr. Robert called it stylish and I agree! That's really cool, Roger!

[Guest]

Interesting design, certainly unique! Interested to see how it turns out as a whole!

[Tyler Blake]

Cheers to you Roger, I've never seen anything like it before- I do believe you are the first! Robert mentioned that it looked Japanese, I was going to say it reminds me of a shinai, those bamboo practice swords they use in Kendo

[Steve Cuthbert]

that blows me away Roger, i'm struggling to get my head around dropping strands properly let alone funky stuff like that.

going to spend a day just practising different things when i next get to an overlay i think.

may seem like a stupid question but how do you attach the thong???

[Sir Roger Tuson]

Thanks Steve. Gotta experiment!

Each belly starts at the top of the handle and continues all the way down as per usual. I stopped the handle overlay design at the transition point, bound the ends tightly and snipped and trimmed the ends. I then attached the 16-plait thong overlay at the transition binding the top ends tightly and plaited as usual.

[Steve Cuthbert]

that makes sense as presumably the heel knot hides the join

[Sir Roger Tuson]

Well, here it is complete. I've taken it out for a few cracks and have to say that the binding still isn't tight enough in the right places. It cracks well in most attitudes but it's just not stiff enough at the transition. Need to think whether to strip it back or not.