The whip in the photos is being sent to the 2012 U.K. Whip Cracking Convention. I decided to use that venue to debut my newest handle option for my tried and true line of nylon cow whips.
Cow whips with plaited handles are not a new thing. There’s several makers who produce them and sell them with various brand names, sometimes they are even called stockwhips. Normally these whips feature a PCV pipe that has been painted, a design I believe as been attributed to a plaiter named Chris Hall in Florida. Though I’ve never handled one, I hear the whips perform quite well and have gained quite a following.
I once experimented with making a PVC handle and was not satisfied with the results. I tossed it in the trash can and decided to stay off of the pipe whip bandwagon and stick to turning wood. Though it wasn’t for me, I like the pipe whip design in that it allows people to make a nice cow whip even if they lack the equipment to turn wood handles. Some of my DVD students have done this with much success. My variation on this combines the best of both worlds: A nice plaited grip on handle and the beauty of wood.
The 16″ plaited handle is made from ash and weighs a mere 4.2 ounces! It’s covered with a 16 strand checkerboard plait that ends with a 7part, 6 bight turkshead knot that won’t slip during use. This option will be available on all cow whip orders at an additional cost
Contact me with any questions or to order yours today!
Thanks for stopping in!
Rhett Kelley
Whipmaker
Synthetic and Supersonic 
July 23rd, 2012 at 7:36 pm
[…] laminates will generally include a turning fee of $25.00 plus the cost of the wood and shipping. New for 2012 is my unique line of half plaited cow whip handles. Call or email for a quote as exotic wood prices and availability may […]