No problem!!!

Posted by Dale Dassel from iax-minden-ppp0007.iamerica.net on April 18, 1998 at 00:23:37:

In Reply to: Re: BULLWHIP ORDERING posted by Max Schulte on April 17, 1998 at 22:45:42:

: :
: : Well, first off, there are a few things you may need to know.
: : The length of the whip is very important, depending on what you're
: : going to use it for. David's whips come in four different lengths:
: : 6 foot, 8 foot, 10 foot, and 12 foot. Now, the shorter the whip
: : is, the more accurate it will be for hitting specific targets and the
: : faster you can maneuver it around, but it will be slightly harder to
: : produce a nice crack. The longer whips, 10 to 12 foot, are far less
: : accurate, but do excellent wraps around things, and they crack with
: : very little effort. If you want something midway between the two, I
: : would suggest going with the 8 foot model. The 10 is good, too, but
: : if you want to hit specific targets, then you'll have to work at it.
: : I will leave that choice up to you.
: : Now, as for practice, what I did was to study the whip sequences
: : in the movies, as well as those on the Making of Raiders video. I
: : watched these over and over, dozens of times, until I understood the
: : method of the swings and cracks. I also, at one time, had a making of
: : Batman Returns video, which had Anthony DeLongis teaching Michelle
: : Pfeiffer the bullwhip. This came in handy, too. If you don't have access
: : to these, then don't worry. David Morgan sells some excellent whip
: : instructional and art displays VHS videos. These will put you on the
: : right track. The Whips and Whip Making book is mainly geared toward
: : bullwhip construction, with about one chapter dedicated to telling
: : what the whips can do, performance-wise.
: : Lastly, your whip will take anywhere from a month and a half
: : to two months to make and receive. When you get it, it will be a very
: : light pinkish brown color, called natural tan. To darken it, as it
: : appears in the movies, you should expose it to natural sunlight for
: : a few hours a day. Mine has turned into a nice, dark brown color.
: : I just lay it out on a small wooden table. And remember, normal use
: : requires very little wrist force. In other words, don't try to "jack"
: : it around really hard, or else you might break the interior construction,
: : damage the handle-to-thong junction, or stretch the lash. Don't be
: : alarmed if the tip of the knot on the fall breaks off when first used.
: : David Morgan uses what I like to call "cosmetic" knots on the tip of
: : his whips, which is just a small, dainty knot to make the whip look
: : sleeker and more tapered. Mine broke off, so I hunted around until I
: : found the nylon cracker, and I used the instructions on his website to
: : re-attatch it, with a slightly bigger knot, which holds just great,
: : and does not inhibit cracking in any way. Your whip will be new from
: : the factory, and thus pretty stiff. So, you can go outside and do
: : some breaking-in swings in order to loosen it up. After a little use,
: : your whip will have a nice, smooth wiggle all the way down. This is
: : the sign of a healthy whip. If you need anymore information, just
: : let me know.

: : -Dale Dassel

: Thanks Dale, you helped me a lot. I think I'll order the whip next
: week (Maybe 10ft. version) complete with one of the whipcracking
: videos you mentioned. By the way, it's a good idea exposing the whip
: to the sun in order to darken it. Hope I keep that in mind

: I'll probably have some more questions when I get it and start
: practicing...

: Anyway - thanks again,

: -Max

Hey, no problem. I'm more than happy to help. Rest assured
that you will be buying one of the best whips money can buy. I like
to tell my friends that I own the "Mercedes-Benz" of bullwhips. And
that's not far from the truth!!! I have been friends with Mr. Morgan
via the internet for about a year now. So, all of the information from
my mouth, er- keyboard came from Mr. Morgan first. So, I treat his word
like gospel. Do not attempt to darken the whip any other way than by
sunlight. See, your bullwhip is made of top quality kangaroo leather,
thus it's just animal skin. So, exposing the whip to sunlight is like
giving it a sun tan. Except it's permanent because the skin is no longer
living, so it can't un-tan itself. I should be able to get it a lot darker
this summer, because there will be a lot of sunlight.
So, if you have any other questions, I'm just a few keystokes away.
Feel free to e-mail me anytime.

-Dale

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