Caring For Your Whip

Common Sense Care.

• Don't use it on rough surfaces.
  
  
• Don't practice wrapping on trees.
  
  
• Don't use the whip without a cracker.
  
  
• Use target holders without sharp edges.
  
  
• Don't crack it against the ground or any hard surface.
  
  
• Don't use a leather whip that has stiffened up, looks dull, creaks loudly or you know has got thoroughly wet and not been greased since.
  
  
• Don't put your nylon whip in very hot water.
  
  
• Don't use acidic stain removing agents to clean your nylon whip.
  
  
• Don't store any whip in direct sunlight, or leather whips in warm, dark places.
  
  
• Watch out for knots in the fall and cracker.
  
  
• Use your whip in places where the ground is clean and free from loose debris, gravel or grit.



• Don't let the pets or the children near it.
  
  
• Keep leather falls well greased.

Caring for Nylon.

Though nylon whips are very durable and weatherproof, it is important to take care of your new whip. Nylon is a man-made material that is very durable and resistant to the elements and damage caused by vermin. However, nylon whips are not indestructible and do require some degree of care. You should never use your cowwhip on concrete, gravel or hard dirt surfaces such as packed clay. This will destroy the fibers of the nylon and give it an unattractive "fuzzy" appearance. As you use your whip, always watch for knots in the cracker and fall. Once a fall or cracker has a knot that been "cracked into place" it is almost impossible to get the knot out. Do not leave your whip in the sun for long periods of time. Over exposure to the Sun destroys nylon fibers and will lead to an early retirement for your whip. Although nylon whips can be used in the wet without damage, they can stiffen up after use and need another period of breaking in. A way to avoid the worst of this, and help keep the whip clean, may be to use a nylon waterproofing agent such as those used for walker's jackets. This will reduce the amount of water that gets absorbed, especially useful if that water has dirt in it. Some of these dressings can leave a sticky residue, or alter the colour of the whip - so make sure you're confident that you won't harm your whip before you use it. Most dirt can be washed off with hand hot water and washing up liquid. It has been known for people to put their whip in the washing machine on a woolens cycle. If you really feel you have to do that, we reckon you shouldn't use fabric conditioner and make sure the whip is in one of those underwear bags or a pillow case, or you may find you whip has been munched by the machine. Also, expect the colour to run. Keep your whip somewhere dark. Nylon deteriorates when exposed to UV light, as any climber will tell you. If you keep your whip on the back shelf of your car, you may find it losing colour over time. Left long enough, UV light will actually weaken the strands.

Caring for Leather.

Some products claim to soften leather. This is fine if they do that through moisturising. Again, think of skin. Dry skin cracks and breaks. Moisturised skin is supple and soft. The same applies to leather. Most saddle soaps and beeswax based leather dressings act in this way. They often also help to prevent the leather from drying out, by coating it in various waxes and oils that help to keep the moisture in and bind the fibres together. You should tend to dress your whips with saddle soap. Some people recommend against it, but I've seen no harm arising from it's use - and it's really the only thing that you can use to actually clean the whip, if you don't want it to end up dried out. You should mix it into a thick, creamy lather and apply it with your fingers; or a sponge or even soft tooth brush if the whip is coated in mud. Then you should hang the whip to allow it do dry, possibly applying a tiny amount of a beeswax leather conditioner while it's still damp (the leather absorbs it better). Once it's dry, excess is removed and it's ready to use. Saddle soap, and some dressings, leave a noticeable residue between the strands of the whip. This isn't a problem. It acts as a physical barrier to dirt and grit; and provides a small degree of ongoing lubrication. But it's worth bearing in mind, if you're likely to feel that it spoils the look of the whip. With regard to other dressings and conditioners, what you use is very much up to you. But the following seem to be generally agreed:

• It's easy to apply too much if you use liquid oils. Not necessarily harmful, but you can have a very oily feeling whip for a long time!
• Hard/thick dressings are preferable to light oils, because excess is easily wiped off and the leather seems to benefit from them for longer. Applying with the fingers rather than a cloth warms the dressing, and helps to make sure it gets into the right places.
• Simple moisturising hand creams seem to do no harm, but the benefits don't last very long.
• Whip makers generally seem to prefer leather dressings made from natural oils and fats: anything from beef dripping to beeswax, depending on the maker. Many whip enthusiasts in the USA, however, swear by Pecard Leather Conditioner, which is a petrochemical by-product. In the UK, it's nearest equivalent seems to be Kiwi Neutral shoe polish. It was tried on whips with no ill-effects, and it puts a water resistant barrier on the surface of the leather (but you won't ever really stop the leather from soaking up water). It's probably not advisable to apply with your hands, however.
• Neat's foot oil is to be avoided.
• The lower part of the thong will need dressing more often. The handle and knot should only be dressed occasionally, and very sparingly.
• The fall needs regular dressing to prevent breakage. It should be kept as clean as possible, and feeling slightly greasy. For maximum life, we've found that cleaning with a very thick saddle soap mixture on a sponge, allowing it to almost dry, then applying Vaseline, works a treat. Some people will no doubt call this heresy, but we're still using the same falls on heavily used whips over 3 years old.
• Short whips that are only ever used indoors will rarely (if ever) need dressing - the oils from your own skin will help to keep them in condition.

Breaking the Whip In.

You may, or may not, decide to apply saddle soap or leather conditioner. There are conflicting opinions about this. Our feeling is that a brand new whip shouldn't need it, because plenty of grease is used during manufacture. However, if you buy a whip that has been sitting around on display in a shop, it may have dried out; in which case it may benefit from a bit of lubrication and/or moisturising in the form of leather dressing and/or saddle soap. With everything you put on a whip, do it sparingly. If, after a few days, you think you should have put some more on, you can always do it again. But if you put too much on, you ain't going to remove it once it's soaked in! Some modern versions of traditional applications, for example neat's foot oil, are now thinned with chemicals that actually weaken the fibres in the leather. This is exactly what the breaking-in process does, making the whip more flexible by stretching and breaking down some of the fibres, but we strongly recommend against using any application to artificially hasten it. It's easy to over do it and be left with a whip that's no better than an expensive piece of string on a stick. Nylon whips arguably take longer to break in than leather ones. Occasionally, the strands bunch up. If this happens you may need to roll the whip under a plank or similar to get it back to shape again, but it isn't a sign of a faulty whip! It's just something that happens sometimes. If you get a nylon whip wet, it may stiffen up. You just need to use it to re-break it; unless it's also dirty in which case you need to clean it or the grains of dirt will wear at the fibres.