A warm up flogger
made from a soft moosehide.
by S.M.A.R.T.'s Masters Workshop
Materials and Tools
required
- One, 9 inch by 24 inch piece
of Moosehide (this can be obtained from Tandy Leather).
- Contact Cement, preferably the
latex variety.
- Rotary cutting wheel, sharp
scissors and cutting pad (can be a desk blotter). All items
can be obtained from Office Max.
- 8 inch piece of 7/16 inch, oak
dowel rod.
- 8 inch piece of 1 ¼ inch, oak
dowel (this will be provided with the kit and the preparation
is not discussed in this article).
- Either a drafting table with
parallel ruler, articulated arm, a T-square or a plain old
metal carpenters square.
First of all, I want to say
that I am no leather expert. My choices in leather come from
browsing the Tandy Leather store and imagining the effects
the different leathers would have on the body. The procedure
outlined here will work with just about any leather. I chose
the Moosehide because of its beauty, smell and softness,
after all, we are making a warm up flogger. This leather does
not maintain sharp edges and has a texture that tugs lightly
when drawn across the skin. It can be used to stimulate not
only by whipping, but by gently dancing the tips of the tails
across the body, or by drawing it across an area of the body.
An aura of anticipation can be created by slowly drawing it
across the face, allowing the smell of the hide to foreshadow
an imminent stroke. Anyway, I’ll dispense with the
technique. I am sure that the collective experience out there
will find ways to use it that I have never thought of. So,
now for the construction.
Step One: squaring the
pelt
The first step is to square
the leather pelt you have purchased. By now, you have learned
that leather does not come in nicely squared pelts, the
shapes are often irregular. Be sure to purchase a pelt, that
when trimmed can yield a rectangular piece that is 9 inches
by 24 inches.
Lay the pelt on a flat surface
on top of the cutting pad, using your hands to smooth and
flatten out the pelt. Keep in mind that the pelt must to stay
in place until all the cuts are made.
Once the pelt is flattened I
use the parallel rule, the articulated drafting arm or the
carpenter’s square to trim it into a 9 inch by 24 inch
rectangle. The illustration shows trimming using the parallel
rule, which is the easiest method. If you are using a
carpenter square, place the square on one side of the pelt to
make the first two cuts, placing it so as to allow for a true
rectangle when flipped to make the final two cuts. Use the
circular cutter to trim the first two edges, using the square
as a guide. (Scissors are not good for making these cuts, as
they tend to stretch the pelt.) Then flip the square over to
make the final two cuts, making sure that both sides of the
square are perpendicular to the cuts already made. Once you
have squared off the pelt, leave it in place. Lifting it will
cause it to distort.
Step Two: marking the
pelt
To mark the leather for
cutting, use a mechanical pencil with a 0.5 mm size lead.
First, mark a line across the 9 inch width, two inches from
the end. This is the area that will be wrapped around the
dowel and become part of the handle. The cuts along the
24" length that form the individual tails will start at
the line you've drawn, two inches from the end.
Next, using the pencil, mark
points every 1/4" along the line you've drawn, and
repeat this process at the other end of the pelt. Draw a
pencil line from end to end at every pair of points you've
marked. These horizontal markings are the cutting guidelines
for what will become the 36 tails of the flogger.
Step Three: cutting the
tails
This step is one of the most
important steps in the process. Go slowly to insure that you
carefully follow the lines you've marked. Even cuts will
yield a flogger that is aesthetically pleasing. Position the
straight edge on the corresponding 1/4" marks and slowly
cut from the two inch point to the end of the pelt. Once a
cut has been completed, it is important to move to the next
cut without moving the pelt. Gently move the newly cut tail
away from the pelt, while still maintaining pressure on the
straight edge. After each cut is completed, carefully lift
the straight edge off the pelt and place it down on the next
marked line without moving the pelt.
Step 4: angling the
tails
After the tails have been cut,
the ends need to be trimmed to a 45 degree angle. This gives
the flogger a more concentrated effect at the end of the
tail. Using a pair of sharp scissors, carefully angle each
tail. If you really want to get fancy, cut a "v" in
each tail, giving it a snake’s tongue configuration, for
a little more effect. This is the last step in the leather
working process. The subsequent steps will be applying the
contact cement to the pelt and rolling the pelt around the
inner dowel.
Step 5: applying the
contact cement to the pelt
If you’ve never worked
with contact cement before, pay close attention to this part.
Surfaces coated with contact cement will not bond to uncoated
surfaces, but will instantly bond to other surfaces coated
with the cement. So when applying the cement to the leather
surface, use caution to avoid getting the cement on anything
but the leather, or you may end up with your hard worked for
creation bonded to your work table. Place a sheet of aluminum
foil down on your work table, and place the leather so that
the uncut 2" strip is on top of the foil. First apply a
coat of cement to one side and allow the cement to dry
(follow instruction on the can). Then apply a coat to the
other side, using a fresh sheet of aluminum foil to protect
your work surface. Coat the last 2" of the dowel with a
thin layer of contact cement and allow to dry for ten
minutes. Lay the dowel along the edge of the 2" strip
and carefully roll the leather tightly around the dowel,
applying pressure, and smoothing it as you go. Then, using
the heels of your hands, continue rolling to tighten the bond
and smooth out the leather. Trim off the protruding section
of dowel and discard. The leather-wrapped dowel can now be
glued into the pre-drilled handle using a two-part epoxy.