rams head walking cane - now finished!

[adidat]

i acquired this today, i believe its made of brass its a weighty thing at just over a kilo any ideas what it is, seen one before?

the plan is to turn it into a stick for my Gdads 90th bday next month.

adidat

 

[DIY Stew]

It's very nice but dont you think it will be a bit heavy for a 90 year old!!!! Best give it to me so I can make it into a walking stick for myself (I'm only 51, well 52 next week, would make a lovely birthday present).
Seriously I think it is very nice, I assume your going to drill and tap it to connect to a stick, I think it would look good with an ebony tapered stick perhaps with a brass end?
I'm sure you grandad will be very happy with it.
Whatever you do please post pic of finished stick.

Stew

 

[Lons]

Hi Adidat

I agree with Stew. too heavy for a stick, I recon he'll shove it in a corner or proudly display it instead.

It might be better as a doorstop.

Why don't you have a go at carving a simple stick head or buy a smaller ready made - they aren't too expensive.
BTW, if you intend to cut yourself a stick of hazel, rosewood, blackthorn etc, do it now before the sap rises.

Bob

 

[woodbloke]

I've made several sticks and agree that the lump of brass you have there is way too heavy for a stick. For really good fittings and materials for walking sticks, Google is your friend...try 'The Stick Man' :wink: - Rob

 

[adidat]

thanks for your advice, not sure what im going to go, maybe make a stick for myself. its quite a nice fit in my hand.

adidat

 

[Dodge]

thanks for your advice, not sure what im going to go, maybe make a stick for myself. its quite a nice fit in my hand.

adidat

If it helps you make up your mind I am sure that I have a traditional brass ball and ferrule walking stick top in my workshop, it has never been used but I have probably had it for over twenty years so will need a polish up. if it would be any good for the walking cane for your grandfather you are welcome to it, its about time someone put it to good use.

I could even let you have a nice piece of english yew or lacewood to go under it from my timber store

I will dig it out on Monday and pm you a pic or two

Rog

 

[paultnl]

thanks for your advice, not sure what im going to go, maybe make a stick for myself. its quite a nice fit in my hand.

adidat

If you do, be careful where you take it as it could be regarded as an offensive weapon with that weight.

 

[adidat]

sounds great dodge!

thanks for all your advice, the way i see it is, its such a nice object to do nothing with, if i just made a cane and kept it as a curios i think i would like that.

adidat

 

[Racers]

Hi, adidat

It looks like it would make a good door knocker.

Pete

 

[Tony Spear]

Ad,

It's definitely too heavy to use as a "user" on a cane or a stick. If you're determined to use it purely as a decorative piece, the obvious choice is Hazel as it's the easiest to find and straighten. Much better, stepping up a level, Blackthorn or Holly are superb for shanks, although harder to work particularly Holly, which needs stripping of it's bark and underbark and then staining to bring out the figure.

Obviously if you need it soon you'll have to purchase a shank as you'll need something already seasoned.

If you Google "British Stickmakers Guild" I'm sure that you'll find plenty of suppliers on there. There's an oufit called Denmar Supplies somewhere in Shropshire that I've bought bits and pieces from over the years, mainly at the major Country Fairs.

There's a very good book on stickmaking, called (funnily enough!) "Stickmaking" by Leo Gowan, only costs about 15 quid and has loads of good advice.

One thing I would point out is that lots of people will tell you to bore the handle and shank to take a piece of steel/silver steel bar in order to make the joint. I prefer to drill a suitable sized hole in the handle and cut a round tenon on the shank then glue the two together. Just like any Woodworker I reckon the fewer joints the better. If you want to be really clever you can cut a slot in the tenon and then fox wedge it into the handle with no glue at all!

I've got a stick here at the moment in Hazel and Staghorn that I made that way for my ex-wife well over ten years ago, but she's managed to wear away most of the bark on the bottom 6" of the shank (using it as a wading stick on rocky rivers amongst other things) and wants me to fit a new shank! The joint at the top is as solid as the day it was made and in fact I'm probably going to have to cut off the handle and then drill out the tenon.

Cue the old mallet joke: "I've had this one for donkey's years and apart from 3 new shanks and two new handles, I've never had to do anything to it !"

 

[woodbloke]

Ad,

One thing I would point out is that lots of people will tell you to bore the handle and shank to take a piece of steel/silver steel bar in order to make the joint. I prefer to drill a suitable sized hole in the handle and cut a round tenon on the shank then glue the two together. Just like any Woodworker I reckon the fewer joints the better.

I used a lump of M6 threaded bar to join the two (as there's a lot more surface area for the glue) The adhesive I used was the old fashioned, proper slow setting Araldite but there's two things to bear in mind if you do it this way. The first is to thoroughly degrease the metal with meths and the second is to put a tiny hole (1mm or even less) at the bottom of each hole in the handle and head...this allows excess glue to escape and prevents 'hydraulic lock' I do the same thing when I make marking knives...anyone who's got one of my knives will see a little tiny 'dot' about 15mm down from the ferule...that's the 'ole - Rob

 

[adidat]

hi guys

thanks for all your good advice i did read all responses so please do not think I am ignoring your opinions.

with the rams head i took it to this great engineering place in taunton just three old boys in a workshop full of lovely big machines with that smell of coolant and polish in the air. As i only really had one chance to get it right i thought i would let some one else balls it up, but for a very small sum these guys did a great job. They faced it, drilled and tapped at M8.

after giving it a go over with some autosol and a cloth.

i then looked at the staves that out very own dodge was kind enough to send me.

LACEWOOD YEW
V V

after thinking about the ram which is a fine and hardy creature out in all weathers. i decided the yew which has some similarities with the horns in the way it grew, was a good choice.

so i hacked off the edges with my Preston spokeshave

and was left with this

i then put it on the lathe and turned it down, which was a pain in the backside what with whip etc. But i managed with a trick dodge had shown me, cradle the work in one hand and hold the tool with the other.

so that went of to the engineers to have the ends drilled and tapped. I turned a foot piece out of a big chunky brass bolt, it was great meant i didn't have to waste a good bit of inch rod. I cut a thread on that and but a nice taper on the other end.

i collected the machined stave and on my way home went to Wilkinsons to discover to my horror that they no longer stock araldite. So to B & Poo where they also no longer stock araldite. after some faffing around they got on the phone to araldite(bostick) who don't seem to be selling it any more. its ok though have just bought 100 tubes off evil bay that should last me some time, i buy it use a bit and then my granddad finishes it off . but i went with a tube of this evostick stuff which seems to be the same but with a different name on the tube :duno: also got some very very cheap bits of ply out of the offcuts bin :wink: .

photos of the finished stick tomorrow.

adidat

 

[Dodge]

Chris,

Correct me if I'm wrong but are those shavings all over your dining room floor????? :shock:

 

[wallace]

Hi Chris, looking forward to see the finished article. What is the rams head made of. I think it would look good if it were buffed with some polishing compound. I think I'm a bit of a magpie, I like shiny things.
Mark

 

[Dodge]

Chris,

What happened to the finished photos - are we going to get to see them??

 

[adidat]

sorry for keeping you guys waiting, very busy at the moment.

so here it is!

i dont think the pictures really do it justice, to start with i couldnt fit it in my light booth #-o. The sheen of the wood and head hasn't really come out.

i got an excellent fit on the head joint almost perfect

a nice look at the yew, really came out nice with a couple of eyes to add some visual texture!

the foot i turned out of a large brass bolt, also can see one of the heat fractures from drilling i would assume, hopefully all the epoxy should keep it closed up.

the head with a big smile as he now has a body!

to answer some questions roger you are very wrong its in fact my spare room, i had a bit of a woodworking episode and they are rare at the moment so I just had to go with it. But good guess!

Wallace as I'm sure you know with your restoring photo's, taking good pictures of shiny stuff isn't easy. I cant really be sure if its brass or bronze, its takes a shine nicely and becomes almost white, but oxidises quickly.

but a big thank you to everyone who gave good advice i took it for a trial the other day and the weight is not really that noticeable, and IMHO its a great stick. the only thing I'm not to happy is the finish, i went with about 6 coats of Danish and about 4 coats of floor wax. But i can address this in time.

A big thanks to roger for the fantastic timber i have had lots of compliments on this already!

Adidat

 

[wallace]

I like it alot. That would come in handy in a dark alley. Can you imagine getting bashed with it (hammer)
mark

 

[jimi43]

I would wipe all that stuff off with some meths Chris and stick on some Tru-Oil mate...you won't regret it and it will stand up to the rigours of back alleys too! :mrgreen:

Wonderful job mate....would be ideal for when I get older...being an Aries an' all! 8)

Jim