Thread: inerchangable carved toppers for hiking poles

Yes Americans do have a longer hiking pole I've noticed . I have heard them ideally in UK to be breast bone height size which is so close as to make no difference to arm pit size.

What diameter shaft do you use in hiking poles cobalt, I've got some 35mm Hazel which I would like to carve without using a topper , is that too much do you think in your experience ?

I live in the U.K. and most use hiking pole up to armpit height Americans tend to use longer ones and thicker
Most of my hiking poles are around 1inch thick tapering down to about 3/4 inch about average here
I mostly use hazel shanks and straighten them myself simple job just season them 1st
I always lightly clean ny shanks then a wipe with fine sand paper then given them a few coats of Danish oil about 6-7 coats then as needed it givens a nice soft sheen on the bark .I never strip the bark of as you can get a wide range of colours on them depending where its grown .anything from a crackle type look to a pinkish snake skin sort of look here they grown as a rich brown which I like

Hi Cobalt , I'm in the UK too ! Hmm.... sounds like I'm going to have to strip off the bark & thin the diameter down a bit .
I thought they were too heavy .I would have preferred to leave the bark on myself as I like the rustic look.
Thanks for that info , I suspected as much.
Cheers Mike

there s no hard and fast rule regsrding walking sticks its up to you what you want . I always leave the bark on as long as its comfortable to use .
there is plenty of hazel .I person.5naly would discard anything above 11/2 inches thick and wouldn't use anything with a dogs leg in as you cant straighten them
If you intend to carve the top of one it may have a advantage to have a thicker one

Thanks for that Cobalt, to press you even further ! (sorry) , what is the standard ferrule at the base of the UK. hiking pole ?
From my internet searches it looks like maybe it is an alpine spike ? But I don't trust them much !
Thanks again Mike.

most people use a heavy duty brass ferule but for road walking use a rubber ferule when walking on pavements a brass ferule can be slippery hence why I fit a rubber one as well there cheap enough to buy even from the supermarkets like Willkinsons if you have one about 60 pence each. get one smaller then you need warm it up them just press it on
I always fit a brass ferule then a rubber ferule on top of it
Alpine spikes are the best for rocky terrain but you can screw on ones also you can get ice grips which you fit to the shank and just flip it down if needed
There cheap enough to buy
A lot of American's make there own and use copper tubing trouble is copper is a soft metal and doesn't wear well but with the work it needs and the cost it isn't worth while here apart from the fact its a inferior item
One of the best sites for stick making is on face book called stickmakers and suppliers .here's the link https://www.facebook.com/groups/stickmakers/
The site has some of the best stickmakers there is quality of there work is outstanding .Its also a great source for information for Rams horn Crooks which are superb also buffalo horn ,carved toppers and doubt you will find better stickmakers anywhere
You can get different diameters some with steel plate on the bottom of the ferule others just brass if your in the UK there is also suppliers on there

Yes thanks ! rubber on top of brass is the best of all worlds.
Hmm.... unfortunately I'm not a member of facebook & really don't want to be ! but thanks for the link - it might tempt me yet to join.
Cheers Mike

whilst waiting to paint to dry on the interchangeable toppers Use the heat gun to heat up the orn made a simple press and used a clamp to shape it to fit around the shank using a of cut of hazel shank
I trying to personalise the stick with a piece of cow horn just a test piece hers the results not sure if I will use it yet will see how it goes
used a illuminated letter for a test piece and trying to test how a wood burning would work on it
results so far
DSCN4830.jpgDSCN4832.jpgDSCN4836.jpgDSCN4838.jpgDSCN4847.jpgDSCN4849.jpglettera.27.JPGlettera.33.JPGlettera.34.JPGlettera.25.JPGlettera.23.JPG

Decades ago now I used to pyrograph quite a bit on stick tops, but never on horn. I used a bent wire kind of machine & can tell you that for sure they give a cleaner & smoother line .
I've noticed your drawing skills before & you owe it to yourself to get one if you intend to develop & pursue this path.
OR
Another option might be scrimshaw, it is easy , cheaper & takes about the same time.
Perhaps the main advantage is the fineness of line & sublty you can achieve with the technique, you already have the ability to draw (that's the hard part !) & scrimshaw is a highly regarded art form.
Mike,

I am pondering what to do .I want to use fine lines and bright colours to enhance the letter not to sure of my next approach yet . I stll want to follow the original design . but the old eyes and a steady hand is needed that's what will let me down so will wait for a few days then probable go at it like a bull in a china shop

Acrylic inks are vibrant & will adhere to the horn OK. but de-grease with white spirit before putting it on.
It looks like a unusual & interesting addition to your sticks .
It is possible to use a dip pen nib to apply Indian ink or acrylic lines on horn but they would be a lot less permanent than if they sat in the groove of a scratched scrimshawed line.
Mike

I may try that
I did think about enamel as well so maybe a test piece for both cheers

a couple of more interchangeable toppers nearly complete
Not familiar with these birds so had to rely on pictures on the web but the colour variations is surprising .I realise there is a wide range but wonder how much is of it is the camera man .Trouble is with web photos there often taken at a slight angle to get the best results but this foreshortens the detail .
Comments on colour and the carving would be appreciated and useful constructive criticism welcome and as a Aussie site I should get some comments
The top feathers of the cockatoo is made from rams horn as it would make it less vulnerable
I think the kookaburra needs a wash of blue colour as I assume its more like a king fisher but there are several different species of it
The king parrot has a huge range of colour from orange to deep red
cockatoo.JPGcockatoo.1.JPGkokaburra.1.JPGkokaburra.JPGkingparrot.1.JPG

Hi cobalt,
The carving, proportions, texture and detail are simply stunning on all of them! Compared to the birds near my place however, the colours may need a little tweaking as follows;
Sulphur crested cockatoo
the beak colour and gradation are perfect, the main body/feather colour is spot on, the retracted crest should be closer to pure yellow and paler, the eye is likewise spot on but I think there is a coloured ring around the eye and I'll search or take pics to confirm?
Kookaburra
the beak is truly fantastic! The base colour of the head should be whiter, and the graded colour behind the eye should be browner. The striations over the top of the head are spot on.

image.jpeg

As as you say, the kookaburra is related to/a member of (?) the kingfisher family and, when they fly, there is a flash of brilliant metallic blue from the wings, the same brilliance as I have seen you do on the duck topper. I watched a kookaburra once swoop on a snake, struggle back into the air and then deliberately and repeatedly drop it on to a rock until the snake had given up the will to live!

king parrot
The ones around here are more 'fire engine' red although I have seen them coloured from vermillion to fire engine red? I'll check for some pictures and post?

All up cobalt, they are fantastic representations!

fletty