Wire Whip

Wire Whip Construction

Step Seven: Starting from the midpoint (where the three loose strands are joined), measure and mark a distance of 33" on each of the loose strands using a permanent marker. Step Eight: Place the clipboard on a flat surface and weigh it down with several books. (The top of a tall filing cabinet, if available, will place the work at a convenient height. Failing that, a desk or countertop will do.) Clip the whip assembly onto the clipboard, just behind the tape at the midpoint, such that the three loose strands extend out past the top of the clipboard. Step Nine: Braid the first 33" of the three loose strands in a standard three strand braid. (This is identical to the technique used for braiding hair.) Keep constant tension in all three strands while working, and keep the knots pulled tight. The three strand braiding procedure is as follows: Line up the three strands side-by-side. Take the rightmost strand and bend it over the middle strand. Take the leftmost strand and bend it over the middle strand. Repeat steps 2 and 3 until the required length is braided. Refer to this animation (252kB, pop-up) for a demonstration of the technique. A binder clip can be used to keep the braid from unravelling, should it be necessary to release the strands before the process is complete. It is also helpful to bundle up and temporarily tape the excess lengths of wire. This will make it easier to work with the strands, as well as helping to prevent tangling.

Completed Three Strand Braid

Step Ten: Apply a layer of tape to the end of the braid at the 33" mark, in order to keep it from unravelling. Then, retrieve the second strand from the shorter extension cord (from step two above) and securely tape the end of the strand to the end of the braid, in a manner similar to that used in step six above. Step Eleven: Starting from the end of the three strand braid, measure and mark a distance of 33" on each of the loose strands using a permanent marker. Step Twelve: Clip the whip assembly back onto the weighted clipboard, such that the loose strands extend out past the top of the clipboard. Step Thirteen: Braid the marked 33" of the four loose strands in a four strand lanyard braid. (Builders who were in the Boy Scouts may already be familiar with this technique, or with similar alternatives. See the note below.) As before, keep constant tension in all three strands while working, and keep the knots pulled tight. The four strand braiding procedure is as follows: Line up the four strands side-by-side. Take the rightmost strand and pull it under the middle two strands. Bend the same strand over the leftmost middle strand (the second strand from the left.) Take the leftmost strand and pull it under the middle two strands. Bend the same strand over the rightmost middle strand (the second strand from the right). Repeat steps 2 through 5 until the required length is braided. Refer to this animation (402kB, pop-up) for a demonstration of the technique. Just remember: "Under two, over one, switch sides." It is highly recommended that this braid be completed in one uninterrupted session, as it can be very difficult to find one's place again after stopping midway. A Note Regarding Four Strand Braids: This is only one of several four strand braiding techniques available. (It is recommended that the instructions presented in one of these links be used, should the above instructions be unclear.) In a pinch, a common four strand hair braid may also be used, if the builder is in a hurry and is already familiar with that technique. However, it should be noted that the latter will produce a flat profile, which may introduce a bias in the flexibility of the base segment of the whip. (That is, it would bend more easily in one axis than in the other.) This may cause unpredictable behavior in the whip during use. The braid described above (as well as the first three techniques linked earlier) produces a rounder cross section, with no particular bias along any bending axis.

Completed Four Strand Braid

Step Fourteen: Securely tape the end of the braid to prevent unravelling. Step Fifteen: Remove and discard the end plug from the large chisel point marker. Remove and discard the ink insert and the felt tip. If necessary, clean any excess ink from the inside of the marker barrel with paper towels or scrap paper. Step Sixteen: Unbend the large paperclip. Using the paperclip and lighter, bore four evenly spaced holes through the pen barrel, at about 1/2" from the end. Then, using the point of the scissors or of a knife blade, ream out the holes until they are large enough to easily accept a strand of extension cord wire. Step Seventeen: Thread the ends of each of the four strands through the holes in the marker barrel, then out through the open end of the marker. Step Eighteen: Pull the ends of the strands out though the base of the marker as far as they will go. Tape the four strands together and cut off any excess.

Step Nineteen: Force the taped-together ends of the strand back up into the marker barrel as far as possible. Wrap the end of the marker in tape. Completely cover the barrel penetrations and the first couple of inches of the whip braid. Step Twenty: Find a segment of wire from the excess cut off in the steps above. Cut a 24" piece and bend it in half. Step Twenty-One: Take the bent piece of wire and tape the top of one leg to the single strand at the end of the whip, at 12" from the end. Step Twenty-Two: Loop a segment of the whip wire around the tape applied in the previous step. Step Twenty-Three: Compress the loop and the bend as tightly as possible and tape securely. Step Twenty-Four: Strip 3" of insulation off of the ends of each of the loose cracker strands.

Step Twenty-Five (Optional): Using permanent markers, color the exposed portions to match the adjacent extension cord insulation and/or the handle.

Detail Views of Finished Product