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Elegant -> RE: Flogger 411 (7/25/2007 12:52:35 AM)
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Some info that might help...C&P'd from a magazine interview Master Archer did:
What does "balanced" mean and why is a balanced flogger important? Balance is the point at which the weight of the handle equals the weight of the tails. Balance is important so that when swinging the flogger with the hand on the middle of the handle does not work the wrist too hard. A properly balanced flogger also enables to Top to lay the lashes more precisely on a desired location on the body. The handle and the turkshead knot or other finishing embellishment on the end of the handle counterbalances the falls.
What material is used to balance a flogger. (I've heard people use lead shot or lead tape)
Lead shot or lead tape is often used to counterbalance a flogger. Heavier handle material, washers, large to medium nails driven into the other end, anything you can do to add enough weight to properly counterbalance the lashes can also be used.
How do you tell that a flogger is well balanced?
The most common point of balance is in the neck of the flogger. The neck is where the lashes attach to the handle. However it is less important that the point of balance always be at the neck than it is that the point of balance be consistently in the same part of the handle on all your floggers. It is that consistent placement of the point of balance that makes a consistent throw easier. This creates muscle memory and makes it possible to throw the flogger the most accurately with the least amount of stress on the wrist, arm and shoulder. If the point of balance is one forth the distance from the neck to the end of the handle in all of your floggers then you are still going to have the same benefits as if they were all in the neck.
Where the falls are concerned, how long should they be? Is that based on a person's height? As with many things some people will try to make up for lack of length of various body parts by increasing it in others. I generally recommend that the overall length of a flogger including handle and lashes should be no longer than the length of their arm, regardless of the imagined length of certain body parts. This gives room so that you don't get in the way of your own flogger. Longer lashes can be worked with but I find the effort not worthwhile.
Where numbers of falls are concerned, how many is sufficient? Why "Mop Floggers"? Physics comes into play when considering the number of lashes desired for a flogger: Force = Mass (weight) x Acceleration. If a person can accurately throw a flogger with lightweight or few lashes using the same relative speed they throw one with heavier or more lashes then the impact (force) will be the same. Cross section is also a consideration. Cross section refers not only to the number of lashes but also to the width of the individual lashes. Generally speaking, all other factors being equal, as the width of each lash increases, the blow will feel more thuddy as opposed to stingy. This is because the force of the blow is distributed over a wider cross section. When considering the number of lashes, both effects are felt to a slightly lesser degree. This is the reason that braided lashes give a deeper blow, albeit a stinging one. Mop floggers are usually made to give "heavy thud" sensation…and for their sheer evil appearance. The biggest problem with mops is they are difficult to work well and not easy to counterbalance properly because most people can't throw them with the same grip they use on a regular weight flogger. They are as dangerous to the wrists, arms and shoulders of the user as they are to the backs of their targets.
There are a lot of different knots that people use at the end of the handles. What is the actual function of that knot, and why do people favor one knot over another? The turks head knot is a decorative knot with a basket weave pattern surrounding a cylinder shaped object, The name is used to describe the general family of all such knots rather than one individual knot. The knot was originally named because of its resemblance to a Turban. Most knots used on floggers are variations of the turkshead knot (sometimes called Monkey Paw, Gifthead or Pineapple). The visual differences are a result of shape and thickness of the material (leather, rope, etc) used and the number of strands of material used. Most turks heads and other ring knots are used to hide the construction of the flogger or whatever else they happen to be used on. They cover the places where the end of the handle braids are, or where the lashes are attached to the handles. They give the item a more finished look and if tied tightly, with leather that stretches a little bit, then they also add to the strength of the construction. A properly placed bottom knot also bundles the tails together. This helps reduce the tendency for the tails to "fly" or break away from each other. Some people throw a flogger by gripping the knot between the forefinger and the middle finger. Unfortunately, this style of throwing can cause friction on the skin leading to blistering between the fingers.
Most of the time, the ends of the falls are either cut straight across, cut to a point or cut on a diagonal. Could you please elaborate on what the differences are in those finished ends? Sometimes the tips are cut round or beveled at the tips to reduce sting caused by contact with just the tips. However some people like to be able to give that extra sting by using a tip strike, which concentrates the energy in that little tip and thus creates sting. Generally the thud or sting of a flogger or braided cat is determined much more by total energy divided by surface are it is applied over. So wider lashes give more thud, thinner lashes more sting. A braided lash has the weight of a wide lash with the surface area of a narrow lash and that is why they tend to give more sting and a deeper blow.
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