Notes to self, mostly

[maderr]

And I only post them publically b/c I'm sure there are people who can help (I may also for once actually use a question comm, but I'm never sure if what I'm asking is appropriate - in the sense that I could have found the answers myself instead of harassing the comm).

I think a bullwhip is what I'll be needing, but I had hoped to give the story a winter setting and sadly if the main char is going to use a whip (and it's something I badly want to keep in the story, and sort of crucial to a small but relevant aspect of said story) then I don't think that will be possible, as whips + wet = bad and winter is def wet.

Also need to know about maintence, difficulty of learning/using, what it's like to use one, esp. in tense situations (and Certain Persons can stop *smirking* b/c I don't mean that kind of tension ^_~), and...shoot, there was something else.

Mostly just what it's like to really use one. Not Indian Jones style either, though out of pure curiosity I'd like to know just how far fetched all that is. My char is using it for the sound, as is intended, not to snag women and such -- though I'm not crossing the possibilty of iniflicting injury off the list. This story is still far from fleshed out.

So I need to research:

*maintence/repair
*difficulty of use, esp. under high stress
*if there is anyway at all possible I could whip + snow. B/c that would be idea, but I can nix the snow if necessary

Comments

[raielchan.livejournal.com]

All I've read is the general, such as how you have to be careful that it doesn't come back and hit you in the face when you use it to whip, i.e. so that it cracks where you want it. Good way to lose an eye.

Although what I should ask is, is it a girl with the whip? If so, tell me more.

[achika-chan.livejournal.com]

Sorry that I can't help. The story sounds interesting.

[tygati.livejournal.com]

Whips being leather, I'd figure the typical leather products would be used on them for maintenence. Oils and such. Repair's a little trickier.. You could probably re-weave new leather straps in if one broke, but honestly it'd probably be easier and cheaper just to buy a new one. They last for years even with lousy maintenence. :)

Daddy never used his during the winter, so I can't really help you there.. although up north it does get cold enough during the winter that it gets really DRY... 9.9 So it'd be possible to have both snow and dryness, but you'd get bloody cold as a trade-off. x.x Also, it stops 'snowing' after it gets that cold and you get little crinkles of snow rather than fullsize flakes. ^^

Stress vs use... 9.9 Eh. For someone who's trained in how to use it, it's probably still a piece of cake. You just have to have pretty decent arm muscles. And a sense of coordination. ¬ ¬ ... Aka, someone who's not me... ^^;

[mailechan.livejournal.com]

Bullwhip? In the winter? Hmm...Like tygati said, it gets really dry, so you'd have to do maintenance on the whip. I've never found it a good idea to use a whip when it's windy as it adds a bit of unpredictability to where it lands. If it's indoors, even in the winter, it should be fine, though.

*goes downstairs and pulls down the whip* Well, first of all, if he's just using it for sound, there are better things to give him. I mean, a bullwhip can be pretty dangerous not just for your victim but to yourself if you're not careful. A large, flat tip will make a bigger cracking sound.

[charisstoma.livejournal.com]

Try these sites.
http://www.aussiewhipmaker.com/WhipCare.htm
https://www.davidmorgan.com/whipcare.html

[doro-chan.livejournal.com]

I suppose it depends on the winter too. Northern German winter normally only has ten days of snow, and the air can be full of water. I remember one winter when the air was so humid and cold, we had about one centimetre of ice on every surface because of it.