Tired hands!
Posted: Tue 6. Mar 2012, 08:39
I don't know what has gotten into me but these past few days I have had the urge to plait bullwhips. Last week I finished up a 6 foot black bullwhip - just needs shellac. Friday I spent 2 hours and got the 1st bolster on a new 6 ft red bullwhip done, got the second bolster done on Saturday (this includes cut and prep of bellies by the way) and got about 3 inches of he 16 plait overlay done. Tonight I spent about another 3 hours and finished the overlay. If I had a fall ready I would have done that. Oh well, tomorrow is another day and I can probably finish the whip then. Overall I have spent about 7 hours on this second whip. I have only done 1 16 plait whip before. the handle with a checkerboard is a pain in the rear. Once I got into coachmen's plaiting I could wait to start dropping strands and get down to 12 then 8 strands. I just kept on going and before I knew it I was done!
This last whip had me a little nervous. I started with a 58dm roohide. I always shoot for a six foot whip. I was very careful in cutting out strands and tried to eliminate waste. One problem I've had is the transitions in tapering strands and cutting around corners. When I prep strands I get differences in strand width. This time I cut all 16 strands the same width the entire length of the whip. I watched the corners carefully and trimmed them as needed. I even accounted for a few streachy places. I planned to drop strands so some strands ended short, medium, and 8 long. When I finished cutting the strands out I found my first four were about 8 inched too short. Surprise surprise! the strands were just the right length! I have about 4 inches left after I hit the 6 ft mark for the fall hitch. The whip was a little wider getting close to the end so I trimmed the core strands a little bit and still kept a good taper. I dropped 2 final strands with 6 inches to go and even trimmed the widths just a little bit. I had very little waste in making this whip and still have the hide center for a wristloop.
I found in making this whip this way I ended up with more even strands throughout the whip. I always plan to drop strands but I've never kept the same strand width throughout the entire length of the whip. The overlay is still a bit rough but once I give it a good roll it will smooth out nicely and the strands will "settle in" a bit. I am also amazed at how dense this whip is. It has a very dense core. I can't wait to finish it and test it out. Hopefully I will have 2 whips for sale on EBay soon. I'll post pictures of both when they are finished. My next whip after this might be a simple cowhide whip for a charity auction. I gave them a kangaroo whip last year but with the current prices I cant afford to give it away anymore.
Jeff
Update - Put in another couple of hours today and finished the whip. Found 1 problem when I trimmed the yokes. My overlay started about 1 inch too far down. I had to trim leather based on the overlay and then break out my cutting wheel and take 1/4 inch off the steel handle. It still turned out great and I am happy with it. Pictures soon!
This last whip had me a little nervous. I started with a 58dm roohide. I always shoot for a six foot whip. I was very careful in cutting out strands and tried to eliminate waste. One problem I've had is the transitions in tapering strands and cutting around corners. When I prep strands I get differences in strand width. This time I cut all 16 strands the same width the entire length of the whip. I watched the corners carefully and trimmed them as needed. I even accounted for a few streachy places. I planned to drop strands so some strands ended short, medium, and 8 long. When I finished cutting the strands out I found my first four were about 8 inched too short. Surprise surprise! the strands were just the right length! I have about 4 inches left after I hit the 6 ft mark for the fall hitch. The whip was a little wider getting close to the end so I trimmed the core strands a little bit and still kept a good taper. I dropped 2 final strands with 6 inches to go and even trimmed the widths just a little bit. I had very little waste in making this whip and still have the hide center for a wristloop.
I found in making this whip this way I ended up with more even strands throughout the whip. I always plan to drop strands but I've never kept the same strand width throughout the entire length of the whip. The overlay is still a bit rough but once I give it a good roll it will smooth out nicely and the strands will "settle in" a bit. I am also amazed at how dense this whip is. It has a very dense core. I can't wait to finish it and test it out. Hopefully I will have 2 whips for sale on EBay soon. I'll post pictures of both when they are finished. My next whip after this might be a simple cowhide whip for a charity auction. I gave them a kangaroo whip last year but with the current prices I cant afford to give it away anymore.
Jeff
Update - Put in another couple of hours today and finished the whip. Found 1 problem when I trimmed the yokes. My overlay started about 1 inch too far down. I had to trim leather based on the overlay and then break out my cutting wheel and take 1/4 inch off the steel handle. It still turned out great and I am happy with it. Pictures soon!