Drew's
Whips
The
Gallery
8/29 Finally, the pool cue bullwhip!!
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=140152607378
Also an Aussie stock whip;
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=140152591150
Crack it loud.... Drew
Some whips by Drew, all in kangaroo
WOODIES....
Snakewood
Mopane
Ebony
and holly, unmatched matched pair
Macassar
ebony
Osage
orange
Kingwood
Bocote
Curly
maple
Lacewood
Goncala
Alves
Pink
Ivory
Purpleheart
Sneaky
Pete
Varigated
Cocobolo
Long
cocobolo
Ebony
SNAKES, STOCKS, AND BULLS
Matched
pair, black and purple
Tiger
stripe
Matched
pair, brown on brown
Red
and blonde
Brown
on Brown
Natural
tan with 1/2 plait handle
Black
snake
Welcome to my gallery. What started as 'something I always wanted to try' has turned into an obsession, whip making.
As this obsession has evolved during the past few years, I have found another source of enjoyment, turning exotic woods. Inspired by the Wheatly wooden handled whip, which were often maple, I'm trying to make my niche the exotic woody. It seems like the different kinds of woods are endless, but my favorite is Costa Rican cocobolo. I've got a good supply of different wood that needs turning, so that's what you'll see on eBay in the next months. I'm not taking any custom order at this time.
My whips are made of kangaroo, a magnificent creature. It is unique in many ways, but it has a hide like no other beast. Kangaroo hide is far superior for making whips in several respects than other hides because of its thinness and strength (up to seven times stronger than cowhide). It's strength comes from the fact that when one looks at the cross section of a the hide, the grain of the leather is parallel and uniform. Looking at a cross section of cowhide, the grain appears to be random. Think of it as the difference between cast steel and forged steel. Kangaroo hide does not hold up well to rocks and metal, it cuts and scuffs easier than cowhide. The first whip I made was from cowhide, but once I tried kangaroo, I never went back. Cutting out the hide with control requires knives of incredible sharpness. If you can't easily shave the hair on your arm, you're wasting your time.
When one plaits (or braids), two layers are created because the strands are laid under and over each other. All the leather is put through a splitter to 'knock off the high spots'. Each whip I make comes from one hide whenever possible, ensuring the overlay is cut from the best leather, that being the center of the hide.
What
makes 'em crack?
In a nutshell, conservation of energy creating a
sonic boom. A good whip should have a slow taper the length
of the whip. When a hairpin curve is imparted on the whip, the curve
goes faster and faster as the diameter of the whip gets smaller.
By the time the curve reaches the cracker, it can be traveling over 1400
feet per second, well past the speed of sound (somewhere around 1230 feet
per second). Air molecules are compressed and a small sonic boom
is created.
People are often amazed the first time they hear
a well made whip crack (there are a lot of cheap ones out there that go
whoosh, not bang). Similar to a .22 pistol, it can be deafening if
you're standing in the right place. In skilled hands, a blow from
a whip can break bones and easily cut skin. Cutting an apple or potato
in half is no problem with a good, accurate throw. On a good day,
I can throw an apple up in the air and split it in half maybe once out
of five tries. Learning to crack a whip can be a very
humbling experience.
For those wanting to change there own falls, take a look here.
A word about my whip list. When I put a whip on ebay, I
send out an email to all that are on my whip list notifing the receipents
that it is available and where it can be seen. I use a 'blank
carbon copy' so that ALL E-MAIL ADDRESSES ARE KEPT CONFIDENTIAL.
The only e-mail address seen is my own. If you want to be notified
of my whips as they go up for bid, please don't hesitate to email and let
me know. I don't expect you to bid just because you are on the list.
I plan on using a variety of woods for handles over the next few months.....
This page is continually under construction.
Some great whip links...
Mike Murphy - a master at the art
Bullwhip FAQ - a very good site with a wealth of information about whips
Whip Enthusiasts - these guys
are serious
more to come...
If you have any comments, questions, or want to be added to my whip
list, email me!
drew@iland.net
Proud member of the Australian Whipmakers and Plaiters Association