Here’s the latest stockwhip I’ve made… It is charcoal gray with imperial red highlights, 6ft long with a 20″ half plait handle made from authentic toheti cane from Australia. It really cracks nicely. It has been about a year since I started making stockwhips and they have become one of my favorite products to make and crack. This whip was made for a fellow whipmaker who lives in Louisiana.
Posted in Australian Stockwhip, Whips, nylon whips
I have a new shipment of exotic wood coming in and I am adding a few new species to my line-up! You don’t have to order an entire whip to get an exotic handle. I would be happy to make you a nice, new exotic handle for a cow whip you already own. If you are interested, feel free to email me at rhettswhips @ yahoo.com.
Honey Mesquite:
Zebrawood:
Padauk:
Thanks!
Rhett
Posted in exotic wood, whip handles
As an established whipmaker, I find myself answering lots of questions about making whips. Over the years I have been able to assist at scores of people, some who have gone onto become great whipmakers in their own right. I’ve often considered creating a whipmaking tutorial, but I really haven’t had the time.
Today I am happy to announce that I have teamed up with my friend Steve Huntress at Neawhips.com to promote his “Make A Real Nylon Whip” e-Book. With these instructions, you can build either a 3ft bullwhip or snakewhip. Many people have used successfully Steve’s instructions to build their first whip. The price is just $37.00 and you can make your purchase using the button below.
Photo Credit: Steve Huntress
Posted in nylon whips
Here’s a picture of my latest wood handled bullwhip. It’s an 8 footer with a handle made from Argentine Lignum Vitae with a black, tan, and chocolate thong:
-Rhett
Posted in bullwhips, exotic wood
A nylon cow whip is a pretty tough critter, but sometimes cowboys can be tougher. This week, I had a whip sent to me by a cowboy in Yukon, OK. His old whip needed a new tail (aka tapering twist). I don’t know who originally made it, but it was up to me to fix it anyway. Some might think a whip in this shape is beyond repair, but really it’s not.
This is how older cow whips look when they’re sent in by cowboys who’ve used them hard for many years. As you can see here, the tapered twist is long gone. The nylon that remains is in very poor shape and will need to be replaced as well.
Before I cut it off, the owner had rigged up the end with a popper so he could still use it. Cowboys will normally rig and re-rig until there’s no other choice but to call in a professional.
I suspect this whip started out as a sparkling white, but there’s not much hope it will ever get cleaned, so I will repair it in tan nylon so it will somewhat match the rest of the whip. Often when I tear into an old whip, there will be dust and dirt that has worked into the plaits. Sometimes they even smell like things you find in a stockyard!
When I received it, the whip was less than 9ft long. I unplaited it back to about 7ft, in the middle of the section where the thong was at an 8 plait. I do this because I will begin re-plaiting the whip and gradually change out old material for new. It would be mistake to try to do a bunch of splicing at one spot; the idea is for the repair/transition to be as unnoticeable as possible. If the owner receives his old whip and it works as well -or better- than when it was new, I feel I have succeeded in making a good repair.
It’s always interesting to do this kind of work on whips made by other people because you can see how different plaiters have their own techniques. Blending my ways with theirs is sometimes a challenge. I found that the person who made this whip used yellow tape in the bellies of his whips. Other than that, no major problems while working on this one.
Here’s the finished product! The tapering twist has been restored. Not only was the twist restored, but from the 7ft mark forward, new material begins to replace old so that by the time the thong is back to a 4 plait, there is nothing but new material being plaited. The whip now measures 11ft long and the repair is not all that noticeable to the untrained eye.
A repair like this is normally runs $35-$50, depending on how much trouble I encounter. For some cowboys, this really beats buying a whole new whip. Normally, I’m able to repair every whip that’s sent to me. The majority of the cow whip repairs I do are on whips made by other plaiters and sent in by cowboys who use them on the ranch everyday.
[Update 01/29/2010: Mission Accomplished! The owner of this whip called me a couple of days ago and said he was very pleased with the repair and that his whip was just like new.]
If you have an old cow whip that needs a new tail, give me a call at (912)-685-6759 or email me at rhettswhips@yahoo.com.
-Rhett
Posted in Cow Whips, Whip Care, Whip Repair, nylon whips, whip makers
Something I have been noticing over the last couple of years is really starting to bother me. I’m seeing novice whipmakers on the web and on eBay trying to peddle whips that look like garbage all while proclaiming themselves to be “master whipmakers.”
I’ve been making nylon whips for the better part of 20 years now and I still won’t assign to myself the title of master whipmaker. Why? Because I am always learning! I haven’t mastered all there is to know about whipmaking, so why give myself that title? If others want to call me an artist or a master, I am okay with that: people are entitled to their opinion of me, good or bad. All I do is make the best whip that I know how to make.
Frankly, I believe it is dishonest for a person to self-assign himself the title of master while turning out a product that looks like it was made by a beginner. I’ve seen some of these self-proclaimed masters turn out whips with horrible tapers, lumpy thongs, jacked-up looking turksheads, and big gaps in the plaiting. These are mistakes of a novice, not the work of a master whipmaker.
Here’s a tip for you, something you can apply to crafts of all kinds: A master won’t have to tell you he’s a master, his work and reputation will speak for itself. Some of the most talented craftsmen I know -true masters- are the most humble people I’ve ever met. They’re awesome at what they do, but their ego is not over-inflated. When you look at their work, you can see it was made by someone who knows well their respective craft; they don’t have to say a word. So when you come across a self-proclaimed master -buyer beware!
Posted in Australian Stockwhip, Cow Whips, Leather whips, Rants, Snakewhips, Whips, bullwhips, nylon whips, whip makers
As 2009 now comes to a close, we witness the passing of what will be remembered as a tough year for lots of people. But even in a difficult economy, I’ve seen that people continue to buy whips; thus 2009 was a great year for my business. I had many wonderful customers who provided me with plenty of whip orders to fill even when the hours at my job were lacking. In this final post of the year, I would like to highlight some accomplishments and say thanks.
Here’s some highlights from 2009:
As you can see, 2009 was a busy year. I’m looking forward to what 2010 has in store. I appreciate all the customers who helped make it possible. Thank you so much! You’re the best!
Happy New Year!
-Rhett
I just want to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Posted in Uncategorized
Earlier this year, my son Cordell took an interest in learning how to make whips. After lots of plaiting practice, he made a whip for himself . At that time, he was still 9 year old, beating the age I started plaiting by about 4 years.
In September, he was given an awesome opportunity. A long-time customer of mine needed a sizable order of Florida cow whips and he needed them much sooner than my back-log would allow. I asked him if, for the sake of time, he would be interested in having Cordell make the whips. After sending him a sample whip, the fellow ordered 4 more!
Ather reason we are very excited about this order is because all the whips are destined for a cattle ranch in Cameroon, Africa! According to our customer, this will be the first time whips have been used herding cattle on this ranch. I am hoping we will get some photos of the whips in action in Cameroon. Cordell plaited the whips and we got them mailed out in the nick of time.
As you might imagine, words can hardly express the feeling of being a father and having a son that genuinely wants to learn your craft. Making whips has been very rewarding for me on a number of levels and what my son is doing now is just icing on the cake.
Because of his age, Cordell has many other priorities at this time and only takes order for his whips on a limited basis; I handle the order details and business transactions on his behalf.
Merry Christmas!
-Rhett
Posted in Cow Whips, Whips, family, whip makers
For the last two weeks, I’ve been inundated with calls and emails from folks wanting to buy whips as Christmas gifts. Because of my large backlog of orders, I have not been taking any Christmas orders; I’m currently booked up until Spring.
That being said, there is now one last chance to get a Kelley-made bullwhip before Christmas. The bullwhip you see in the photos is now on eBay.
Happy Bidding!
-Rhett
Posted in Projects, Whips, bullwhips, exotic wood, for sale, nylon whips
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