Walking Sticks & Canes.

120+ yr old Victorian era cane with antler handle capped with a German Silver photo locket. Shaft is hazel wood.

 

I imagine finding the positive in it like that helps a lot. A friend's mother has a degenerative spine condition with fused vertebrae; some days she's great, other days she really struggles, but she's a real trouper. She has a whole almost barrel full of canes of all sorts of patterns in her hallways so she can choose any one of them as she feels when she goes out for the day. It definitely helps her cope. My own mother was diagnosed with Parkinson's about ten years ago, and has recetly started using a stick. She's taken to it better than we thought, though I'm on the lookout for something nice looking for her as I think she might enjoy it more that way.

There's al ot of that right across Eastern Europe. I'm guessing in part it's a result of the preservation of folk cultures and traditions (there was an emphasis on that for a long time in the old East Bloc), likely also that it was a low-tech industry that could provide employment without massive priro investment in materials?

 

As a nube, I very much wish to thank all the members who've contributed to this thread, it's been a pleasure to read through and enjoy. About 40 years ago I acquired my first stick, as a handsome one presented itself offered for sale, and I had always liked the look of sticks. I added a few more over the years, and set only two criteria for choices; that I like their looks, and that they are functional.

By that time I had already enjoyed antiques for some times, and noted the occasional group of sticks offered for sale at shows. Some of the antique sticks are beautiful, but unfortunately most of them were shorter than I could use, and also, time had made many fragile. For this reason I've acquired only new sticks, and as such, sadly, have none as handsome as the magnificent example shared above by Hurricane Jack! It puts me in mind of the collection of antique sticks Paul Stuart had long offered for sale at their Manhattan store, only even a bit nicer.

What had simply long been a hobby of sorts became a necessity roughly 15 years ago due to the progression of arthritis, and now provides the stability and assistance required to securely get around. I have some sticks I confess are largely ornamental, and others I rely upon more frequently. Some are more outdoor sticks, others indoor, others general purpose. For example: I have a blackthorn stick that I used to use to walk my golden retriever. It simply had a wood tip with a copper strip wrapped around it as a ferrule. Admirably suited to outdoors, but less so indoors.

I was sure to always use that stick for this purpose because I had assistance. If I asked Siggy (Short for Sigmund.) if he wanted to go for a walk, he would first eye me up to determine if I was serious, upon deciding I was, he would become very excited, as was his nature. (Two speeds: stop and go.) He would race to the kitchen where his leash was stored in in a specific kitchen drawer, wait for me, and when I appeared, bat that drawer pull with his snout. Then he would race to the dining room where my sticks rested in a faux Chinese blue and white umbrella stand, and among the roughly dozen sticks there, he would carefully bat only the blackthorn stick which I had always used when walking him

He had trained me well.

 

Handmade from Ebay. Etsy.com is another great place for sticks.

 

Self Defense Cane.

 

These came from my folks estate sale. Any recommendations for cleaning / preserving? The carved one fits me well.

 

The one with the white marble ball handle could be touched up to look exquisite. The cracked porcelain look of the handle would really stand out nicely against a slick finished cane. I would also try touch up the brass bits as best as you can.

A quick trip to Home Depot with the cane will do the trick so the salesperson can look at the wood and metal type.

 

I too have a problem with vintage sticks being too short. I'm mostly interested in sticks from the Victorian & Western eras, Catalin or Bakelite handles, exotic woods, etc. When I make sticks I strive to clone the same but coming up with handles is always the problem.

Thanks for the nice compliment & welcome to the thread. Look forward to seeing some of yours.

 

Bob, the ball handle is elephant ivory. Use just soap & water to clean it, never use alcohol. The best way to preserve old ivory is to keep it at a constant humidity. It will be top heavy so be careful not to let it fall over & chip when leaning it against the wall or something.

 

Tung oil...tung oil...and tung oil
B

 

I have some of that!

 

As a woodworker I'm not surprised.

 

This is a strange coincidence. We just bought a slide scanner and started to dig though the piles of color slides my folks had. In the first set I randomly go though (four boxes labeled "old cars") I find this goofy one of my Dad taken in 1959. That's the same carved stick up above!

 

I collect vintage woodworking tools. I'm a future woodworker.

I had the tung oil left from treating some wood used in building the shop.

 

This fellow's work popped up in my FaceBook feed today. Very nice work.

Mike Stinnett.

https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=809560403188960

https://www.facebook.com/StinnettSticks/

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCiDdaCDetfJBhp5o72UP4xA

 

Greetings all:
This video reminded me of a same sized, bark-on, chunk of cedar i found in the basement of a house i rented nearly 4 decades ago. I needed a wading staff for a fly fishing trip to the Black Canyon of the Gunnison River, Co. So i carved this. All i used was a Buck folder, round file and sandpaper. I recall it has about 10-15 coats of polyurethane and lots of steel wooling. Took forever to carve. Has held up quite well and i still like to just admire the grain and it still is my third leg in a stream.
Be well. Bowen

 

^ is that an Irish Walking Stick....Shiloh ? Are those usually lightweight or do they come heavy as well ?

Thanks

 

I'd compliment your handsome stick, except it would feel self congratulatory as I've been leaning on its brother all day, and for much of the last month.

Acquired roughly 30 years ago, it was the stick I unfailingly took my golden walking with. The tip rather than having a metal cap as a ferrule, had a copper strip wrapped round the tip, and over years, I wore it and stick itself down into a sort of flange. And not having a rubber tip I could find to fit it for that reason, it could not serve indoors. But at last I found a tip to fit, and with a couple shims formed a tight and stable fit, so now I am able to enjoy this particularly comfortable and supportive stick for my daily use as well.

It's the wand of a blackthorn bush with the thorns removed. Neither particularly light or heavy, its very strong and dense wood that's exceedingly tough, and hence an excellent support. Some heavier limbs are sometimes cut closer to the root and shorter, with a heavy ball of root at its end offering the traditional shillelagh, more skull crusher than support.