How to Make a Bullwhip

The 'Instant' Whip: In this video I show you how to make your own whip from start to finish using materials available at your local hardware store and athletic store. There's no need to buy any books, special tools, or learn any special skills. All you have to be able to do is cut stuff to length, wrap it with tape, and tie a couple knots. This whip design is geared toward the beginning whip cracker in search of a first whip, or the intermediate whip cracker who would like to try cracking something different. LIke any whip, this whip won't last forever, but hey, you made it, so you can fix it! Here's more information on the design: For a while I thought it would be cool to be able to walk into a hardware store and then design and build a whip that cracks well. Rope is a good place to start, and in this whip I use 5mm braided nylon rope and 3/8" twisted nylon rope. Rope by itself isn't quite dense enough to make a whip, and that's where the ball chain comes in. The PVC handle is pretty light, putting the center of mass further down the whip, which makes it easier to get a loud crack. Everything is held together with tape, the outside being athletic tape. I think athletic tape has more flexibility than duct tape or electrical tape. When I was in China in 2009 for a Guinness World Records television show I saw a Chinese whip cracker whose whips were covered with athletic tape and then painted. They seemed plenty durable. Of course, if you wear this whip out, you can build a new one, or patch up the tape as you go. This is my first attempt at a start-to-finish how-to video, and while I can see room for improvement I wanted to make sure I finished this video before I got distracted with other stuff. If you try making one of these, I strongly encourage you to post a video of you cracking it, and also include any notes or improvements on the whip.