Thursday, July 3, 2008

Second whip: The Core

I begun constructing my second whip. Instead of galvanized spike that can't be found in local hardware stores, I used 20cm piece of metal bar that I found from local construction site. Diameter is about 12mm and weight 170g. I made a small taper to it using a saw and a file.



Just like in the tutorial, I have four pieces of paracord, 30cm, 60cm, 90cm and 180cm plus 15cm for the handle, loaded with 30cm, 60cm and 90cm of beaded chain. I placed them evenly around the handle and wrapped with artificial sinew. It's perfect stuff for this. I tied the other end to a bookshelf and winded the handle over the sinew for stronger grip. I finished with five overhand knots.






After that I added the bolster, using electric tape. Since electric tape has some tension when pulled tight, it tends to twist the core into a spiral. Just before taping I rotated the core a quarter turn to same direction I was taping. Then the tension of the tape pulled the core straight. Finally I added some more tape to the end of the handle for smoother taper.



And the result is satisfactory.

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