Bullwhips with Andrew Conway
May 1999
AndrewConway suffers from stage fright ;-)
MistressKim grins. It's 10:00 IR time, and we all know how anal I am. Tonight
we're very honored to have Andrew Conway join us. If you've seen http://www.bullwhip.org you know what a great
informational site it is. Not to mention, it's free, valuable information.
Andrew has graciously agreed to spend an hour with us, so that you can ask the
specific questions you have. How much better does it get than that? And if you don't
have questions, I do. <grin> Without further delay, please welcome Andrew
Conway!
AndrewConway says: Hello, everyone. First of all, if anyone would like to see me as I type, my webcam is running at http://www.bullwhip.org/cam/ I have some canned stuff for you to read, and then we can have a general discussion...
AndrewConway says: For me a bullwhip is the ultimate toy. The first
time I held one, I felt like I was holding a
living thing, and a feisty one at that. The slightest motion of the handle made the far
end of the whip thrash wildly. A bullwhip is a motion amplifier - move the fat end,
and the skinny end mirrors that motion a hundred times faster. Change the direction of the
handle in just the right way, and you can send a loop rolling down the whip at an ever
increasing rate, until the tiny tassel at the far end slices through the air faster than
the speed of sound. The crack of the bullwhip is a miniature sonic boom. What other toy
goes at nine hundred miles an hour?
AndrewConway says: Whip cracking may go back to the dinosaurs. Recent computer modeling by cyberpaleontologist Nathan Myhrvold (whose day job is head of basic research at Microsoft) shows that the Apatosaurus may have been able to crack its tail like a whip - but with two thousand times the energy. Myhrvold believes that this was not done to attack enemies, but for sexual display, to attract a mate. "Most of the outlandish things that animals have done are due to sexual selection," he says. I don't know about dinosaurs, but it's certainly true here in San Francisco.
AndrewConway says: A serviceable whip for a beginner will cost sixty bucks, or you can make one yourself with five dollars of nylon braid from the hardware store. The finest whips are made out of kangaroo hide, an amazingly strong, dense and durable leather. It can take a master craftsman many days to make a great whip, which will sell for hundreds of dollars. Joe Wheeler is one of those craftsmen. "When I braided my first whip, I already had calluses on my hands, but they soon cracked and started bleeding," he told me. "An old whip maker told me I had to learn to braid without getting any blood on the leather." Joe does not advertise, he does not have a catalog or even a web page, yet from word of mouth there is a three-month waiting list for his whips. He makes his own tools, taking up to a week over a single blade. If he is in a hurry he will cut leather with a disposable surgical scalpel, but his knives are sharper than that. Even his scissors are sharp enough to shave with. He cuts the leather into parallel strips, avoiding the bullet holes in the hide, and weaves them together around a central core which is itself a small whip. Sometimes a strand gets twisted, and he has to undo his work to fix the problem. "It's hard to see what your are doing with black leather," he explains, "but of course, everyone wants black whips." He deftly twists together nylon and Kevlar to make a popper, the tip of a whip, the part that breaks the sound barrier. "The Kevlar is good for cutting," he says, "but it's too brittle, so the nylon adds strength." Kevlar is used to make bullet proof vests, but it can't take the stress of being part of a bullwhip.
AndrewConway says: I have different whips for different effects. A twelve-foot whip for wrapping people, an eight-foot for overhead cracks, and a four-foot whip for rapid fire multiple cracks mixed with throws and catches. I'm currently waiting for Joe to make me a matched pair of five-foot whips for two handed work and targeting. And waiting, and waiting... Well, that's enough of the canned commentary. Any questions or topics for discussion?
darius asks: what first sparked your interest in whips?
AndrewConway says: I'm a juggler, and my friend Karen Quest, who does a cowgirl act, sold
me a whip at a juggling festival. Of course, I'm interested in the SM aspects, too -
though Karen isn't. My wife is not into pain, so when we play with the whips, it is
mostly wraps and psycological stuff.
MistressKim asks: Can you explain "wraps"?
AndrewConway says: A wrap is a move where the whip cracks before it hits the victim... and
then wraps several times around their body without hurting them. All the energy is
expended in the crack so the impact is harmless. You very orten see this as a stunt in
movies. I have a 12 foot whip I like to use for wrapping people :-)
MsMarla asks: How much time did you spend practicing before you felt
confident aiming toward a person?
AndrewConway asks: I'm trying to remember. Maybe 100 hours? I use long whips...
so it's harder to be accurate than with the short snake whips that are popular in
SM
MsMarla says: wow...seems like nothing
TomDLux asks: You mentioned nylon cheapies .... I haven't seen
anything like that ... It's a homemade job? Are there directions somewhere?
AndrewConway exclaims: Oh, yes, the little nylon snake! If you have RealPlayer
there's a video of how to do that... starring yours truely... http://www.juggling.org/~conway/video/snake.html
It costs about five bucks and takes an hour or so the first
time you try.
MistressKim asks: Do you recommend making the first whip or
purchasing? Does making it put one "more in tune" or something with it?
Cuz I'm lazy.
darius says: that's why You have subs, MK *grin*
AndrewConway says: If you can afford it, pay the money and get the best whip you can buy
from a whipmaker you trust. If you have no money or you are not sure if you are
really into whips then make your own.
MsMarla asks: Is there any way that you can damage your first one,
as a beginner?
AndrewConway says: Yes, you can damage a whip if you mistreat it or don't look after it
properly. Hang on, I have some canned stuff on that, I think The basics are not to
bend it more than it wants to go, not to crack it too loudly, don't get it wet, don't
leave it in the sun and give it some fatty conditioner every six months. Don't use
oil, use saddle soap or tallow... yes,
TomDLux says: What about cleaning it after use, disinfecting, etc.
AndrewConway says: The safest thing to do is only use one whip per person if you plan to
draw blood. Most ways of disinfecting a whip are also bad for the leather. However,
I have heard of an antiseptic spray called Staffine. Joe Wheeler says "It's a
20oz. aerosol spray, and it kills HIV after 30 seconds. It's also colorless which is very
important for the whip. You may use it only on the cracker or you may use it on the
leather as well. If you spray part of the fall of the whip, make sure you spray the whole
length. You don't want to discolor just one part."
MsMarla asks: Again, for a beginner, once one has acquired a
bullwhip... what would you recommend as a reference for learning technique to practice?
AndrewConway says: There are some instructions in the bullwhip FAQ. The forward crack is
the safest thing to learn first, but the sidearm crack is more useful for SM. I have
also heard good things about Anthony DiLongis' videos
MistressKim asks: I am wondering if you can tell us what you use
personally for the fatty stuff to keep the whips in good shape?
AndrewConway says: I used to use saddle soap, but I finally cornered Joe W. and got him to
give me a pot of tallow, which he brews from mutton fat and other less wholesome
ingredients... apparently his whole house stinks of dead sheep for a day while he is
making it :-(
TomDLux says: I don't know whether it is right for whips, but I was told to use beeswax on
my Hungarian riding boot
AndrewConway says: Beeswax would probably be OK. The thing to avoid is the oily stuff,
which softens the leather but also makes it weaker.
MsMarla asks: So... harder is better? :)
AndrewConway says: A whip will gradually soften as you use it. If you try to break it in
too fast, either by oiling it or by excessive bending, it will wear out faster...There's
also something which is usually called 'life.' Roughly, it's how readily the tip of
the whip responds to movements of the handle...If the whip is too soft, it will soon lose
it's life. (The whip you make from the Make-A-Snake video is WAY too soft, by the way, but
it does work)
MistressKim asks: I've gotten a lot of private whispers saying how
scary it seems. Tell us how it is for someone to have the bullwhip used on them?
Have you ever experienced it?
AndrewConway exclaims: Yes, my friend Joel told me that if I expected to dish it out, I
should feel it first! Sting. Lots of sting! Of course, if you want thud, you
can use the other end
MsMarla asks: Would you recommend making a soft one first to
practice with?
AndrewConway says: No. The bit that hits you is soft, it's just a little nylon tassel. It
hurts becasue it is going so fast. You could cut the skin open jst as easily with a soft
whip.
maia says: this one would like to know the appropriate attire to
protect one if she is the object of this Practice
AndrewConway says: It depends how good your top is... dress for riding a motorcycle if
they're a beginner :-)
maia giggles
AndrewConway says: Wear as little as you can if they are good
TomDLux says: I made a sort-of-a-whip from leather shoelaces, using
the braid you make plastic bracelets with when you are ten .. starting with eight laces
and working it down to three ... it's LIKE a whip and doesn't travel at 750 mph... I'll
demonstrate the next time I see you, MK
darius grins. MK under the whip... *giggle*
MistressKim says: oh boy.
MsMarla asks: What length would you recommend for a first whip?
MsMarla whispers...long is good for him because he's practiced! :) I, on the
other hand, have no practice but an incredible fascination!
AndrewConway says: Good question. If you have room to practice I would suggest something
in the six to eight foot range.
MsMarla says: Ooo.. thank you.
AndrewConway says: Shorter whips than that are a little more dangerous for a beginner, as
they move so fast and can flick back in your face in no time. However, for space
reasons many people like to start with a four foot snake
MistressKim says: I was fortunate enough to receive a private lesson
at BR98. After about an hour of work, I cracked the darn thing THREE times. I walked
away from it frustrated and disgusted and thought I sucked. How much does the
average person have to work to get it cracking consistently? Keep in mind I'm obviously
not a natural.
AndrewConway says: Some people get it right away, and some people take a few hours. It
helps if you have a good coach and can follow instructions. Some cracks take many
hundreds of hours to master
darius asks: When i was in my teens, a friend had a whip about 10 ft
long..i borrowed it from him and played with it for about a week...In that time, i learnt
one thing...Ears and the back of ones head are EXTREMELY painful when cracked with a
whip...Is there anyway to minimise that initial "learning experience"?
AndrewConway exclaims: I suggest safety goggles and a hat with a stiff brim all the way
round. Think Cowboy!
MsMarla asks: Okay, sorry to go back...but my first whip... :) Is 4'
too dangerous? Or is it controllable enough to learn from?
AndrewConway says: Oh, yes, a 4 foot whip will be fine, but I do suggest you wear eye
protection when you are starting out. I know of one person who hit herself in the eye and
did not get her vision back to normal till the next day, and several others who have
welted their faces.
AndrewConway exclaims: Thank you all for making me so welcome!
MistressKim says: I'd like to thank Andrew Conway for his generous gift of time and
experience tonight...I'd also like to remind you all that he has a wonderful web site at http://www.bullwhip.org You must check it out, if
you haven't already! Thank you so much Andrew, and we hope you'll come visit again!
AndrewConway says: Thank you and goodnight.
Claudia claps!
Ariakan applauds
Samantha claps loudly for Andrew Samantha says: it was wonderful
polymorph applauds
darius exclaims: thank you! it was VERY informative :)
maia claps
AndrewConway blushes and bows
maia smiles
MistressKim exclaims: This will be in the Library soon! If you missed a part of it, you'll
be able to see it there!