Thread: Any Ideas On How To Attach Glass Ball To Top Of Walking Cane

Use a hammer and a 4" nail.... just kidding

I cant see the link but if its just a glass ball then I would drill through using glass drill bit and then fasten using something like a nice brass slot head fastner.

Another option could be keying the bottom of it and trying epoxy, I would not really trust this though

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There are lots of acrylic balls out there that people call "glass balls"

If you used one of those it might help with the range of valid glue types.

Downside is would probably scratch easier than glass. Mine have lasted an awful long time but I keep them wrpped up in socks when not in use.

Jugglers use them for contact juggling.

Acrylic Contact Juggling Ball BAG Pouch 60 65mm Fleece | eBay

Bill

Seems to be a big knob for a walking stick. What about a claw (like hold diamonds in a ring) along the lines of a claw and ball foot on furniture.
Just a line of thought.
Regards

We have a local wizard guy wandering around with a variety of walking staffs. One of whichhas a glass ball on the top. My memory had it held on like a diamond in a ring, but I found a pic and it must just be glued on. Silicon would hold it wouldn't it?

BabaDesi.jpg

How about faith?
Sorry.

I made a staff for someone 2 years ago. that required a glass ball on top, I turned up a suitable collar from timber and fixed the ball to it with a industrial grade clear silcone, it has not come back so I assume it is still in one peice.

A 3 inch glass ball is going to weigh quite a bit. Its going to make the stick very top-heavy and prone to falling over if stood against the wall etc. Its something that will need to be treated as a 'fragile' item cause the weight of the ball will almost guarantee it hits ball-first if dropped.

Having said that, I agree with China. It needs to be set in some kind of ring/cup base, either carved in the top of your stick and shaped to the circumference of your ball or turned as a separate piece and fitted to the top of your stick. Additionally, I'd find someone near you who works in stone and get him to shape the 'bottom' of the ball so that it presents more and textured surface so that the glue will have something to grip to. This shaped and textured area must be the same size or smaller than the ring/cup so that it doesn't show once fitted. I'd also paint the area of the ball within the cup/ring with a mat black before gluing so that its less visible through the ball once in place.

I wouldn't drill into the ball at all... that sort of thing is going to show no matter what you do. I'm thinking more like cutting grooves across the bottom of the ball to a depth that will still be covered by the ring/cup. This will require the use of a stone saw. Don't make them too deep or they'll show. A guy with experience in stone cutting will be able to advise you on the best way and shape to cut. Finding guys who play with gem stones isn't as hard as you might think. Look for local clubs in your area and talk with a few members. There's bound to be one or two that will like the idea of collaborating on a stick with you. I find its best to treat them like a sub-contractor, paying them for their part of the work and then adding that fee to the total price of the stick. I've had several commissions that involved stones or gems and in the process found a chap in my local town who has worked with me on all of them. We now have a good working relationship and it adds to the scope of your work.

Good luck with it. Post your finished results.

I'd cut a channel in inch or two down around the cirmference of the top of the walking stick. I'd channel three or four lines from that to the top. I'd bowl out the top according to the arc of the ball. Id then either us a strong bit thin band that is a little less in diameter than the ball, so you can fit it over the ball and pull it down against the stick. I'd then use wire to come down from that band and attach to the stick in the channels, lining up as best as I could. Then I'd get araldite and place it between the ball and stick then begin wrapping wire horizontally around the vertical holding wires. This will pull the ball down tight over the end of the stick. I'd swamp all that wire with glue as well -= perhaps put tape or something around it so it comes up neat when the glue dries. For wire: maybe silver, copper or brass will be okay. The band will help protect the ball from damage if dropped. Just an idea, haven't done it myself. Perhaps you can make a wire band that is strengthened with glue but you'd have to be pretty good with wire.

If it is an actual walking cane, a 3" diameter glass ball is too big to hold comfortably unless you have very big hands.

Perhaps get the client to actually hold the ball, and suggest a slightly small diameter.

It depends on just how the customer envisages the end product.

My preference (in terms of holding power) would be drilling a blind hole into the bottom of the ball so it can be "dowelled" on. However, this'd most likely be visible & probably not what the customer wants.

My 2nd preference would be to use a cage over the ball. I've found that wire (as has been suggested) works well on smaller, jewellery sized, objects. Let's say 1" and under. On this scale I'd be more inclined to carve a wooden cage. Actually, I'd like to cast a metal cage but that's way beyond my skill set.

Still, the customer may not want anything over the outside of the ball.

Last preference would be to "just stick it on" with Silastic or whatever. This would look good, with nice, clean lines, but it really only takes one good accidental tap to separate.


A slightly different approach would be to find a glass ball with a tenon on one end, which could be glued into the end of the stick. Sadly, not the sort of thing that one tends to find just lying around in stores BUT does it have to be a glass ball? Could you get a 3" acrylic ball and turn it down to 2" with a tenon?

(ie. Just how dedicated are you to actually making it work? )

Back in the day, I had a car with the rearview mirror glued to the glass windshield.
One day, I went to adjust it and the whole dang thing came off in my hand.
So, I went to the GM Dealership/Parts Department.

It turned out that GM has an adhesive, (I don't know what it was and I don't care)
which they use for the task. Bought a little tube. Followed the instructions.
Good for the next 10 years.

This stuff just might be the stick-um to do the job.

Silicone window adhesive is strong enough to hold aquariums together, and is available in black so would give the effect of being painted where it glues to the cup when viewed from the other side.
Regards

havent seen it mentioned yet ... jewelers glue ... its made for sticking stones,glass etc
if your local craft shop doesnt sell it then you can buy it from ebay ...not expensive

failing that selleys silicone 401 .. food grade silicone adhesive ... super cheap auto sell it ...Ive used it on sticking glass and metal together ... fantastic stuff but does take time to cure fully.