BULLWHIP ORDERING

[ Reply ] [ The Indyfan Forum ] [ FAQ ]

Posted by Dale Dassel from iax-minden-ppp0016.iamerica.net on April 17, 1998 at 15:05:06:

In Reply to: Re: Wested and whip posted by Max Schulte on April 17, 1998 at 11:49:47:

: : : : : : : :
: : : : : : : : : :
: : : : : : : : : : : : : : Hey Indiana GJR, when you wrote that Wested Leathers was making the jackets for the fourth Indy film, where did you get the information? You see, there are a lot of rumors out there concerning Indy IV but there doesn't seem to be anything that can be substantiated. How do you know that Wested is constructing jackets for the film?

: : : : : : : : : : : : HEY PAUL,
: : : : : : : : : : : : WHEN I ORDERED MY WESTED JACKET RECENTLY, IASKED A QUESTION: (ARE YOU GOING TO MAKE THE JACKET FOR INDY 4 ?) THE RESPONSE WHICH SEEMED TO BE HESITANT... WAS... ( IF THERE IS ANOTHER INDIANA JONES TO BE MADE THAN WE WILL SUPPLY THE JACKETS) BETWEEN YOU AND ME, I THINK THE WHOLE 4TH INDY FILM IS BEING KEPT SECRET. I ASKED A SOLID QUESTION AND GOT A SHAKY RESPONSE!!!!

: : : : : : : : : : : : Boy, that's pretty telling. I wonder if Peter Botwright could get sued by LucasFilms if he ever slipped up and revealed anything? If he knows something I hope he keeps mum because I ordered my jacket on March 25th and I don't want anything fouling up the construction or delivery of that baby. - CP

: : : : : : : : : : I WOULDNT WORRY , WESTED LEATHER AND PETER ARE PRETTY DAMN SLICK!!
: : : : : : : : : : LATER ,
: : : : : : : : : : INDIANA GJR

: : : : : : : : : Well folks, just hung up the phone with one of my daughters who told me MY Wested Leather jacket had just arrived at my house. I'm going to see just how much self control I have in keeping from leaving work for a while to check it out. Regards. Michaelson

: : : : : : : : HEY MICHAELSON,
: : : : : : : : WHEN YOU GET A CHANCE TO RECAPTURE YOUR BREATH,
: : : : : : : : LET ME KNOW HOW YOU LIKE THE JACKET, GIVE ME YOUR REVIEWS FROM TOP TO BOTTOM BECAUSE I JUST ORDERED THE JACKET AFTER MY GIRLFRIEND TOOK OVER THE OLD RAIDERS VERSION. IM A LITTLE IMPATIENT ON RECEIVING THE LC VERSION BY WESTED AND WANT TO KNOW EVERY THING ABOUT IT!
: : : : : : : : THANKS A BUNCH,
: : : : : : : : INDIANA GJR

: : : : : : : Will do. Just for the record, I ordered it, and received confirmation of start of job on March 10th, and received it today, April 15th. Pretty good turn around. I've already looked the coat over (didn't last an hour before running home to open the package). I didn't get to do a real going over,so I'll reserve report until tomorrow. I can confirm that there was a certificate of authenticity signed by Peter Botwright as to it being a REAL Raiders jacket from the original patterns used in Harrison Fords Indiana Jones jacket. More tomorrow. Regards. Michaelson

: : : : : : Congratulations, Michaelson!!! So, what do you think? It's the
: : : : : : real thing, isn't it? How's the fit? Don't forget- once you get the side
: : : : : : straps adjusted the way you want, they tuck into the hand warmer slits
: : : : : : behind the pockets. If you watch the movies, they are done this way as
: : : : : : well, though some scenes show them sticking out. As I told you before,
: : : : : : I didn't figure it out until a week and a half after I had the thing.
: : : : : : So, what's your overall impression? And, most importantly- what does the
: : : : : : certificate look like and say?

: : : : : : -Dale

: : : : : OK, here it is, briefly...unlike you, I have started to lose the fight with gravity. Upon removing my jacket from the packaging and putting it on, it fit me like Peter had taken personal measurements from me, and made the jacket to my EXACT specs. It fit me perfectly with absolutely no adjustments of straps or otherwise. I cannot add anything else to what has already been said all through this forum except my surprise at the extreme light weight. To those who have ever picked up a pair of regular dress shoes, then picked up a high quality pair of Rockport dress shoes, you'll then understand the difference. Every seam, pocket, etc. was perfectly made. You can see the pride in the craftsmanship. The certificate that comes with it states it is indeed a duplicate of the jacket made for Harrison Ford for Raiders of the Lost Ark, and is signed by Peter Botwright. The posting we saw to Micah from him was true, and if you didn't get a certificate from him with your coat, I would indeed contact him for one. Regards. Michaelson

: : : : Sounds like you're enjoying it. And, for all of you folks out
: : : : there who want to purchase one of these fine jackets, but have doubts,
: : : : be assured that we are speaking the truth. Just ask any satisfied customer.
: : : : These jackets are made of the finest, most supple dark brown leather,
: : : : cut and stitched to perfection with the utmost attention to detail.
: : : : Each one has high quality, heavy-duty bottons and zippers, as well as
: : : : brass ring fittings with adjustable leather straps for sizing. There
: : : : is an inside right breast pocket which is surrounded by leather, and
: : : : is about 5 inches deep. The cargo pockets have snaps which are hidden
: : : : under the front flap. Handwarmer slits located behind the pockets are
: : : : designed more for holding the leather straps, rather than warming your
: : : : hands. My hands only fit in after a brief struggle!!! And, as stated
: : : : by our good friend Michaelson, these jackets are very lightweight and
: : : : durable. They come with a beautiful sheen and the strong scent of new
: : : : English leather. Be warned, whatever room you keep your jacket in will
: : : : smell like leather for about three or four weeks!!! Too bad they don't
: : : : turn it into a cologne scent!!! It would be called: Essence of Wested.
: : : : Or something of that nature. And maybe each bottle would show a coiled
: : : : bullwhip!!! I'd better get out of here.... But before I go, here's my
: : : : shameless plug: BUY A WESTED LEATHER JACKET!!!
: : : : HANDMADE BY BRITISH CRAFTSMEN!!!!

: : : I will say this in favor of the rich leather smell, you always know which room you left this coat in without even looking! Regards. Michaelson

: : How true!!! Ever notice how when you take it off, the shirt you're
: : wearing also smells like leather? Before I got the jacket, my bullwhip
: : produced the strongest leather smell. Now I wonder if the Alden boots
: : will have the same effect as the jacket?

: : -Dale

: I just got the jacket today. I must say it's really great. The
: lambskin is just awesome. I also own an A-2 Jacket which is hard
: like concrete in comparison to the lambskin. Very, very soft and
: light weight too. The flap which covers the zipper has no snap
: fasteners (did it have snaps in LC?). The jacket has adjustable
: leather straps at the sides which you can indeed put into the
: handwarmer pockets. The only 'bad' thing about the jacket is:
: It looks really new. It's shining and (like you already mentioned,
: Dale) smells like "fresh" leather. The brass zipper is nice and
: durable. The outside cargo pockets have a flap with one snap each.
: In addition to that it has an inside pocket (about 7in big).
: The collar is a little bigger than 3in. There is a crease on the
: back which is quite handy because it allows free movement (throw
: whip, climb, etc.). I ordered my jacket with the cotton lining
: (I really like the LC-style) which is soft and of a light brown color.
: There is a black label inside with golden letters.
: I think I'll scan some photos of the jacket...

: Regards, Max

: By the way: Dale, I will order my bullwhip from Dave Morgan soon -
: have you got some advises and hints for me? (For instance how to start
: training)


Well, first off, there are a few things you may need to know.
The length of the whip is very important, depending on what you're
going to use it for. David's whips come in four different lengths:
6 foot, 8 foot, 10 foot, and 12 foot. Now, the shorter the whip
is, the more accurate it will be for hitting specific targets and the
faster you can maneuver it around, but it will be slightly harder to
produce a nice crack. The longer whips, 10 to 12 foot, are far less
accurate, but do excellent wraps around things, and they crack with
very little effort. If you want something midway between the two, I
would suggest going with the 8 foot model. The 10 is good, too, but
if you want to hit specific targets, then you'll have to work at it.
I will leave that choice up to you.
Now, as for practice, what I did was to study the whip sequences
in the movies, as well as those on the Making of Raiders video. I
watched these over and over, dozens of times, until I understood the
method of the swings and cracks. I also, at one time, had a making of
Batman Returns video, which had Anthony DeLongis teaching Michelle
Pfeiffer the bullwhip. This came in handy, too. If you don't have access
to these, then don't worry. David Morgan sells some excellent whip
instructional and art displays VHS videos. These will put you on the
right track. The Whips and Whip Making book is mainly geared toward
bullwhip construction, with about one chapter dedicated to telling
what the whips can do, performance-wise.
Lastly, your whip will take anywhere from a month and a half
to two months to make and receive. When you get it, it will be a very
light pinkish brown color, called natural tan. To darken it, as it
appears in the movies, you should expose it to natural sunlight for
a few hours a day. Mine has turned into a nice, dark brown color.
I just lay it out on a small wooden table. And remember, normal use
requires very little wrist force. In other words, don't try to "jack"
it around really hard, or else you might break the interior construction,
damage the handle-to-thong junction, or stretch the lash. Don't be
alarmed if the tip of the knot on the fall breaks off when first used.
David Morgan uses what I like to call "cosmetic" knots on the tip of
his whips, which is just a small, dainty knot to make the whip look
sleeker and more tapered. Mine broke off, so I hunted around until I
found the nylon cracker, and I used the instructions on his website to
re-attatch it, with a slightly bigger knot, which holds just great,
and does not inhibit cracking in any way. Your whip will be new from
the factory, and thus pretty stiff. So, you can go outside and do
some breaking-in swings in order to loosen it up. After a little use,
your whip will have a nice, smooth wiggle all the way down. This is
the sign of a healthy whip. If you need anymore information, just
let me know.

-Dale Dassel

Follow Ups:


Post a Followup:

Name:    
E-Mail:  
Subject: 
Comments:

Optional:

Link URL:   
Link Title: 
Image URL:

[ Follow Ups ] [ Post Followup ] [ The Indyfan Forum ] [ FAQ ]