Bull Whip

In the movie 'Raiders of the Lost Ark', Indiana Jones's weapon of choice was the bullwhip. Much different from how it was used in the movie, bullwhips were traditionally used as a farm tool. A bullwhip is made up of five parts, a big knob, a handle, a thong, a fall, and a cracker. The knob connects to the handle which is usually between 8 and 12 inches long. Wooden grip handles are mass produced and low in quality while a high quality whip has an intricate, braided leather-covered handle. The handle is then joined by the thong which is the longest part of the whip. Prepared with many strips of leather, the number of braids or plaits is vital in the construction of the bullwhip. Usually the thong is multilayered with a 'belly' in the center. Next is the fall which is a single piece of leather slightly thicker than the braids in the thong. Between 10 and 30 inches in length, the fall is the portion of the whip that is used to cut, strike, or snare the target. The signature sound of the bullwhip comes from the cracker. This extremely flexible wire exceeds the speed of sound causing a sonic boom, and the resulting sound. In reality, bullwhips were never designed to be used on an animal or person. The pain and damage that would be inflicted is too immense; it was the sound that was meant to intimidate animals and bring them under control. Bullwhips are now used in the circus to perform tricks and by cowboys for target practice.