Walking Stick

[BrokenArts]

Hi everyone!  I had to share a project with you all, that I am working on at the moment.  I was out in my yard over a month ago, picking up sticks and small branches from my sycamore trees, they are rather messy trees sometimes.
I picked up one particular branch, I held it in my hands, and instantly thought it would make a good walking stick!  It has some rather cool knots.  Not being very tall, it would work for myself or my daughter. The stick measures almost 39" long in length.

As you can see the stick has a total of four knots towards the top, the bottom has nothing on it, which is fine, over half of it really.  The knots are towards the top, which is perfect.  I have already taken off the bark on 90% of the stick, and done lots of sanding.  It also has a heart on it!  I couldn't believe that.  You tell me what you think.  Here are a series of pictures that I've taken.

http://modetwo.net/users/brokenarts/Stick1.JPG
http://modetwo.net/users/brokenarts/Stick3.JPG
http://modetwo.net/users/brokenarts/Stick4.JPG

I basically want to know if anyone has worked on walking sticks, is there any advice you can give me?

I've taken a series of pictures, so you can see this piece, I find it very interesting, and I've never seen a branch like this!  At least I thought so.

Image #1 the top.

I see a lizards eye right in the center of that top piece.  I found a Taxidermy website that I can order glass eyes.  I plan on ordering some eyes, and setting them in the various knots.  Hallow out the knots a bit, and set the eyes.

There are 4 knots.  The glass eyes come in sets of two, makes sense right?  So, one set of Lizard eyes, and the other set, I haven't decided yet.

As for the heart, I may use a more slightly red stain to outline the heart.

Once its all done, I will stain and seal everything in.  I'm taking things a bit slow, with this much on the stick, I want to be sure of what I want done.

Here is the link for the Taxidermy site.
http://www.vandykestaxidermy.com/subcategory/150

Thanks for looking.

[ladyecho]

That looks like it's gonna be an awesome project. And I adore the heart. The only thing I would suggest is getting a rubber stopper for the bottom of the walking stick so that it will last longer.

[BrokenArts]

Thats a good idea, thanks for that tip!  Hah, no pun intended. 

[irish boy]

if you plan of carving or sanding on it, i would suggest wearing a dust mask. the irregularities on sticks such as the one you have is caused by a type of fungus which can be harmful to your lungs if you breath the dust. i've been woodcarving fo about 25 years and have worked with spalted woods and one called Dimond Willow which has a growth deformity closr to your piece.

[BrokenArts]

Thank you for that informative bit of information, thats very interesting.  I do appreciate that.  I will definitely wear a mask!  Thanks again.  Any other tips, I'd love to hear them.  TY.

[Woodland Artisan]

if you plan of carving or sanding on it, i would suggest wearing a dust mask. the irregularities on sticks such as the one you have is caused by a type of fungus which can be harmful to your lungs if you breath the dust. i've been woodcarving fo about 25 years and have worked with spalted woods and one called Dimond Willow which has a growth deformity closr to your piece.

Very good advise on wearing a dust mask, irish boy.  Whether fungus' or not, use respiratory protection of some sort when working with woods, everybody.  I'd just like to offer my observation that those "knots" on her sycamore branch weren't caused by fungus or spalting (see http://www.hiltonhandcraft.com/Articles/Spalting_a_Fungus_Amongus.asp for information on that aspect of wood coloration/fungus attack).  They are just simply overgrowths from broken limb-lets or other damage.  The wood on the inside may very well be spalted, but those knots have nothing to do with that.

BrokenArts,

You mentioned using a stain ... I'd suggest a dye instead of a stain.  Analine (alcohol based) dye gives the most outstanding color and is more light-fast than either stains or water-based dyes.  A dye also allows the wood to show through the color better, too.

[BrokenArts]

TY too Woodland Artisan, good advice as well.  I am glad I posted this!  The one thing about my trees, they drop branches a lot.  So, that makes sense, whether it would indeed be fungus or not.  They do drop a lot of branches anyway.

A lot to read with the fungus amung us.  A good read, I'm still going through it.  You never know what you'll learn.

I'll look into a dye, good idea.  TY again!  Keep the info and tips coming.  I'm enjoying this.

[Woodland Artisan]

You're welcome, BrokenArts.

Yes, Sycamores do drop a lot of limbs.  It's one of those typical characteristics (along with the thin peeling white-ish bark and lacewood-like quartersawn grain look) of this tree.  Also, the fact that most large (over 3' diameter) Sycamores are usually hollow to varying degrees at the base.  Bit of trivia (for those just dying to know  ) ...

Frontier families of the midwest frequently used the very large Sycamores (5' and up diameters) with their hollow bases (frequently open and accessed to the hollow from the outside) as natural, quick, small stock shelters for their pigs and other smaller animals as they traveled through or until they could make a permanent pen.

I use Sycamore a lot for my kitchenware products and commercially spalt it for the veneer business.  A nice wood.

I've been making walking sticks/hiking staffs for quite some time but only do a few higher-end ones (unique collectibles or serious hiking staffs) a year now.  Got all sorts of tips, depending on what you're wanting to do with it.

[BrokenArts]

Oh woodland, you are just full of all kinds of information! Very cool actually.  Thats interesting about the hallowed out section that settlers used to use in the trees. 

My house sets on a corner lots, I've got a total of 6 sycamore trees.  You get a good rain, or a strong wind, hello, time to go outside afterward and pick up the yard!  The trees are big, probably 50 years old, or more, few stories tall.  The house was built in 52, so probably planted around that time. They shade my house in this hot Texas sun, so, I love them.

I do restoration work on objects, so, I have all kinds of tools to work on that stick.  I felt a little foolish in posting the images, and the story, thinking, who'd care about this?  But, I did it anyway. 

I am barely 5'2" so the stick would work just fine for me, it won't be very tall, there is a notch out of the top, to rest your thumb on.  The top would sit at about waist level for me.  Its comfortable.  I took my dremel/fordem tool, and smoothed it out and rounded it out further to make it even more comfortable for your thumb. 

As for what I really plan on doing with the stick, just making it smooth right now, I've taken down some knots, and sanded some completely off that I didn't want.
Its like a progression of sorts, and seeing and listening to what the stick says to me.
In a sense. 
So far with what I want to do, is more fantasy based.  I see lots of character in the wood.  I'm just going with it.  I even thought about taking a mold of some of the sections, for later use, and if I want to make more sticks.  We'll see there.

I'd love to see some of your past work woodland, if you have anything available to view. 

[Woodland Artisan]

The house was built in 52, so probably planted around that time. They shade my house in this hot Texas sun, so, I love them.

Do you know if Sycamores are native to upper Texas?  We have them everywhere here in the Ozarks.  I spent some time down in the Wichita Falls / Dallas area last fall selling wood blanks and picking up some Mesquite but didn't remember seeing much Sycamore.

I do restoration work on objects, so, I have all kinds of tools to work on that stick.  I felt a little foolish in posting the images, and the story, thinking, who'd care about this?  But, I did it anyway. 

Oh?  What kind of restoration?   I get quite a lot of furniture restoration commissions (materials/structure ... not re-finishing) and I really enjoy the researching aspect of it.   Many times, there simply isn't available information on a piece and we just have to work with the museum, gallery, or collector to come up with what we think might be appropriate in replacements and techniques.

I am barely 5'2" so the stick would work just fine for me, it won't be very tall, there is a notch out of the top, to rest your thumb on.  The top would sit at about waist level for me.  Its comfortable.  I took my dremel/fordem tool, and smoothed it out and rounded it out further to make it even more comfortable for your thumb. 

Sounds great for cane usage.  I, too, enjoy trying to find the natural aspects of the existing wood and trying to work them into something useful instead of just forcing something onto it.  Also, the fact that wood is meant to be felt ... not just seen.  One of the defining characteristics of my wood pieces (be it furniture, utilitarian, or art pieces) is to be able to actually feel the wood.  All too often, especially wooden art pieces, they look great but are covered by so much film finish that you can't feel the wood.   So, I always appreciate those "feeling areas" that we woodworkers find or put into wooden pieces.

Now, with that said and a little tip for those that are new to it, having a significant thumb-rest or otherwise a place for the hand or fingers to tightly grasp or rest upon a heavy-use walking/hiking staff is a no-no.  Those that use these things hard-core aren't going to actually be using those nice areas because over repeated and prolonged use, the fingers and palms of the hands really hurt.  A wrist strap of some kind is what's preferred by them.  Gripping of the staff/stick is normally very light in walking or hiking.  The weight and swing of the staff/stick is managed through the strap.  But, again, that's for a subset of the people that buy canes or staffs.  They are picky, though!

Its like a progression of sorts, and seeing and listening to what the stick says to me.
In a sense. 

I know completely what you mean there.

So far with what I want to do, is more fantasy based.  I see lots of character in the wood.  I'm just going with it.  I even thought about taking a mold of some of the sections, for later use, and if I want to make more sticks.  We'll see there.

Hmmm, that's interesting.  Molding.  What material would you make the molded sticks from?  I guess fiberglass (for weight) ?

I'd love to see some of your past work woodland, if you have anything available to view. 

I'll see what I can dig up of the earlier staffs I made.  I've found that over the past few years, my picture-taking of the pieces (across all types of products) that I make has dropped considerably.  Not sure why, though.  I don't keep as many pieces hanging around for much length of time anymore, maybe.  Mostly, I make things now that are commissioned pieces that get shipped out to customers or galleries pretty quickly.

[Amra the Lion]

I've made many hiking and walking sticks and that's a gorgeous piece you have there! I'm a bit lazy and didn't read through all of the posts but one thing I have grown to love for finishing hiking sticks is a product called True-Oil. It's a gunstock finish that you rub on with your fingers and just buff with 000 steel wool in between coats. The stuff dries hard as nails and really allows the grain of the wood show through. You can have a high gloss finish or a matt finish and I usually can put 7 coats on in 4 hours and it's dry to the touch in an hour.

Most gun shops carry it. It comes in a little brown bottle and I think it's a combination of boiled linseed oil and shellac. You might check it out.

[BrokenArts]

Do you know if Sycamores are native to upper Texas?  We have them everywhere here in the Ozarks.  I spent some time down in the Wichita Falls / Dallas area last fall selling wood blanks and picking up some Mesquite but didn't remember seeing much Sycamore.

I really don't know if they are native or not.  The state tree for Texas is a pecan tree.  At least where I live, they seem to be more numerous.  I live near Downtown Dallas.

Oh?  What kind of restoration?   I get quite a lot of furniture restoration commissions (materials/structure ... not re-finishing) and I really enjoy the researching aspect of it.   Many times, there simply isn't available information on a piece and we just have to work with the museum, gallery, or collector to come up with what we think might be appropriate in replacements and techniques.

I restore objects, you can look at BrokenArts.com to see some of the objects I've worked on over the years.  More pictures to come soon for my site.  Furniture is one thing I don't work on, I do an occasional mother of pearl in lay, or other types of inlay that need to be replaced.

Also, the fact that wood is meant to be felt ... not just seen.  One of the defining characteristics of my wood pieces (be it furniture, utilitarian, or art pieces) is to be able to actually feel the wood.   

I keep running my hands over the piece, it feels really good right now, and I am no where near done. 

Now, with that said and a little tip for those that are new to it, having a significant thumb-rest or otherwise a place for the hand or fingers to tightly grasp or rest upon a heavy-use walking/hiking staff is a no-no.  Those that use these things hard-core aren't going to actually be using those nice areas because over repeated and prolonged use, the fingers and palms of the hands really hurt.  A wrist strap of some kind is what's preferred by them.  Gripping of the staff/stick is normally very light in walking or hiking.  The weight and swing of the staff/stick is managed through the strap.  But, again, that's for a subset of the people that buy canes or staffs.  They are picky, though!

I understand that, and I hear you there.  I was actually thinking about adding a strap of sorts to it.  When its about done, I'll decide what kind etc.  I do have another walking stick, its taller, nothing fancy.  That has a leather strap on it, which I use all the time.  I use it for hiking, it has a compass on the end of it.

Hmmm, that's interesting.  Molding.  What material would you make the molded sticks from?  I guess fiberglass (for weight) ?

I've use a silicon mold making compound for my castings, its great stuff.  I've tried other materials, I keep going back to this stuff.  The molds retain their shape, and don't crack on me.  If they do, it will be a long time when that does happen. 

I'd probably use some sort of a fiberglass material, or something, I have all kinds of stuff I can use.  Some stuff called Permastone too. 

I'm sure this piece isn't anywhere near what you do, I just enjoy this stuff.  Some decorative sticks can be quite elaborate, with their carvings and all.  I am just using what is already there.  Its fun!


Arma, more info!  I am finding I do enjoy the carving, and dealing with the wood, just something about it.  I'll see where this takes me.  Thanks for that tip as well.
I can be a resource info hog, you can never get enough sometimes.   I'd love to see what you've done too.  I do enjoy seeing other peoples projects.

[BrokenArts]

I do have a question about using a dye.  If I choose to use a dye, do I need to seal it in?  If I do, with what?  Would a wax work?  I have a really good conservation wax, Renaissance wax, hah, nice name.  Its used by the British museum, its one of the best waxes on the market. 

[Woodland Artisan]

When dealing with dye (as opposed to stains), you have to be careful in what you topcoat it with.  To make this really simple (there are lots of caveats and procedures to overcome things) ...

Say you are using a water-based dye.  Don't use a water-based finish over the top of it.  You'll just pull that dye back up into the finish and it'll streak or just look muddy.  Same goes for alcohol or oil based dyes.  Don't use a finish over it that's solvent is the same as the type of dye (alcohol based dye with alcohol based or similar finish).

With that said, here's a simple thing to do ... just gently wipe or spray on a couple of very light coats of thinned shellac over the dried dye regardless of the type of dye.  Then you can use any finish you want over that.  The shellac will act as a barrier ("sealer" if you will) between the dye and final finish.  Shallac can be used under or over any finish.

Using a wax to seal wood isn't good.  Doesn't last, won't protect, attracts dust, can be slippery, and other finishes won't adhere to it.

I would use a final finish on the wood to help protect it (the wood) and make it a bit prettier.  A film finish such as a polyurethane (varnish too) or even just boiled linseed oil is going to be your best bet.  An oil-based finish in this application will hold up well for walking sticks.  There are lots more options but those two are easiest and common.  If you want to wax over the top of the (cured) film finish is fine for a bit more shine.

Yep, Ren-Wax is a good product for it's intended purpose.  It's a petroleum-based synthetic wax.  Basically, a wax-ified mineral oil.  It's main advantage in restoration work is the fact that it's fairly non-reactive and won't mess with materials of unknown origin or make-up.  We make our own wax blends (indeed, all of our finishes) for most of our work so that we can tailor them to what is needed for the task at hand.

Looking forward to seeing the results of your stick.

[BrokenArts]

Thats a lot of info right there.  I am going to save this, and refer to it later, when I get to that point.  Thank you Woodland.  What you say makes sense.  I shall take your advice.  I worked on the stick this past Sunday, working on the knots, taking back some of the bark, just deciding what I want to do.  It will be a little while before its done.  I'm getting there.  I will surely post more pictures, when I can.
Thank you again, you've been most hopeful, I love to learn.