Andrew:
There are detailed instructions for making your own bullwhip on EM Brand Whips home page. Thanks Bernie.
Here’s a PDF I wrote Make-A-Snake in which I show how you can make a simple snake whip out of nylon braid from the hardware store. It uses only the most basic braiding and takes less than an hour to make, but will do a forward crack quite nicely.
The 1892 book Picturesque Hampden has a section on a whip manufacturer in Westfield, MA, which was the center of the 19th Century US whip industry. Start here and press Next button to read the article. There is one surviving whip company in Westfield using 19th Century whip making equipment.
Hi. I would like 2 knw hw 2 braid leather
Hollie, I suggest you start off with one of the books listed on the books page. If you are specifically interested in whips then Ron Edwards’ book is best for beginners, but for general leather work, Bruce Grant’s book is more comprehensive.
Hey, I followed your “make a snake” ropie plan.
Worked a treat. I used Polyester cored PVC cord similar to washing line instead of nylon rope. For a cracker, instead of tying one on, I stripped off the pvc from the core/thong at about 1.5″ and let it fluff. Instantly crackable but still usable for impact 🙂 Thank you so evil yet so pretty 🙂
It has been fun making this, until now I had been practicing with making a traditional style multi belly whip using folded duct tape instead of leather or paracord. Once I finish the 8 plait overlay I will have to hope that it plays as well a the “ropie” 🙂