I just sent out this amazing Tibetan Wave to a man named Randal. I have emailed briefly with him and he seems like a great guy. He is the owner of Bayside martial arts studio in Los Osos CA. Check them out, they look like they have a lot of fun. This shows the colors after the waxing process... just beautiful!
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Many of you who know me in person, know that I have a daughter with Classic autism. Classic autism means that it is the more severe kind of autism.
K is an Angel... She doesn't speak but she is fluent in sign language. She has infectious laughter and makes friends everywhere she goes. K loves to make colorful art work and to make wonderful dishes in the kitchen and fills our house with beautiful amazing things. I homeschool her so that she can get the most attention possible. Lets face it, nobody is going to push you as hard as your Mom will. Our days are filled with Speech therapy, Occupational therapy and Physical therapy as well as other treatments. I know what you are thinking... "what does this have to do with my whip???". I just wanted you to know that every penny from your whip goes to support this beautiful Angel and pay for her many treatments. Not only will you get a great whip, you will get good Karma as well! I just finished up this beautiful Dragon's tail for a very special man named John. This one is super special because it is one of 4 made that doesn't have a plain checkerboard handle. This one is my favorite Dragon tail I have done so far.
I love these pictures because they show the color of the imperial red after the wax. I think it is so rich and beautiful. John, I hope you get many years of enjoyment out of this! Thanks for the support. xox ![]() When I was a little kid I was fascinated by my Dad's leather tools. He had all kinds of stamps and punches. I remember how the leather smelled and how awesome it was when he would let me make designs on a scrap. It was so satisfying to be allowed to whack something really hard with the wooden mallet. My most prized possession was a leather bracelet that he made me with my initials and some flowers on it. He made the most beautiful belts and bags and everyone was more amazing than the last. At some point he started making bridles for horses. I remember setting at his feet in front of the fireplace as he created beautiful works of art out of nothing more than laces. When I ordered Leather Braiding by Bruce Grant I didn't know what it looked like. I just thought it would be a good resource for my library. When it finally came and I opened the box... a million sweet memories flooded over me. This is the same book that my dad had years ago. I remember him examining the diagrams and tying all kinds of beautiful knots... that we were forbidden from distracting him while he was in the middle of tying. Leather Braiding is not a book about making whips. It teaches flat braids, round braids, different ways to attach things with leather and lots of beautiful knots. It has some projects that will work for every skill level. Form simple braided belts to complicated headstalls, this book does teach how to braid leather. Not to worry if you use paracord! The knots work no matter the material. If you are just starting out and want a project that is a little less intimidating than a whip, I highly recommend this book. The Tibetan wave Trilogy are the official 3 whips approved by Master Ron Lew for his Tibetan Wave martial arts.
On thing I really love about Nylon Whips is how colorful they are. If you can dream up a color combination, you can have it! The original Tibetan Wave whip is a beautiful intricate work of art. Its black, red and purple and sure to get you noticed. The Dragon's Tail is a simple design, of stunning red and black, made in honor of Tom Meadows. He wanted something without all the bells an whistles but still amazing. The Phoenix Tongue is a girly, blushing Beauty. Made from rose pink and kelly green. I think the green gives it just enough edginess that the guys could be comfortable using it too. Lets check out the pictures!!! I'm excited because I received my business cards today. I think they turned out cute. They are all business and contact info on the front and my Whip Girl on the back. Yay!
![]() I wax all my nylon whips using the submersion method. That means I boil up a big pot of paraffin and bees wax and dip the whips all the way in till they stop bubbling. Ok, it isn't exactly boiling. It is more like 220 degrees. That is just barely melted really. It isn't hot enough to damage the nylon. I found this used canning pot on amazon for 5 bucks and thought it would be great for dipping whips. It is a good size, but if I ever find something a big bigger I will snatch it up. The nice thing is I has a lid so I can keep the wax clean. If you look closely at this picture you can see the air bubbling to the top. When the nylon in the whips has absorbed a much of the wax as it can, I hang it up to cool. At first the whip is all stiff and curled into the shape of the pot. I take a towel and whip off the excess and pull the whips strait again. I like to let them hang over night just to make sure they completely cooled down. A lot of people don't wax their nylon whips at all or they just rub a bit of wax on the outside. A lot of nylon whips are build with massive amounts of electrical tape instead of bolsters. If you submerge them in hot wax the glue will be compromised and stop sticking... making the whip loose its support.
I don't use tape and so avoid that problem. The wax adds a layer of protection to the whip. It makes it water proof and protects against fraying and abrasion. I personally love how the wax makes the whip feel. Instead of a dead plastic feel, the whips seems more alive and closer to the feel you get with leather. (Not exactly but closer) It also seems to allow the whips to break in to the way you move better than with out wax. I love the wax and am always excited on the days that I get to dip a big batch of whips. The Phoenix Tongue is part of the Tibetan Wave trilogy. When Ron designed these whips, he wanted one that was a little softer and more girly. The pink and green are the answer to this. Don't be fooled by this blushing whip! It has the same inner design as the Tibetan Wave and will work every bit as hard.
I just finished up this whip and set it down on the table. When I turned back around and looked... it was gone. It turned out that my daughter had taken it for a test drive. She must have played with it for an hour. I think I know what is going to be in her Christmas stocking this year. Ok, enough with the talking! Lets see the pretty pictures! ![]() I just received part of a big paracord order. The UPS man actually ask me if I had ordered a box of rocks. A few months ago a fellow whipmaker generously gave me the name of his paracord supplier. E.L. Wood Braiding company is awesome. I emailed them and they not only emailed me back but Ron gave me a call and helped me set up an account and make an order. I was just thrilled with the costumer care and service. Ron told me that they are a small family owned business and that they like supporting small family business like mine. I could tell that he had thoroughly checked out my website before he called because he had some intelligent questions. He was so great to answer all my questions in great detail and go over the pricing with me. There is a minimum of $500 an order which at first sounds really big but when you think about how much you save in the process it is worth it. I had a really great experience with them and I would recommend them to anybody else looking for a good paracord supplier. Go check them out! ![]() I was so excited to get this book. Whips and whip making by David Morgan..... David Morgan. It must be filled with all kinds of goodies that no one else knows and insights to the man himself. Yay! Well.... not so much. What I love about the book is there are lots of photos and drawings of different kinds of whips and some of the whip making process. I like that I felt like I knew more about whips from all over the world and had a good working knowledge of the whipmaking vocabulary after I finished. David plays his cards really close to his body. He isn't going to give you his secrets. Its no surprise that he isn't handing out all his unique trade secrets but he doesn't throw out any bones either. I felt sad, that after reading this book, I didn't know much more about David or his personality. He holds the reader at arms length. Whips and Whipmaking reads more like a collection of terms and definitions. You get the standard answer of what something is without any personal thoughts about it. This book is not going to teach you HOW to build a whip, but it will teach you how to talk about building a whip if you can get someone to have that conversation with you. So, there is my 2 cents worth. Bottom line- Get this book if you already have a collection of whip books. You are going to want David Morgan to round out your library. If you want to learn How to make whips, maybe go for a different book first. The Tibetan Wave is a streamlined work of art Created for Whip Maestro Ron Lew for his Tibetan Wave martial arts. You can read all about it and see Ron's comments on it here.
Here is a closer look at it. The Dragon's Tail is one of the Tibetan Wave™ Trilogy. It has a simpler overlay design than the Official Tibetan Wave™ but it is stunningly beautiful because of the colors. Imperial Red is fast becoming my very favorite color on whips. It is a deep red that is more on the cool side of the color wheel. I finished this whip up last night and took it out to play this morning. It is super fast and fun. I most definitely need my very own Dragon's Tail. edit* The following are picture of the official handle pattern.
![]() I have always been into stones and gems. I remember finding treasure everywhere when I was a kid. Here in the desert you can find quartz, amethyst, citrine, calcite and selenite just scattered on the ground after a rain storm. When I started making whips I wanted to put a little personal touch on them with some gems. I just received a shipment of beautiful gem and shell cabochons to use on my end knots. I'm so happy with them. They all sparkle and shine. The golden shell in particular is a real eye catcher.
When I received my first roo whip it came with this huge laundry list of things never to do to it. Don't get it wet, don't let it get too dry, don't crack it on cement, pavement, gravel... Don't hit objects with it and don't attempt to swing on it like Tarzan!
One of the things I love the very most about nylon whips is that we can toss most of those rules out the window. Except the swinging on it one. I only recommend doing that if your life depends on it. I tie those fall knots pretty tight.... It may hold you but it will damage the end of your whip. Then all you will have a an expensive paper weight on your hands. Feel free to crack it on wet grass or even in a rain storm. I live in the desert and have no problems cracking it in the sand. If your whip gets dirty or grass stained just use a soft brush and a little tiny bit of dish soap (not dawn) to clean it. When cleaning your whip make sure to use COLD water so you do accidentally melt out the wax. One thing to remember about your HolyOak nylon whip is that it has been dipped in a mixture of paraffin and bees wax. When you first get it, the excess may flake of a bit and that is totally normal and will go away quickly. Just wipe it down with a towel after you have given it a few cracks to encourage all the wax to come off. Most of the whips don't flake but a few of them will. That depends mostly on the temperature of the air on the day that I waxed it. Because of the wax, you don't want to store your whip in a hot area like the back seat of your car or over a heater vent. That wax will melt out and most likely ruin your seat or carpet! Some people like their whip rewaxed from time to time and I am more than happy to do that for you or walk you through the steps to do it yourself. Don't store you whip where it will be in the sun. Over time the sun can fade the colors. Cracking your nylon whip on asphalt, concrete and (if you live in Moab) slick rock is not the best choice because of how abrasive it can be. If you do crack on those surfaces, try to keep your movements on a higher plane so your whip doesn't drag so much. After you are done working on an abrasive surface, I recommend thoroughly checking your whip for wear. If you see little fuzz on your whip in places lightly go over it with a lighter to burn them off. Don't hold the heat in on place too long or that will melt you paracord. The end of the fall will also need re-melted from time to time depending on how you use your whip. That is as simple as melting the tip with a lighter and pinching it with your fingers or between two flat surfaces. (take care not to burn yourself!) Smooth surfaces like the floor in a gym or dance studio are perfect and will not hurt your whip. When not in use, keep you whip loosely coiled in the natural position. My whips have two curves in the thong. One way the curve is really big and that is called the aligned position. When holding it the other way the curve of the thong is smaller called the natural position. The most important thing to remember is your whip is made to be played with a lot. So, use your whip as much as you can and have so much fun! Remember to use your safety gear so the fun doesn't have to end. |
Bobbi
I wear a lot of hats! I'm a homeschool Mom, Autism advocate, Jewelry maker, cosmetologist, gardener, spiritual adviser....and happy to be a Full time Whipstress whip-maker of HolyOak Whips. How to care for your whip
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June 2020
"One small crack does not mean that you are broken, It means you were put to the test and didn't fall apart."
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