Plaited handle bullwhips for sale



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The plaited handle bull whips is probably what most people think of when they think of a whip.  Made popular by TV and movies such as Indiana Jones or Lash Laroo.  The plaited handle whip has a ridged or solid handle the the thong is plaited from. The whip is plaited from butt to tip. A steel rod provides the core of the handle that the shot strand or BB loaded core is attached to.  This whip also has 2 sinew reinforced bellies and a 16 plait overlay. My standard handle length, from heel knot to transition is 10 inches. A whist loop is optional but must be specified in the order.  It also has two knots, one at the heel or butt for grip, and the second at the transition. The transition is where the whip changes from handle to thong.  Though this knot is not necessarily a requirement or functional, the whip would look a little naked if it wasn’t there. The fall hitch is either a 5 or 6 point hitch depending on the length of the whip. The added bonus in the plaited handles they can be a separate color or even better can have fancy designs or initials and simple pictures. For a bigger crack with less length go with this one, or if you really want one fancy the plaited handle bull whip is one for you.

The bull whip got its name because of the loud noise, weight, and bulk of the bull whip.  The whip its self could probably traced back to Genesis 4:20 “Jabal: he was the father of such as dwell in tents, and of such as have cattle.”  Those boys, the Great-grandsons of Lamech, were more than likely the first ones to use the hide off a deceased or sacrificed cow to make a whip.  The whips purpose is for handling and moving domestic animals such as cattle or horses.  The loud crack can get several animals to move in one direction or to motivate them to move faster.  The whip was also a form of communication. A specific volley or series of cracks can be a signal for help or answer to help. An English hunting whip with a light short thong would not have produced the louder crack of a heavy whip.

Though the whip was probably not designed to be weapon or to be used as a punishing tool, the wicked nature of man turned it that. Especially when kings and governors felt that lesser men could be owned and controlled like cattle or other beasts of burden.  Ancient Egyptian pictures show leaders and task masters using whips on their subjects. Though the whip is and can be a very versatile weapon it is to be tool, much like a knife. Probably in no time the plaiting of the whip went from just a tool to a work of art. Whip makers coming up with different designs, patterns, and techniques to show off and outdo one another.

On the construction; Starting out with a steel rod attaching the shot loaded core to it. All of my whips have a shot strand that is filled with BBS to give the whip the necessary weight and balance it needs to crack easily.  Starting out with an 8 plait belly (4 strands) I plait over the handle a little over 1/3 the length of the whip.  The first belly is bound tightly most of they way down, this process is precise! I precisely “eyeball” how far down to wrap the bellies.  Next is the second belie. It is a 12 plait belly (6 strands) if you would like your whip to have a wrist loop this is where it starts. Doing a flat 12 plait making a 6-8 inch loop then goes into the round 12 plait over the first belly. Naturally in this method I’m using the colors of the overlay for the wrist loop and middle layer. The second belly will go a little over 2/3 of the overall length, and is wrapped in my precise “eyeball” method with the sinew.  The purpose of the binding is for a couple reasons.  First it keeps that steel rod from breaking down the strands from the inside. Also the gives the initial first several inches to foot some extra stiffness. That part is also called the transition, it is where the energy is being transferred from your hand down the handle and out through the thong into the cracker. One plus I believe of para-cord verses leather is it won’t stretch out at the transition. I have had and seen several plain leather bull whips get hyper-extended at this point. The para-cord won’t do that.

Now that all that binding and foundation work is done, I move on to the overlay.  Here is the potentially tricky part, If you want a fancy plaited handle with designs or even letters I use a program that lays it out for me, easy enough on that but keeping 16 strands where they’re supposed to be is a little like being a kindergarten teacher after a cake and ice cream party right after nap time the second day of school. Though its time consuming, I love a challenge and to test my skills; order a fancy plaited handle! Also, there is the option of having the handle one color and the thong a different one or two colors.  For example: is a black whip with a red handle, this is known in the whip world as a “young Indy” whip; from the movie, “The Last Crusades.” When all the plaiting is done on both the handle then the thong I’ll use my hot iron to melt the handle and thong strands together and cover it with a decorative knot.

            If your handle and thong aren’t going to differ then the 16 plait will start at the heel and go all the way down dropping strands at specific lengths giving the whip the correct tapper. The fall and hitch is just like the wood handle bull whip and stock whip. The fall is doubled having a loop to go around the end of the thong. The last 5 strands are tied around the fall and thong in a half hitch manner. Tie the cracker on and its almost done.  Now that the plaiting is done I do the heel knot. This can be tricky as well; tying the knot’s not bad but getting the foundation tight, solid, and smooth is hard. If the foundation is too small the knot strands will bunch and overlap, too big and there will be gaps. The heel knot is one of the most important parts of the whip. It is the part of the whip you hold when you crack it, It takes as much strain as the fall and cracker.  I always make sure that heel knot is solid. If you have one of my whips with a heel knot and it comes loose, send it back for replacement.  After the heel knot is tied and trimmed, I do the transition knot, this knot mainly marks the place where the thong starts and may cover where the handle strands and thong strands are melted together. I’ll now roll the whip to smooth everything out, then wax it. Now the whip is done and ready to be sent to you.

            Now that you’ve ready all this let’s “Get Crackin” with the order.