The "Making of" Gallery - Rachel McCollough

[Ron May]

I think a loaded fall is almost a must for a shortish snake whip.

Ron

[Rachel McCollough]

Ron, I would agree!

[Robert Gage]

Rcahel, the only word for that little snake is 'nifty'! I like it very much indeed!

[Mark Elliott]

Very cool, Rachel. I like the color combo, especially.

[Rachel McCollough]

Mr. Robert, Mark, thank you very much!

[Ben Varsek]

Rachel, I realy like that little Snakewhip!
It looks fantastic and judging by the width of the diameter/taper, it's heavy for it's size which is very good for a small snakewhip - love it!

Ben

[Rachel McCollough]

Ben, thank you very much!

[Rachel McCollough]

A cow whip that I made very early on, within the first 30 I think (it had an oak turned handle). I believe it is 8’.
A 16 plait that I’ve replaced the fall on for the owner, and added a new handle from hickory that I had hand shaped awhile back. Lonnie colored it a bit with the torch.

[Ron May]

Rachel, this is a good example of how quality lasts.
It's probably nice to know that someone has used their whip long enough to wear out the fall.
Good job.

Ron

[Rachel McCollough]

Ron, thank you! Yessir it is, and a cow whip is definitely sees some of the heaviest use.

[Mark Elliott]

I love that had, Miss Rachel.

[Flemming Bo Christiansen]

It's a very, very nice handle. I think it is absolutely incredible that the whip is in such good condition when the fall needs to be changed. It does not look worn at all. You have such a whip all your life

[Robert Gage]

You're quite right, Flemming! The thong scarcely looks worn at all. A very well-made whip!

Rachel, you're one of the very best!!!

[Rachel McCollough]

Mark, thank you, sir!
Flemming, thank you, sir!
Mr. Robert, thank you!

[Ben Varsek]

The condition of this whip shows how superb your whips are, once again outstanding work Rachel!

[Rachel McCollough]

Thank you, Ben!

[Rachel McCollough]

Here’s a “test whip.” Garret requested a 6’ cow whip, so he provided an opportunity for me to test the style of single tapered strands surrounded by a single plaited belly and an 18 plait overlay. No twisted taper core inside this one. It is a popular design by many makers. I’m not advocating for or against, but I wanted to test it for myself so I could see how it performs. Garret provided the perfect opportunity. I know I’ve already posted this prior in the Roll Call, but I figured after it has been tried out now I should post it here. I won’t be building this design on a regular basis, it was simply a test run so I can know for myself how it moves. I personally prefer to build with a twisted taper core due to the slow rollout and precision it gives mine specifically.

Preliminary report from Garret, Lonnie, and some coworkers who have handled my other whips:
Faster cracking, more limber than the twisted taper core whips. Appears to handle well.

6’ 18 plait single belly gold, waxed, Olive wood handle.

https://youtu.be/c7UmywUj3ZU?si=G2FAMgU2um6DDM5D

[Ron May]

It cracks better than I thought it might.
Of course being a lighter, faster whip it needs a little more energy to crack I would imagine.
Garret's skills have improved a lot.


Good job, both of you.

Ron

[Rachel McCollough]

Thank you, Ron! I mirror your thoughts. I was pleasantly surprised at how well it moves. I have access to see it from time to time as it ages and is used quite heavily by Garret and some of his friends. While i have a particular style I make and won’t change that, i think it is good to observe other ways if nothing else to know how they move and affect the cracking style. It is a type of whip especially as a cow whip that is a fun thing if you want to crack fast with a lot of changes quickly.
I’ll stick to my regular thing but it was a good opportunity to “study” another style.