If you have come looking to make TRULY dangerous toys for boys you are at the right spot! Or maybe you have finally succumbed to the constant whining about “needing” a bullwhip since the release of the new Indiana Jones movie. Either way, this easy homemade bullwhip is sure to contribute to hours of playing Raiders of the Lost Ark.
If you’re looking for a safer activity to do with your boys, check out this super cool glow-in-the-dark slime, and these outdoor games are fun for the whole family!
Thank you to Wesley Scoggins Indy Mogul for the clever idea to use duct tape for this Indiana Jones bullwhip. The brown duct tape makes the bullwhip look real and it really is an easy diy whip that even your kids can help with.
How to make a duct tape bullwhip
Supplies Needed:
- Brown “Duck” tape (we found this at Wal-Mart) cut into 3- 12 foot lengths
- 10″ piece of 3/8″ wooden dowel rod
- a foot or so of twine for the “popper” if desired
1.Begin by placing two chairs 12 feet apart. Place three strips of tape between the chairs.
2. Fold each of the pieces of tape in half length ways-leave attached to the chair.
3. Leave tape hooked on one of the chairs and begin braiding. Braiding 12 feet of duct tape isn’t really pleasant but is certainly less painful than paying $50.00 plus for a bullwhip! We tried several methods: hanging it up high, and laying it on the ground. We found it easiest to leave it attached to the chair and have another person help untangle the strips of duck tape as you braid. My eleven-year-old Harrison Ford wannabe was able to do most of the braiding.
4. Once you have reached the end take another piece of tape and wrap it around the braid to fasten off.
5. Remove the other end from the chair and attach these ends of tape to the wooden dowel.
6. Begin wrapping the dowel with tape until you have completely covered the handle. When finished we took a small piece of tape and covered each end and then wrapped a small piece once again around the dowel to make it secure.
7. If you want to make the popper. as it definitely adds to the authentic look of the Indiana Jones bullwhip.
Finished! How does it work?—–Probably not well enough to kill someone or allow you to hang from a tree (we’re trying though) but well enough to cause some damage to your house and possibly harm a friend, so please be careful cracking a bullwhip!
Hopefully, I have shown you how to make a whip in under 30 minutes. Although it took us a few tries, we definitely had a great afternoon together with lots of. laughing and brainstorming. I’m always amazed at how creative kids can be, especially when they want something as cool as an Indiana Jones whip!
Duct Tape or Duck Tape
Duct tape, also known as duck tape, is a widely used adhesive tape. It was originally developed during World War II as a waterproof adhesive for bandages and ammunition cases. Its versatility soon found other uses – from patching up leaky pipes to taping pieces of cardboard together to make a makeshift shelter.
Duct tape is still one of the most useful tools to use in a survival situation or just fixing something around the house.
Duct tape refers to a broad range of tapes, while Duck Tape® refers to a specific brand of duct tape.
More Duct Tape Crafts
Now that you have the duct tape out here are a few more things to make.
- Learn how to make a Duck tape wallet. It will be waterproof and super durable.
- Can you believe this special tape can be turned into flowers?
- Keep pencils handy with this DIY Duck tape pencil bag.
- Here is more stuff to make with a piece of duct tape.
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how do you braid it?
does it actualy break the sound barrier?
indiana jones is awsome i have the full suit i made it well bought stuff and made a costume i bought the whip and hat but my whip was a little cheap so i looked up how to make a whip clicked on thius and found it 🙂
well it about 2 in the moring and im so damn tired yet this design was so simple that i was able to pull it of and make a fine whip i added my own little touches to the whip 1 being a wooden lightsaber hilt and 2 a small strip of leather. its about 12 ft long and cracks well also if you whip it at ofject it will grab them and or stick to pull though i highly doubt it could support a person i think that if you take 2 peices of tape and stick them together on each length and then braid it may be strong enough to do so
Hello, I just made one of these, and it’s the coolest idea! I have a tip to consider: I bought three rolls, and left the tape on the rolls, only unrolling about 18″ at a time and folding/sticking it to itself, then braiding with the rolls dangling. Repeat as needed. MUCH easier than dealing with 12 feet lengths of stickiness! I also put some cord inside the fold of the tape to strengthen it wherever I wanted extra strength. Next I’m going to try one with four strips of tape, and round-plait it over a center rope! Thanks for this site – it’s such a creative idea!
i jst made it i only i improvised a bit on the cracker but its loud i only no how to do the simplest of cracks though
if you want a belt whip holder take a piece of the tape and fold in half but cut have of the off at the ends so they stic and there you go
I finished my first one using electrical tape. It wasn’t as long but it still works. I used 3.2 mm nylon rope for the popper and a rolled up magazine for the handle. I had the rope from making wooden nachaku, tons of magazines just lying around, and my dad’s an electrician= plenty of electrical tape so….didn’t spend a dime.
this looks really cool. I think I might give it a try. I have some electrical tape…think it’ll work?
Great idea my grandson found the idea and we made it together
Thank you so much for the idea.. My son is really into Indiana Jones, he is 7 and he saw this idea and is very interested in making it. Maybe we can teach him to braid at the same time..
Thanks again, what great inguinuity.
wow, now does it pop. like when you whip it, whipp it pop if you attach the popper? that is the whole idea is it not?
thanks josh
Plus where did you find a dowel stick?Wal-Mart?
Awesome!I have a leather one and some bushes are dying and have a few leaves so i like to cut leaves that fell down and wrap the branches, I enjoy cracking because it’ll keep you entertained for hours!
But i have a question, where did you get that whip holder?My whip did’nt come with one but i sure could use one.
My DH has just finished making a leather whip from scratch. He made it for a friend’s homeschooled son, and wrote a very informative letter to go along with it. I realize that leather and duct tape are different, but you may find the basic information interesting!
_________________________________________________
I remember the day you were at my house and cracked a whip for the first time. You were a natural. It took me months to learn to crack a whip and you did on the first try! Since then, I have intended to make a whip for you, but have only just gotten around to it. You will find in this package your very own whip and holster to carry it.
This kind of whip is called a “snake whip”, because it does not have a rigid handle. Cowboys and cattle workers were said to like these because they were quick and easy to handle, and could be tucked into a coat pocket or saddle bag.
I made this whip from scratch. I started with large pieces of leather and cut the lace by hand, then plaited it all into a whip. There are four plaited bellies inside the whip with a final overlay of brown and blue – all told there is well over two hundred feet of leather lace in this whip. At the end of the whip is a nylon fall with a nylon cracker on the very tip. When you crack a whip, the cracker passes the speed of sound and makes a little sonic boom.
The whip is made from leather that was originally intended for making furniture, but I have liberated it and given it a new life! (In fact, the brown leather used to be recliner.) I think of this as a high form of recycling and call it adaptive re-use. It only took my time to make it – over twenty hours, in fact. The final overlay (the brown and blue you see on the whip) alone took almost six hours to plait.
To crack the whip with your right hand, swing the whip to the left and up over your head. As the whip goes behind you and begins to come back around to the right, throw your right hand straight forward sharply and turn your thumb inside and down toward the ground. Keep the whip high, don’t throw it toward the ground, just turn your thumb down. When you turn your thumb down, you will put a loop in the whip, and that loop is what makes it crack. You don’t have to throw the whip too hard; it is mostly technique that makes the crack.
Take good care of your whip. Don’t hit things with it, especially the ground, or sand or rocks. You should not use the whip in the rain or get it wet as this will shorten its life. The leather will loosen up over time and get softer and it should be cared for. Whips have a “spine”, that is they have a natural curl in one direction. When you store your whip, just coil it loosely, snap it in its holster and hang it up somewhere dry.
Most importantly of all, whips are fun to use, but they are not toys; one must exercise great caution when using them. A whip should never be used to hit a person or animal or anything you don’t want broken. The fall and cracker are moving over 1,000 feet per second when the whip cracks; this is fast enough to cut a person’s skin open like a knife, or put out an eye. Cowboys never hit cattle with their whips, they just use the sound to drive them – a whip can cut a cow just like a person.
Also remember that the crack of a whip is much louder to others than to you. You should not crack a whip in the direction of someone who is close by. And when you crack your whip, be mindful to have enough room. The whip is over six feet long, including the fall and cracker. Add to this the length of your arm, and you can hit things over eight feet away. So, you should have at least ten feet of clear space in all directions when you crack your whip.
Owning and using a whip requires a lot of responsibility, self control and maturity. With your parent’s permission, I am giving you this whip to use and enjoy. Have fun with it and make lots of noise – this is what it is for. But at all times be responsible. If you find yourself unable to be safe and careful, your parents have my permission to take the whip and put it and you in time out for a period of time they deem adequate.
Along with making all of creation for His own glory, God also made the world for us to enjoy – else he would not have given us the capacity for happiness and laughter and joy. I find great joy in the laws of physics God created which allow a whip to crack. Eric Liddell, the famous Christian Olympian, said that God made him fast and he felt His pleasure when he ran. Enjoy your whip. When you crack it, remember the God who made the air for sound, and enjoy Him, too.