Horsehair Flogger

Posted on June 09, 2022
Word Count: 742

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2022-06-09
Welp, I just pulled the trigger on purchasing a half pound of horse hair to make a horse hair flogger. I’ve wanted one forever but they always are so pricey. So I’m just making one. I plan to dye the hair, probably red.

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2022-06-19
Instructions say to stir in boiling water for 30 minutes. 20 left to go but this is turning out so pretty. Half my WIP horsehair flogger

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2022-07-24
WIP on my horse hair flogger project. I’ve been tying it to upholstery thread and finally have it all tied in place. Next is hand sewing it in place, then machine sewing, then I should be able to attach it to a handle. Red side is tied only, blue side is tied then hand-sewn. The hand sewing takes forever but it will ensure that it should not shed. Long way to go but the progress feels good.

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2022-08-08
I have finally finished hand sewing the horse hair. Next step: sewing machine. Then more conditioning and rinsing because holy crap the red was bleeding all over my hands as I worked… then finally attaching to a handle. I can feel this project coming to a close soon. Sooooooon

I’m both excited and nervous. I don’t know what horse hair feels like

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2022-08-09
Sitting outside with my horse hair while it dries. I did machine sew the top and that looks great, it holds the tips down really well so it’s nice and flat. Conditioned and rinsed the hell out of it today. My nails are dyed a really ugly purple from it. But the colors are mostly not bleeding anymore. Mostly. I don’t think I can prevent that 100%

Now to figure out how to attach it to a handle. I have a few options. Unsure if I want to try to shove it inside some pvc or glue it around a wood handle though. It’s . . . thick.

I think gluing around a wood handle is going to work better although I’d originally planned for gluing inside pvc
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2022-08-09
Should I stick with red & blue side by side like I’ve pictured before or mix them together for more like . . . a stripey effect? The mix is a ton easier since it’s just lay one over the other & wrap them around. Half/half is more of a pain but still doable.
Not sure which I like better visually

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2022-08-26
Aaarrgggggg. I keep damaging myself making the horse hair flogger. Earlier I jammed a needle head under my thumb nail. And now I just stabbed that same thumb with the needle trying to sew some leather. So I decided to leave my mark inside it. 😠
Honestly I like the blood thumbprint look. It’ll be covered in leather and then I’m still planning on adding another layer on top of the leather but I will know.
Grumble.

This kind of stuff is why I get frustrated with my roommate when she’s like “ohhhh I can’t do that, I always hurt myself.”
Like I fucking don’t?

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2022-09-04
Update on my horse hair flogger. I’ve attached the hair to a dowel, weighted the end with BBs and epoxy putty then covered the handle in leather. Still planning on covering that with horse hair hitching. We’ll see.
Since the main issue with it was how much the hair spread out in use, I’ve braided it. I originally just did some braids around the outside of the hair and decided I loved the look. The braids on the inside are short and still serve the function of grouping the hair together but it also makes the colors stay separated. I’m really really happy with the look. I may undo some of the longer braids and retie them shorter but they seem like they’ll give some good impact so I want to see how the whole thing feels in actual use as is first.
(Spoiler: I never added anything else over the handle. Maybe some day. – 2025-03-12)