How to Order Something From Mojave Outliers Whipmakers

February 20, 2015 by DesertMinx

Yes, I am now accepting custom orders again, yay! However, I’ve made changes from how I was doing it before, so read carefully.

I’ve invented what I call my “Interested Parties” list. On this list I take down your contact information and a description of the whip you’d like me to build for you. Then, when I’m ready to start your build, I contact you to find out if you’re still interested. No money changes hands, and in the meantime, you’re free to shop with other whip makers if you like. Once I’ve completed your build, THEN I will send you a PayPal invoice.

My queue is longish, varying between 8 months to a year (and sometimes longer, especially during the holiday season for instance), which is actually pretty normal for whip makers. Part of the time I spend in my shop I build smaller spec items, because this helps me even out the cash flow in between custom orders. The idea behind the “Interested Parties” list is to keep us both flexible. I need to be able to control my work flow, and naturally you need to control your cash flow, so not having a debt between us until I’m ready to ship seems to me the best way to go. What this translates to is that if you’re on my “Interested Parties” list, that doesn’t mean there’s a contract between us such that I’m going to build your whip by a specific date, it just means that I’ll check that list FIRST before I do my next build. The advantage to you is that you’re not out a bunch of cash at the outset (some folks use the wait time to save up for their whip, which I think is quite clever), and you’re not “locked in” to your purchase with me–you can shop if you like, as I said above.

Naturally if you have questions about this, send me an email at desert.minx@mojaveoutliers.com. And if you’d like to place a custom order, why, then send me an email at desert.minx@mojaveoutliers.com, and we’ll get your details sorted!

Copy and paste version: desert.minx@mojaveoutliers.com

Payments and Shipping

October 19, 2014 by DesertMinx

Payment is via PayPal, so don’t worry about sending a payment until after you and I have talked and sorted out all the details. I can give you a quote for your build, of course, but typically I don’t send an invoice until I’m ready to start your build. I can also give you an idea of what the shipping will be, but since the post office tends to raise its rates pretty much by surprise, then when I actually send you the invoice, I will re-calculate the shipping at that time. If there is a change in shipping costs, I’ll make sure you’re aware of it. Naturally, the invoice needs to be paid in full before I ship your whip to you.

As for shipping, domestically so far I use the United States Postal Service (USPS) exclusively. For tiny items (like the Baby Basilisk) I can ship First Class, but for most everything else I use Priority Mail, which includes tracking and tends to be a lot faster.

For international shipping, I use USPS Priority Mail International, which takes about 6 to 10 days to deliver. While the package is traveling in the US, you can track it using the USPS postal tracking site. Once it crosses the border, then in MOST cases you can simply use that country’s postal service to track the package using the same tracking number (which also happens to be the customs form number). I do NOT use First Class for international shipping, because they HAVE lost packages when I’ve done so.

International shipping also entails customs and other taxes for you, the receiver, based on the declared value of the item you’re receiving, payment of which is between you and your customs officials. Please do not ask me to risk my livelihood by fudging the numbers on the customs form for your order.

As always, if you have questions, please don’t hesitate to ask!

Kangaroo Leather Baby Basilisk Mini Dragon’s Tongue

October 18, 2014 by DesertMinx

And here we have a spot for weird funky stuff that (so far) doesn’t fit anywhere else.

Presenting the Baby Basilisk! A dainty morsel that packs a serious sting, and leaves welts effortlessly.

I found this out by accident when my partner snapped me on the arm with a piece of scrap motorcycle leather. We could still see the mark two days later (and yeah, you should see the other guy). Of course I jumped into the Walter Mitty R&D Lab immediately, and came up with this.

A teeny tiny dragon’s tongue! It’s modeled after my flogger handles (please note that I recently stopped offering floggers in favor of focusing on making whips), but in miniature: the handle is 5 inches long, shot-loaded, 12 plaited in kangaroo hide, with red heel and tail knots and a short flat braid hanger. The tail itself, about 11 inches long, is “motorcycle garment” cowhide–very soft and supple. But when cut in the classic elongated Queen of Spades shape, and snapped perkily, there is NOTHING soft about it! Hence the Basilisk soubriquet.

Mojave Outliers Whipmakers Baby Basilisk dragon's tongue long 150

Available now, a Baby Basilisk. The handle is a scaled down version of my flogger handles, 5 inches long, shot loaded, 12 plaited in black and red kangaroo hide. The tongue is about 11 inches long, cut from “motorcycle garment” cowhide, $75.00.

Make sure you have a bag of frozen peas handy.

In any case, this is a very nice, close quarters, tender parts instrument for $75.00.

Naturally, you can have one custom-made, just bear in mind that I only do Baby Basilisks on spec. Just send me an email, and I’ll note down your interest–then when I’m ready to make another batch, I’ll contact you to make sure you’re still interested.

Copy and paste version: desert.minx@mojaveoutliers.com

Also, bling happens! For an extra $5 bucks, you can add up to three synthesized crystal rhinestones to your Basilisk, like this:

Kangaroo Leather Cat o’nine tails & Western Quirts

October 18, 2014 by DesertMinx

Copy and paste version: desert.minx@mojaveoutliers.com

First, the pricing and ordering information just to keep things easy to find! Details about cats and quirts follows. (NOTE: For Dog Quirts, scroll down the page a bit.)

	Cat o’nine tails	Western Quirt

12 plait	Not Available* (see below)	$220
16 plait	$475	$250
16 plait spiral	$525	$350
24 plait spiral	$850	$425

(*I can’t offer a Cat at 12 plait, because in order to have the right number of strands to plait the tails continuous with the handle, the overlay AND the plaited belly MUST be at 16 plait each. If you’re confused, just send me an email, and I’ll go into more detail. OR, read below about the construction of a Cat, because that might clear it up for you–but don’t worry anyway, because I absolutely do NOT mind answering questions!)

Next, a link to a blog I wrote on the CONSTRUCTION of a cat o’nine tails, just in case you’re wondering about the number of clams it takes to pry one out of me:

Birth of a Felinus Feline

Mojave Outliers Whipmakers Cat o nine tails for Love Revolution

12 plait spiral cat o’nine tails, roughly 4 feet long; tails are 24-26 inches, handle is about 18-20 inches, black kangaroo hide on the handle with red kangaroo hide tails in a 4 plait round braid–nine of them, of course!

The cat o’nine tails pictured in the photo above is a 20 strand plait model; the handle is solid black with a pineapple knot at each end, and the tails are red and black kangaroo leather. The handle is flexible (though still satisfyingly rigid), about 18 inches long (not counting the wrist strap), just under an inch in diameter at the butt end, and has a shot loaded core. The nine tails are each a 4 strand round plait about 20 inches long total, ending in half hitch knots with the last additional 6 inches or so fanning out into lovely leather lace.

Mojave Outliers Whipmakers Blue and Roan Cat o nine tails

This cat was plaited using the “spiral” method, in an “Egyptian” motif.

Western Quirts are made quite similarly to the Cat o’nine tails, except of course there is a leather split braided slapper on the end in place of the tails, or I can create an 8 plait loop at the end of the handle and bend the slapper through, securing it with a small screw back concho (see photos below)…

This is an example of a quirt with an 8 strand plaited loop and a slapper bent through it secured with a screw back concho.

Detail shot of the front side of the slapper.

Detail of the back side of the slapper…

And these are my Dog Quirts.

I got the idea from a client who wanted a David Morgan dog quirt, but the David Morgan website didn’t have them available. So, I decided to take a stab at it. It’s based loosely off my Budget Boudoir mini snake whip design. These are 25″ long, with an 18″ inch double lash made of latigo, at 16 plait rather than 12 plait. You can order one of these, but the only thing you can change on the specs is the color of the kangaroo leather on the overlay. Since the thong is flexible to the heel, it’s not really suitable for a high plait count spiral. I plait the heel end of the thong in short herringbone, transitioning to regular herringbone on the latter portion of the thong. AND, I include a 5 strand flat braid. I LOVE these things! The build turned out really well–these feel wonderful in the hand, and are very accurate. These are $230 plus shipping. If you’d like one for your very own, just shoot me an email at desert.minx@mojaveoutliers.com.

Have a look at some pics!