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!

Again, if you’re interested, just shoot me an email at desert.minx@mojaveoutliers.com!

Trade In Your Whip (or crop, quirt, etc.)!

October 17, 2014 by DesertMinx

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

For those of you who have purchased a Budget Boudoir mini pocket snake whip (or any of my whips, really) and find that you’ve outgrown it, you can return it to me for a credit against a new whip purchase. Trade in value will of course depend on the age and condition of the whip, and for a Budget Boudoir whip I expect the trade in value will range between $25 to $100 towards a new whip (no cash, sorry, I don’t have any of that stuff!). Others of my whips will be evaluated on an individual basis.

IF you have a whip made by someone ELSE you would like me to consider for a trade in towards the value of a new whip from me, feel free to ask me about it. And yes, I do like the odd bit of weird vintage stuff, so don’t be shy!

Typically what I like is for you to send me pictures of your whip to start with; if it looks like it might be workable then at that point I’ll have you ship it to me for a final appraisal. When you take pics, give me a shot of the whole whip, loosely arranged with no hidden bits (as best you can manage), as well as detail shots of the handle and heel knot, thong, tail, fall (if applicable) and cracker areas of the whip.

Whether or not I accept a whip for trade in will depend solely on my appraisal of the whip in person. If I decide, once I examine the whip in person, that the whip is not suitable as a trade in, I’ll let you know and ship it back to you on my nickel. If I do find it workable, then the figure I offer is final (no dickering!). If you decide you would prefer to keep your whip after I’ve given you a trade in figure, that’s of course no problem; again, I’ll ship it back to you.

If and as traded in whips become available, assuming I don’t keep it for myself, and AFTER I’ve made any repairs and reconditioned them, I will offer it for sale on the Ready Now Gallery (see left side menu), so keep an eye peeled if you’re looking for a nice whip on a budget!

Kangaroo Leather Snake Whips

September 13, 2014 by DesertMinx

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

First, of course, the pricing chart and ordering instructions just to keep things easy to find. Details about snake whips follows. The first chart is for “pocket” snake whips, at 5 feet or less, all of which are shot loaded. The second chart is for full-sized snake whips, starting at 6 feet, which, since they are full sized, are naturally weighted.

You will observe that the 3ft whips are ONLY available in 16 plait. Higher plait counts are available for longer whips.

“Pocket” Snake Whip Pricing Chart

	POCKET Snake Whips
	16 plait	20 plait	24 plait
3 feet	$370	Not Available	Not Available
4 feet	$390	$430	$450
5 feet	$410	$450	$510
5 feet w/extra plaited belly	$565	$615	$635

Mojave Outliers Whipmakers 3ft 16 plait snake whip CW

A classic look, this is a 3ft 16 plait pocket snake whip in all black kangaroo leather, shot loaded, with a tapered latigo fall and nylon cracker…

And you can of course always place a custom order!

Large Snake Whip Pricing Chart

		Large Snake Whips
	16 plait	20 plait	24 plait
6 feet	$645	$735	$825
8 feet	$745	$835	$925
10 feet	$845	$935	$1025
12 feet	$945	$1035	$1,125

“Why isn’t there a ‘buy now’ button or something?”

Items on this page are made to order. To purchase an item off this page, you need to send me an email first. Just tell me “I wanna whip!” and we’ll take it from there, OR you can tell me how long you want your whip to be, how many strands you want, what color(s), and any special requests, and I will contact you back to discuss details. Once we have these details sorted out (I will provide information about shipping, handling and any taxes), then I will send you an invoice via PayPal. If you want to make a purchase right now, then take a peek in the upper right side bar, where items I have that are ready to ship are featured.

Very good, and now for a few details!

Mojave Outliers Whipmakers 5ft 24 plait Mountain Sierra King snake whip

Testimonials from client(s): “Just got her Minx!! The weight is perfect!!! Just like throwing a dart!!” 5ft 24 plait “Mountain Sierra King” snake whip, 30″ latigo fall, black red and white nylon cracker, plait in red black and white kangaroo leather.

Mojave Outliers Whip Makers 5ft 24 plait Navy & Natural Kangaroo Leather Snake Whip

Testimonial from client(s): “Damn but you do some beautiful work!” “You legend. This is f***ing gorgeous.” A 5ft 24 plait navy & natural kangaroo leather snake whip in alternating chevrons, shot loaded, 30″ tapered latigo fall and nylon cracker.

It would seem that in order to understand what a snake whip is, you have to understand how it differs from other, more familiar whips. To that end, the only difference between a (full-sized) snake whip and a bullwhip is the handle: a snake whip, technically speaking, doesn’t have one. A bullwhip has a rigid handle, whereas the handle area on a snake whip is flexible along with the rest of the thong. It’s ALL thong. This makes them a bit trickier to throw than a bullwhip, but less cumbersome to carry around–theoretically you can wind it up and put it in your pocket.

Mojave Outliers Whipmakers 4ft 16 plait white Snake Whip BM

This is a rare piece–a 4ft 16 plait snake whip done in all white kangaroo leather! This leather is “falconry grade,” so it’s a lot heavier/thicker than usual, making for a VERY sturdy whip with a cracking LOUD bang!

It seems to me that cowboys and other critter wrangler types must have had big pockets. A full sized snake whip is no dainty matter. A POCKET snake (5 feet long or less, not counting the fall) is far more likely for tucking away.

A “Pocket” snake whip and a signal whip are very similar, too. The only real difference is that the pocket snake has a fall with a cracker attached, whereas a signal whip has the cracker attached directly to the end of its thong.

This is a 4 ft, 16 plait pocket snake in natural kangaroo hide, with a 30″ fall and white nylon cracker(sold).

A word about short (under 4 feet) whips in general: A shorter whip is a faster whip, and it flies closer to your body. They’re harder, therefore, to control compared to a longer whip (4 feet or above). This makes them quite a bit more dangerous, especially for eye injuries. If you’re a novice whip thrower, consider a longer whip to start out with, and always make sure you’re wearing safety gear (safety glasses or goggles, a wide brimmed hat, long heavy sleeves and pants, etc.) while you practice. Do NOT crack any whip against an actual person, especially if you’re new to throwing! I promise you, you’ll save yourself a lot of trouble if you’re good about being careful.

I don’t want anyone getting back to me with a story about losing an eye, okay!?

Kangaroo Leather Mini Bullwhips

September 13, 2014 by DesertMinx

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

First, of course, the pricing chart and ordering instructions just to keep things easy to find. Details about mini bullwhips follows. Note: if you would like spiral plaiting (16 plait or above) on your whip, talk to me first, but ordinarily add between $50 to $100.

3ft whips are ONLY available in 12 and 16 plait. If you would like spiral plaiting, bump it up to a 3.5ft whip–that gives me enough room for all those strand drops.

	Mini Bullwhips – Shot Loaded Core
	12 plait	16 plait	20 plait	24 plait
3 feet	$345	$370	Not Available	Not Available
3.5 feet	Not Available	$380	$410	$440
4 feet	NA	$390	$430	$450
5 feet	NA	$410	$450	$510
5 feet w/extra plaited belly	NA	$595	$615	$635

Mini Bullwhips	Weighted
	16 plait	18 plait	20 plait	24 plait
5 feet	$485	$535	$585	$635
5.5 feet	$510	$560	$610	$660

What is a mini-bullwhip? Not a big mystery: a mini bullwhip is simply a scaled down version of a full sized bullwhip, shorter and narrower. I do two different general types of builds: shot loaded, and naturally weighted (if you look above, the first chart is for shot, and the second is for naturally weighted).

The shot loaded whips are a little heavier or “beefier” if you will, with a finished diameter at the heel in the 22-25 mm range, shorter handles, and a bit more heft in the hand. Too, I’ll build them as short as 3ft long if you like, because we can account for the short length with the shot bag, right? Right!

The naturally weighted whips do NOT have a shot bag–they depend for their balance on the natural weight of the leather. Instead, I build them with 2 bolsters and 2 plaited bellies (and a number of layers of binding with flat sinew).

Naturally weighted whips have a more slender profile, with a lighter heft in the hand, and generally the finished diameter at the heel is in the 19-21 mm range, with longer handles. These I don’t recommend building at less than 5ft, because they’re just too light to go that short without a shot bag, okay? These whips are splendid if you like doing fast volleys, and they slick out on a throw like they can read your mind, and will reward you on demand with a crisp, loud crack.

THIS is a naturally weighted bullwhip, 5ft long at 16 plait, with a 30″ tapered latigo fall. The handle is plaited in short herringbone, with a section of solid bands interrupted by a single row of double diamonds (tribute to Mike Murphy), more short herringbone, and then I transition to regular herringbone for the thong.

I have photos of BOTH types of builds below, and I’ve written in the captions to the photos which ones are which, so take a peek!

This is a 5ft 16 plait bullwhip with an extra plaited belly, in brandy & saddle tan kangaroo leather, with modified birds eye on the 12″ steel core handle. This also has a shot load, so the build has some nice heft in the hand.

2x Red and Black Kangaroo Leather Mini Bullwhips

A matched pair of 4ft 16 plait mini bullwhips in black and red kangaroo leather, diamond plaiting on the handles (8″ long), alternating chevrons on the thongs, tapered latigo falls, and nylon crackers. These two whips were built to travel a bit more lightly than usual, with a hint of Mike Murphy in the mix, granted both of these DO have shot bags, just a bit narrower than I normally build.

Mojave Outliers Whipmakers 4 ft 24 plait mini bullwhip in coral snake pattern

This is a 4 foot, 24 plait shot loaded mini bullwhip done in a coral snake pattern, with red, black and yellow kangaroo hide in alternating chevrons. In this case, the heel knot is rounded per the client’s request.

Generally speaking, mini bullwhips are great for learning to throw: the weight of the fall slows the whip down a little bit, so that once you’ve thrown the whip you have a bit more time to get out of the way if/as it comes flying back! 😉 Too, the rigid handle gives a bit of extra control compared to a snake or signal whip, so that also helps if you’re just learning to throw.

This is a 4 ft 24 plait mini bullwhip in black kangaroo leather–what I’ve termed the “slim line” model, as it starts out with a more slender shot loaded core, resulting in a more slender, lighter whip. Please mention it if you’d like this kind of build.

Mojave Outliers Whipmakers 4ft 16 plait mini bullwhip in black with red knots

…and a 4ft 16 plait shot loaded mini bullwhip in black with red heel and transition knots…

4ft 12 plait NW forest green and natural

This is a 4ft 12 plait naturally weighted bullwhip, with a 30″ tapered latigo fall, the overlay plaited in forest green and natural using the single strand offset pattern.

…another 5ft 16 plait naturally weighted bullwhip in all black kangaroo leather, with a 30″ tapered latigo fall

5ft 16 plait NW Handle and Fall Bullwhip

And I just like this pic. It’s a detail shot showing the handle and fall knots of the previous 5ft 16 plait naturally weighted bullwhip…

These are a pair of 4.5ft 16 plait naturally weighted bullwhips in royal blue and black kangaroo leather. Steel core handles in this case are 10″ long, and I did both transition knots as pineapple knots (see detail shot below) rather than the more usual 4 bite 2 pass turk’s head because I felt it would look nice with the diamond plaiting on the handles. The whip is finished with 30″ tapered latigo falls.

Royal blue bullwhips transistion knots detail

Detail shot of the naturally weighed bullwhips, with the transition knots in place…

If you have questions or an interest in a mini bullwhip, of course drop me an email and I’ll get back to you toot sweet!

Copy and paste version: desertminx@mojaveoutliers.com

Customer’s remarks on this 3ft mini bullwhip: “Arrived today! Beautiful work! We’re both a bit “stiffie” at the moment but I’m sure at least one of us will slacken a bit over time 😉 Love the weight, it feels just perfect. And the end knot adds another dimension to this wonderful instrument…*evil grin*
Couldn’t be happier!”

Mojave Outliers

Makers of Fine Kangaroo Leather Whips

Category Archives: Whips

Kangaroo Leather Cat o’nine tails & Western Quirts

Trade In Your Whip (or crop, quirt, etc.)!

Kangaroo Leather Snake Whips

Kangaroo Leather Mini Bullwhips