As with many things in the whip world there are no hard and fast rules in this area. Whip care is an individual thing. In the days of the cowboy dipping your whip in a stream, river or puddle would due. Today we have highly engineered and expensive whips to care for that cost a great deal more. We also have better products available to clean and condition them.

 Dirt is one of the biggest enemies of the whip, it gets into the plaiting and erodes the fibres, and it acts like sand paper cutting away at the strands. A top quality leather conditioner helps. A conditioned whip won't let dirt migrate as deeply in as an unconditioned whip, dirt stays on the surface, and is cleaned away after each use.

 Water is another one; a wet whip left to sit for a period of time eventually will grow mould, mildew and other nasty things. If your whip should get wet its best to wipe it down with a dry towel, lay it loosely coiled in a well ventilated place for a few days to dry, than reapply conditioner and allow that to soak in for a few more days. Again, a conditioned whip wont let as much water in due to the composition of the conditioner.

 Dry rot, the oxidization of leather. Oxygen believe it or not erodes leather. Antique whips have been found suffering from dry rot. Some cannot be uncoiled for fear they will fall apart due to this condition. A conditioned whip seals out the oxygen and preserves the whip.

 As for conditioners the most popular ones are a paste at room temperature. The reason I like them is they tend to stay with the whip longer than oils and usually contain bees wax for a little extra protection and shine.

 Now the big questions, how to clean and what conditioners. I personally have tried a few unconventional methods and some tried and proven techniques when it comes to cleaning. I use a wet warm cloth followed immediately by a dry cloth. I don't soak the whip; I squeeze as much water as I can out on the cloth. A well-conditioned whip will repel water. I'll let the whip dry out completely and then I may add a small amount of conditioner.

 On some of my whips I have used a very dry solution of Ivory soap and as little water in my hand followed by a damp cloth to get out the soap and followed again by a dry cloth. Unconventional, yes, did it work, yes. Another method would be to use saddle soap.

 Now for conditioners. A product I think Ive heard the most about and perhaps most widely used is Pecards Leather Dressing from Green Bay Wis. USA. Another one that I received with my shipment of Mike Murphy whips is Joseph Lyddy's jay-el from Victoria Australia. Another that's found locally  is at Tandy Leather called Fiebings Aussie Leather Conditioner.

 What do all these conditioners have in common? They are a solid paste at room temperature and not a liquid, that's what gives them the staying power.

 One more product Id like to mention is Dr. Jacksons Hide Rejuvenator, available at Tandy Leather (** NOTE - Do not use it on your finely braided expensive whips, they may fall apart). As it says, its a rejuvenator to be used on old dried out leather, with one exception. I used it years ago, as did some of my friends at the time to loosen the leather on some cheap six-braid bullwhips that we couldn't get to work well. The leather was thick and stiff with no hope of ever loosening up for cracking. Dr. Jacksons seems to loosen the leather fibres and these whips are still in use today.

 I hope this helps but keep in mind that whip care is an individual thing. It seems everyone has their own ways and if you don't have your own methods, eventually you will.

Gerry/Rufrider