How to "break-in" bullwhips, signalwhips and snakewhips
.
A well made whip with a tight braid will be rather stiff when new
and will need to be gradually broken in. The best way to "break
in" a
whip is to use it. A great whip will have a lot of "life" in
it. This means you won't have to work hard to get it to react. And
it will do what you want with very little effort. You can say a whip
is truly "yours" when you have infused it with enough of
your own energy to the point that it feels like an extension of your
mind,
body and spirit. When you "break in" a whip you're not
just trying to get it soft and pliable. You're also forming a relationship
with the whip. One where you learn to move in harmony with the whip.
You can reach out and turn on a light switch without having to consciously
aim. Right? Good whip work is like that too. You just look at your
target and the whip goes there.
Resist the temptation to speed up the process by applying Neatsfoot
Oil or Lexall to the thong, or by forcing it unduly. I can't tell
you how many times I have seen people take a new whip and start cranking
it back and forth in their hands to get it soft and pliable. I don't
know who is telling them to do that but it just ain't right. Such
practices will stretch the leather too harshly, shortening the life
of the
whip. It also causes the laces to stretch unevenly. This is important
because a braided whip is a dynamic thing. The laces in the whip
will stretch to fit the way your body works.As you break it in the
whip will adjust it's self dynamically to your muscles and the way
you throw the whip making it distinctively your. This is how you
form the relationship with the whip. It is also why when you pick
up a whip that has been broken in through use by somebody else it
will feel strange in your hands. In the case of shot loaded whips.
Forcing your whip into too tight
a coil could rupture the shot sack. In short, the best way to "Break
In" a new whip is to use
it ...... Nuff Said
