Caring for your Whips
by whipcracking champion Fiona (Wilks) Smith

Fiona has listened to many whip makers and plaiters/saddlers talk about whip/leather care and products too use.
Fiona still has her first whip that she has had ever since she started cracking whips over 15 years ago.
Taking care of your whip is Fiona's main priority as Fiona said "You pay a lot for leather items these days and if you look after it the leather can last a life time".

Fiona makes her own home made leather/whip grease and has used it on all her whips even the ones she plaits.
Fiona has used her own whips for demonstrations, practice, learning new routines,.. all with the same whips she has had for about 10 years, and she is still using them today.
Fiona puts it down to good conditioner ( home made whip grease) that she applies every 6 months and making sure she doesn't get them too wet. Fiona recommends that you never crack your whips on any hard rough surfaces such as tar roads, concrete, sand, rocks of any kind or defiantly not in wet or damp weather.
The best place to crack whips is on grass, carpet or place a tarp on the ground. If you do happen to get your whips wet dry them asap with a clean cloth and apply a good leather whip grease.

You can purchase Fiona's home made cream in the products section on this web site.

While you need to take care of your whip you also need to take care of yourself.
The best protection when cracking your whips is wear protective clothing such as, a long sleeve shirt, long pants, a hat and protective glasses. Make sure you are in a safe area to crack your whip, like, no trees or low power lines that you may get tangled up on, fence posts or wire. This may cause the leather to tear and parts of your whip could fly off and hit someone. Always make sure your whip is in perfect condition to use before you start cracking and make sure people are at a safe distance away from you at all times. It is the whipcracker's duty to make all areas safe before cracking.

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