My first stick!!

[bewsher500]

I have always had sticks for the hill but they more often than not came as hand me downs or long term loans.
never quite long enough and usually battered!

in my "how hard can it be" moments I picked up some nice seasoned hazel at the scone show and more recently attacked a price of buffalo horn

would have liked to fit a nice copper band at the join but couldn't find anything that worked
bit bling but here is the semi finished article
needs some varnish on the wood and a disc on the tip
​varnish will seal the join

should look good when I lose it on the hill!

 

[Mutley]

Nice job, well done.

 

[scotch_egg]

Lovely. Have you any "in" progress photo's?

 

[bewsher500]

sorry bit crap with progress shots!

one of the buff horn before:



i used a threaded bar for the spigot and epoxied in place.
Horn is shaped to irregular shape of the stick at the top and blended in.
hopefully the varnish on the stick will leave a smooth edge

need to come up with a suitable material for the tip.
don't want metal

 

[willie_gunn]

sorry bit crap with progress shots!

one of the buff horn before:



i used a threaded bar for the spigot and epoxied in place.
Horn is shaped to irregular shape of the stick at the top and blended in.
hopefully the varnish on the stick will leave a smooth edge

need to come up with a suitable material for the tip.
don't want metal

Great job! Horn really does look the business when it's polished up.

I was told that the transition from shank to handle should be that smooth that when you close your eyes and run your fingers over the shaft you should not be able to tell where the physical join is. I've maybe managed two or three that good in about 2 dozen sticks

For the ferrule, if you don't want to use the normal metal or rubber then what about a piece of drilled out antler? I've also seen an empty shotgun cartridge (though the brass still makes a noise when it hits a stone) and plastic piping. Other alternatives might be a suitable plastic pen lid or even shrinkable rubber tubing. For the stick I use when stalking up in Scotland I don't actually bother with a ferrule at all.

willie_gunn

 

[Spix]

need to come up with a suitable material for the tip.
don't want metal

John Marsh has started doing high-impact black polyeurethane hiking 'spikes' with detachable 'shoe' ; not as spiky as a metal tip and has a lengthy glavanised vertical screw for fixing.

Not on his site (http://www.stickmaker.com/stickmakingshop.htm#Ferrules) but just ask.

V. nice handle, btw. S


View attachment 31341

 

[bewsher500]

Christ he is expensive!!

i was thinking a delrin disc with rebates hole for a screw.
could fill the rebate with a corresponding delrin disc epoxied into place.

most of my hill stick are without ferrules but they strip the bark and mushroom at the end
keen to protect this one

next project is a hazel stick with the root attached that I can carve into a similar "market crook"
​my father had one

 

[macfarlane]

lots of hazel out by me if you need some.

 

[baguio]

Nice job. Hopefully it will earn it's keep over many years.

 

[Glendine]

Great job well done.

Regards,
Glendine.