Whip Basics. The Forum

In this thread, Ben will post his making of pictures. The finished whip will be presented in the Makers and Masters Gallery. If you have questions on materials, braiding, patterns and what ever... Post it here!. If you like to comment on a finished whip... Post it here. The Galleries will be only what they're called - Galleries.

When you are exited on something - post it here. If you like to say how much you like something - or not - post it here. All comments which are made in the respective Masters Gallery will be simply deleted. The galleries will be like an exhibition. The whip, the art, the name of the whip. Not more. If you want to say something... You know where to post, right?


Thank you for your cooperation!

Robby

Here are some making of pictures of a 5 foot, 20 plait snake whip. It's the same "formula" as the dog shelter donation whip.

The core consits of one single lead loaded strand of paracord. This picture shows the first layer of open loop binding:



I'm using 5 layers of binding on the core and on each belly (2 layers of open loop and 3 layers of closed loop binding on top of each other). Therefore, there are overall 20 layers of binding in this construction.

here you can see beginning of the first (8 plait) belly:



Square start of the third and final belly (16 plait)







All the best
Ben

Cool Ben! So very cool!

Very nice job Ben.

Ron

Very cool.

Tank y'all very much!

All the best
Ben

Ben, very well done!!!

Ah.. So clean.

Wonderfully meticulous work, Ben!

Ben - I don't know how you do it so I am just impressed.

Beautiful work as always, Ben.

Jyri Haveri wrote:Ah.. So clean.

That's exactly what I was thinking - very clean plaiting. Well done, Ben!

Thank all of you very much !

All the best
Ben

Here is my very first attempt of working with wavelace. For the core, I have decided to use a single strand of 550 paracord filled with lead.



As always, I've made a little groove for attaching the core strand.




Before sliding the core over the tapered portion of the steel rod, I'm applying epoxy glue over that portion to strenghten it and for additional attachment of the core to the handle.




It doesnt show well on this picture, but in reality the part of the core which is slid over the steel rod is wet due to the epoxy glue on the inside.



I'm also applying epoxy glue on the outside at the groove of the steel rod before binding it with a spliced strand of artificial sinew. After that first "attachment binding" the diameter of that groove and the tapered tip of the handle will be identical.



After a couple more layers of binding, the core is finished and I can start plaiting the first belly.
Since I'm using wavelace, I had to go for a higher plait count for the first belly to cover that core - in this case 12 plait.

It still needs to be rolled a little more, but here is the first belly:



I've stopped plaiting after the 6 plait and then swiched to a 6 strand TT.



As you can see, I've incorporated the core strand for the first section of the TT.



Just to give you an idea of how small wavelace is, here is a picture of a 4 strand wavelace TT next to a single strand of 550 paracord:



To be continued...

All the best
Ben

Golly, Ben, that wavelace really is small!

As ever, your work looks incredibly neat!

Robert, thank you very much for your compliment!
It is very thin and very small but a lot of fun to work with!

All the best
Ben

Ben, that looks so precise.
Great job.

Ron

Ben - It looks good.

I never really understood how you can make that TT and get it to hold without turning it around a lot of times like a rope

Lovely plaiting, Ben. Looking forward to the end result.

Thank you Ron, Flemming and Sir Roger!

Flemming, turning it around a lot of times is basicaly the way TT's are made (the same way ropes are being made). After the TT is done, I'm sewing the two remaining strings together to prevent them from unravelling.


I'm done plaiting the second belly (16 palit):







In the end it will be a 6,5 footer (my favorite length when it comes to bullwhips) with three palited bellies and a 24 plait overlay.

All the best
Ben