Finding a Quality Whip How do you know if a whip is of good quality? A lot of people have several reasons while one whip is better than another, but the bottom line is that a good quality whip cracks easily. The main things that make a whip crack effortlessly are density, stiffness, taper and balance. Of course you also want a whip that is accurate, durable and looks beautiful. The Core is the most important part of the whip that most people overlook and many whip makers hide. It is the central part of the whip and is what controls much of the mass and roll out of the whip. I have seen many whips that have no core and are light weight and barely produce a crack, others I have seen place a steel cable in effort to add mass without work, they are better than no core, but still are of poor quality. In the end, if you look at all of the best whip makers in the world, you will see the phrase “shot loaded” embedded because a shot loaded whip will have the most mass in the core and in loud cracks, momentum is the name of the game; the more dense your core, the better sound your whip makes. Bolstering is the step of wrapping the core and/or belly with leather, cloth, tape, or something to give a whip more mass, another option is to add plaiting. Plaiting a whip takes a lot of time, and what most whip makers do is to skip this step to save time and thus lower the quality of their whip in an effort to make more money. However, the core, the bolster, the belly cannot be seen, so several times I have become witness to whip makers charging hundreds of dollars for a whip where these steps were skipped. If you can, have the whip maker take photos of the core, the bolsters and the bellies to make sure you’re getting a quality product. Otherwise you may be getting ripped off. A skilled whip artist will also be able to tell you, and attempting to describe how they do so would be a book within itself. Plaiting is the wrapping of the whip with a braid. The higher the plait count, the more fluid the whip will be. Think about the number of links in a chain, or the number of strands in a cable, the more links per foot and the more strands in the twist will allow for a more smooth roll and less stiffness in your whip. This is also true of the belly and of the core, you can have a string of lead shot or steel BBs in your whip, but if it is bolstered in electrical tape or plaited with steel cable, it will be no where as reactive. Cosmetically, the overlay is the final layer of plaiting and will give the whip its pattern and beauty. Make sure that the whip plaiting is straight, tight, even, and rolled smooth for the perfect roll out every time. Tapering a whip must start before construction even begins. A smoothly tapered whip will have strands dropped in an even patter a single strand at a time. This includes the belly plaits as well as the overlay, thus must be planned in advanced. This seems something only 1% of whip makers actually take the care to do. Other things to note on a quality whip include the knot work, the fall hitch, the fall and the cracker. Make sure that knots are dressed, solid and do not slip. The fall hitch should be strong, and somewhat stream lined. The fall and the cracker should be tapered down along with the rest of the whip. Waxing has been in argument of its benefits and costs in the end, wax will add to the mass of your whip, can make it more fluid and protect your whip. With that in mind, you might as well spend the money to get your whip waxed. The cost is definitely worth it. However, many whip makers use just candle wax that melts at a high temperature and is very stiff. The temperature could damage the nylon or polyester of your whip and the stiffness takes away from the fluidity. If you are going to wax your whips, use soy wax, not only will it add to the speed, responsiveness and longevity of your whip, if you add in some essential oils to your pot, your hands will feel silky smooth and your whip will smell garden fresh. :)
Posted on: Thu, 03 Oct 2013 20:14:29 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015