Ah, okay, got it. I've actually got my old marlin spike, and have a good start on the first one now. Is there any chance you could give a bit of clarification about finishing the shell? I've been reading and re-reading your instructions about the wire loop, but can't quite see what's supposed to happen there. Do you do the wire bit halfway down the last cord (that's how I keep reading the tutorial), or is it at the very end (which makes more sense to my brain)? Does the wire stay in the piece, or is it somehow removed? Should it just be enough to get through the cord and make a loop, or should it be longer and braided back into the whip somehow? Sorry if these seem like thick questions, but it's getting so close to done, I just want to make sure I don't end up botching the thing.
For anyone else considering making one of these a few thoughts from someone who's now followed the tutorial:
a)Take the advice about wearing gloves. I didn't, and it's not pretty after 8' of tying knots in jute.
b)On that note, try to find something with longer strands than jute craft twine to make the shell out of. The stuff I found has short strands, and has a tendancy to break when tightening the knots. Very, very frustrating, and led to some lumps in the shell. The natural stuff can look nice, but if you can afford the nylon equivalents and dye in your budget, go for that instead.
c)Go with larger diameter stuff. I used 4.8mm cord for the core (the jump in price was about $10, so I thought "eh...close enough"). Smaller stuff will work, but the taper is not as dramatic. Next one, I'd do 6-7mm I think, or possibly a couple more cores, with shorter distances between ends of each length to spread the taper out a bit more.
d)Acrylic wash is a good start, but the thing really needs a bit of sheen to look finished. I'm currently experimenting with a silicon spray over a mixed wash of suede coloured acrylic paint, and brown, red, and yellow tempura.
e)Don't be scared. The hardest part is to get the handle wrapped, while keeping the cores relatively straight. Once you've got those first few inches done, the thing falls together very, very easily, and is a damn sight better than the cheap 6' leather crud you find in halloween stores this time of year.
f)Try and find a way to soften the material a bit. The only real problem I've got is that the knots make it so stiff, the whip doesn't roll into nice, round loops, but rather tends to want to "fold" at certain points.
