DEFINITIONS OF SOME TERMS USED REGARDING WHIPS ON THIS SITE

The Thong. The thong of a whip is the main plaited part of the whip, in a stock whip this does not  include the handle but in a bull whip, signal whip and snake whip it does. I measure my whips as most Australian whip makers do, by the length of the thong excluding the fall or cracker and in the case of stock whips excluding the handle.

Belly  The belly of a whip is what is actually inside the whip and the most important part of the whip. Most good whip makers will have two plaited bellies and two bolsters that make up their bellies. I have dispensed with the bolsters and replaced them with plaited bellies so in my whips I have 4 plaited bellies. I've been making whips for a lot of years and over those years have constantly looked for better construction methods for a better whip. I believe what I do now is the best method for constructing a whip. It gives you durability and the whip, in my opinion, because of this method has a much smoother action.

The Fall  The fall of a whips is a strip of leather attached to the end of the thong. Onto this is attached the cracker. The fall saves wear and tear to the actual plaiting of the thong and has to from time to time be replaced as it wears out.

The Cracker Or Popper. The cracker or popper is a piece of twisted string, usually about 8 inches long, which is attached to the end of the fall by a knot. I use bailing twine for my crackers but any type of string or nylon cord can be used with varying results. This is the part of the whips that makes the crack when it breaks the sound barrier so has to be replaced fairly often.

Plait or plaiting  On my whip pages you will see I refer to 8, 12, 16 , 20 plait whips. By that I mean the number of strands that make up the outer layer of braiding on the whip