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Whip Safety recreated from a presentation by Sebastian
You should know that it takes a lot of discipline and focus to handle a whip well. Whip cracking is not an injury free sport. Remember your Mom telling you not to do that because you could put your eye out? She was right. We suggest you use equipment to protect your eyes and ears. Always always wear eye protection. When your first starting out you'll probably want to wear some heavy clothing. The tip of a whip exceeds the speed of sound and anything moving that fast can do a lot of damage. All of us have hit ourselves while practicing and you will too. No matter how good you are, you will eventually miss. We do take steps to minimize any risk of injury and most regional practice groups follow these guidelines.
You are invited to preview the beta test version of the whip page http://www.dallasdogsled.com/CowWhip/ Protect Other People
Allow plenty of room for your whip to crack. Avoid horseplay with a whip. Like a firearm they tend to make Murphy's Law the legend that it is. Uncontrolled and unscripted use of a whip can have unpredictable results. Never use a whip where it might pick up dirt or gravel and fling it at someone. A whip can fling bits of overhead branches or ground debris and high speed. Be careful of your surroundings. Protect Yourself Use proper technique. People have been known to get whippers elbow (similar to tennis elbow) and for the same reasons.
Never snap the
whip towards you what may have worked with a wet towel in high school
gym class will hurt you badly with a whip. Eye protection is required. Wear protective clothing. Gloves will prevent blisters on your hands. Ear plugs will make the sound level more comfortable.
When you are not cracking, stay clear of the practice area. Do not enter anyone else's space without warning them. Remember they may be wearing ear plugs so make sure they acknowledge you. Did I mention that eye protection is required? Protect the Whips It is not always necessary to crack the whip as loudly as possible. It is not all that good for the whip and unpleasant for other people nearby. True control of the whip means you can crack it as quietly as you like. Do not use anyone else's whip without permission. When you are not using a whip, do not leave it where someone might tread on it or trip over it. Use proper maintenance techniques. It will make your whip last much longer and there will be less of a chance of bits of fall and cracker flying around the practice area.
A whip well
handled is a thing of beauty and amazement. Proper care and use can give a
lifetime of enjoyment. Store and transport your whips properly.
Whip Terms Note: Different areas and people may use different terms. Be kind to those who disagree. There is no one true way. This is a new sport. -Bullwhip
a popular American style of
whip where the handle and the
-Snakewhip
a short flexible whip
with no solid handle foundation and many are shot loaded. The thong ends
in a fall and cracker like the bullwhip and stockwhip. - Signal Whip a short flexible whip much like a snakewhip but without the fall. The cracker is wolven directly to the fall. - Cow Whip
Often called the Florida Stock Whip. The thong
is tied
- Sled whip A short version of the much longer Cow whip. Often made of nylon for mushing sled dogs through the wet snow the fall is often a part of the thong rather than being tied on. - Stock Whip The connection is the major difference. The thong has a strip of leather or nylon weave that mates to a similar piece on the handle. The stock whip is considered the standard for skill competitions. -Taper the thong of the whip getting smaller and smaller towards the fall attachment - Strand or lace A single strip of leather - Braid when 1 or more pieces of lace are interlaced together -Thong Main body of whip, usually 8-16 strips of leather, nylon, or other material that is braided around the central central core which is covered by other plaites that taper down the length. Many whips my have as many as 6 different layers that make up the thong. -The
Core of a Whip (sometimes the belly)
Often the core is
rolled leather or a single strip of leather that has been skived or
rounded, if a whip has a rope core it will be lightweight and not that
controllable and will be more like a rope covered with a strip of
leather. People often disparage rope core whips for this reason. In
nylon whips the core of a whip is sometimes a single piece of nylon
paracord with the center either not installed or taken out and filled with
either another cord or bb's to give it weight. Sometimes the core is a
shot bag. The core is the very base center of the whip and is what the
whole whip is based around. - Flat, round, square these terms describe the shape of a finished braid and are each mechanically different braids. Usually round braid is used for a whip. Flat braid is what you get with the three plait braid you use on your daughter's hair. -Fall A fall is a strip of leather or nylon that is attached to the end of the whip. On some whips it is the cracker and on others it is used to attach the cracker. -Bolster a covering of material used to smooth and increase the size of a layer of plaiting. -Keeper A fold of leather that is attached to the end of a stock whip handle by twine or leather it is used to hold the thong of the whip to the handle. - Handle Usually the solid part of a bullwhip, stockwhip, cow whip or sled whip. It may be plaited or not. On a bullwhip the thong joins the handle invisibly. On stock whips the handle is attached to the thong with keepers. On a cow whip or sled whip the thong is tied to the handle. -Rawhide The skin of the critter as it comes directly off the animal. It is dried but it is not salted. -Greenhide Made by pegging out a fresh hide and then covering it with a layer of salt and then leaving it to dry for a couple of days. Both greenhide and rawhide harden as they dry and have to be oiled and worked to keep them flexible. -Redhide Used for many basic whips, it is tanned greasy leather that was heavily oiled during the tanning process. -A fid A tool with a sharp point that is used to bring a strand of leather through a gap while braiding. -Tightening The act of pulling and positioning the strand into its final place as you braid. -
Lacing needle Either flat needle split at the back end or a threaded
hollow -Skiving If you are skiving that means that you are cutting away some of the thickness of the strands that you are braiding with down so that they are more even to create a smoother taper.
-Plaiting
"Plaiting"
refers to a method of braiding; "plait" refers to the number of strands -
for example an 8 plait whip will have 4 strands to the left and 4 to the
right. - 'Cracker' or 'popper' Usually a string with a bushy end, that is attached to the end of the fall or thong by one of 101 different ways, that produces the "cracking" sound. Usually the cracker is made from twine, thread, or string and is made of nylon, nomex, kevlar, or poly as the mood may strike you. -
"Crack" or Pop
The
"crack" of a whip is a sonic boom that is the Local Texas Weather
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You
are hereby cautioned that whip cracking is a calculated risk sport and
contains inherent risks and dangers (including serious injury,
disfigurement or dismemberment), that no amount of care, caution,
instruction, or expertise can eliminate. All due regard shall be taken
for common safety and eye protection shall be worn anytime you have a whip
in your hand. Anyone using a whip must be aware of the scope, nature, and
extent of the risks involved in whip cracking. Ouch is the sound of
learning to be sure but take precautions to limit damage to that which
does not require professional repairs. Follows are a few ideas that may
be of some help along these lines.
(illustration from Ron Edwards GREAT book
