Just
a quick word about sharpening this tool and other tools. Before I started
plaiting whips I was a butcher by trade so I think I know a little about
sharpening knives , I like to think I do anyway. I have noticed over
the years when talking to people about sharpening knives they seem to get
a bit carried away. I hear comments like," I spent 2 hours sharpening
that knife", when really unless the tool or knife you are trying to
sharpen has been run up against a piece of steel and the edge is completely
ruined, it shouldn't take more than a few minutes to put an edge on
any knife or tool sharp enough to shave with. I very rarely use an oil
stone or an emery wheel on any of my tools or knives. Most of my
sharpening is done with a fine butchers steel and a calico buffing wheel
that is attached to a 6inch grinder. I use a polishing compound on this
which sharpens the blade and puts a very high shine on it allowing it to
slide through leather with the greatest of ease. The key to keeping tools
sharp is to sharpen them often but little. Most times all I need to do to
sharpen a tool is to give it a quick rub on the steel or the buffing
wheel and hey presto. Wherever I can use throw away blades I do. By throw
away blades I mean blades that can
be snapped off to get a new edge, I use
these in my lace cutter and injector blades in my skiver and edge beveller.
Snap off blades you can get at your hardware store and the injector blades
at your nearest Tandy leather store.
Over the shot bag and nail we bind on a bolster and before we go any further
we now have to bind with waxed thread the transition between the
handle
and the whip. This has to be done three times in all to ensure over time
and through constant use that the whip doesn't develop what I call the wet
noodle look, that is a sharp bend where the handle and thong join which
doesn't make for a very good whip. It is wrapped very tightly and to help
me do this I use a piece of wood that I have shaped on a lathe especially
for the job but a tool handle will do the job just as well. Thumbnail
photos on
the left just need to be clicked on and you will see a full size
photo of how the thread is bound on and how to tie off the end of the
thread by pulling it back through itself . Use this same method to wind
the thread on the belly.
Now we plait the first 8 strand belly over the nail and the shot bag or
over the 4 plait belly if you are not using a shot bag. Cut your belly out
as shown.
Over the years I've developed a formula for cutting out the strands of my
whips which for me is pretty foolproof and I can apply it to any sort of
whip I make but it's based on the turns out from the blade on my strand
cutter and therefore will not be much good to anyone else but I'll give
measurements. Cut 8 strands 4ft long
starting at the thin end,4mm wide and ending
at 4ft 9mm wide.
I use metric measurements I'm afraid.1 Inch =25mm.
It's a good idea to bevel the underside edges of your strands and
then
split them down to an even thickness. I do this with all the strands I use
in a whip. It helps keep everything smooth and hopefully lump free.
Plait this up as tightly as you can. There is no such thing as plaiting to
tightly when making a whip. When you have finished plaiting your belly
roll it under a piece of wood or a piece of flat steel, an old car spring
is ideal which is what I use. Roll it well until it is nice and smooth.
Next comes the second
binding as shown. Now from your second hide cut a
bolster that will fit neatly around your belly, I'll rephrase that, around
the belly of the whip and the easiest way to hold it in place while you
are plaiting I've found is to simply tie it in place with some thin
cotton. If you have a splitter it would be a good idea to split the
bolster to a thin even thickness and that will stop the whip from getting
to thick. With a bullwhip 6ft and over the final thickness of the handle
at the butt end should be 1 inch, a smidgen more won't hurt but I always
aim for an inch unless asked otherwise.
Trim your
second hide now and from this we will cut the second belly. This belly
will be another 8 plait and about 7ft 6inches long when finished. Once
again start at the thin end and cut 8 strands 11ft long starting at 4mm
and ending at 11mm .