Nell Report post Posted June 25, 2010 Hey there! I am brand new to the forum, as I joined yesterday. I have been interested in making a whip for a few weeks now, and have finally got around to collecting most of my supplies. Just today I put together a shotbag and wrapped a leather bolster over it. I wanted to cut my own laces, but as of right now I am solely relying on leather scraps my housemate generously donated to me, and it's hard to get big enough scraps for cutting laces. So, my question: I found precuts laces on Tandy Leather and am tempted to buy them instead. But I don't know enough about leather quality and type to tell if this is strong enough or durable enough for whip braiding. Any opinions? Has anyone used this particular lace for whip braiding? Thanks in advance for any advice you can lend! Cheers, nell Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
scotth Report post Posted August 12, 2010 Hi Nell, That type of lace may be alright as far as practicing your braiding technique. As for use in actually making your whip, I would not consider it a wise choise. Remember, as you work a strand for whip making, you're putting good amount of pressure on it when pulling it into place. Each strand constricts the insides they are covering. I'm sure you'll end up with broken strands and much frustration. One other thing to keep in mind is that for work up to about 16 strands or so, you must taper each strand in addition to dropping them as the plaiting progresses. I'm not sure of your plaiting experience but if you're just starting out, my advice would be to go ahead and order the lace and practice braiding 4,6,8,12 plait work. You can use different sized wood dowels or a bit of rope purchased from Lowes or Home Depot as your core. This way you don't have to worry about pulling the strands as hard as with a leather core. And, since the diameter is consistant, you don't need to worry about tapering strands. You can also practice different knots that are used for transition and handle knob coverings. For your shot bag, your best bet is to order a roo hide or perhaps kip. Although many pros cut lace by hand, many others use stranders with great results. If you haven't yet, a must purchase is David Morgans Whips and Whipmaking and Braiding Fine Leather. Here is a link to his site: http://www.davidmorg...?keywords=books I hope this helps you out. Regards, Scott Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
