[MJC4]

Its been slow on here the last week or so, I'm wondering if anyone has anything going.

Myself I had chips flying like a beaver from September till Christmas Eve.

I'm taking a break and catching up on a few things around the house and its been too cold to even head out to the woods to look for materials.

Also my work bench is tied up, I've got the snow blower torn apart as it broke a cable last snow fall. Waiting for parts to come in. Around here having that machine running is a high priority.

If the weather stays decent I've got a nice piece of hickory I picked last time out that needs sanding.

The heavy sanding I do outside.

Mark

 

[gdenby]

As I've mentioned, the weather has just about frozen my output. Figuratively and literally. I was carving a snake head handle on a naturally curved stick. The extreme cold in my work area made the wood so brittle that when I happened to knock the piece onto the floor, the head shattered. I've cleared some space on my basement workbench, but find that the sticks after sitting there for a few days are only 56F, almost too cold even for staining.

 

[CV3]

This week is clean the shop out. But I have a cedar stick to finish and I did started on a Aspen stick last week. I am greteful to have weather friendly shop.

 

[Sean]

I'm just starting to put an end to my finishing struggles as we are even colder up here than you guys down there at 41 F

so I've been challenged to get sticks to dry even indoors where humidity is a factor.

Right now I'm busting up some small logs into planks to dry and make some small projects.

 

[cobalt]

The weather isnt helpful and the light not very clever at the moment, so havnt been in the workshop to do much work

I did manage to pick up some of cuts of wood oak i belive so may make a market crook out of it. wanted to use some ash but none on hand

A quick template of the crook i will put it on a hazel shank mayby with a bone collar

was hoping to polish the water buffalo fish but ran out of fine grit sandpaper

I did manage a quick look in the woods to look at what shanks i could harvest but its just to wet and muddy

 

[firie000]

We have been sweltering here. Very high humidity (unusually) and that's here in southern coastal NSW. Hate to think what the Territorians and Queenslanders have been going through.

Very bad bushfires recently in SA, WA and Victoria. But yesterday it started raining and today, with a little bit of sunshine poking though and much cooler conditions, I spent a few minutes in the backyard rounding off some buffalo horn on a thumbstick.

I have been given four indian antelope horns (blackbuck) that have been sitting in a shed for twenty years - you ripper! I can see a project there somewhere. Unbelievably there is a youtube video on how to recondition them!

Cheers

Mick

 

[miketryban]

I have started to carve a maple walking stick which is my first real carving of spirals on it, but the daylight and cold don't let me work to long it might take a while to finish....

 

[cobalt]

nice work on the buffalo horn ,should polish up well

love the antelope horns keen to see what you do with them?. they look solid like buffalo horn ?

I have been gien a pair of horns from a rare breed of sheep , soay sheep. basically there a prehistoric breed . the horns arnt that good ,but will think about what i can do with them.

I do fancy making a traditional rams horn crook. still think there the best looking stick there is

just a photo of the horns

 

[cobalt]

The wooden crook i was making was mahogany , it was cut from a odd piece of wood i was given .it was stained so dark i thought it was oak..cut the shape out. dropped it on the florr and of coarse it broke. pondering what to do? i could put a length of dowel through it to strenghen it and glue it. mayby use the parts thats broken to make some walking stick handles.if i spilce it and dowel i could put a rams horn plate in it for decoration befor i dowel it.?

before and after i dropped it. with some photos of a piece of rams horn i straigtend.

 

[CV3]

I have done the same think cobalt. This walnut can was done,all but a putting on the finish, when it fell and there was a flaw in the handle I had not seen. It popped off at the back of the handle. I epoxied a blood wood insert to the front part then epoxied the back part to the insert using a fast drying epoxy. Then drilled a hole with a deep countersink in the back.put in a #6 2inch screw and a plug. Then finished the cane with spar varnish. There is almost always a way to rescue a cane when some thing happens I hope some of the newer cane and stick people will let us know if they have a issue. One of us who have been doing this for a while will probably have a answer.

 

[firie000]

Cobalt said: love the antelope horns keen to see what you do with them?. they look solid like buffalo horn ?

I have been given a pair of horns from a rare breed of sheep , soay sheep. basically there a prehistoric breed .

Not solid. I think that I will cut them

for hand sized upright stick grips. Perhaps filled with resin? They will take a lot of work to restore.

Ill swap you a soay for a blackbuck!!! LOL.

Love the Soay sheep. Saw them on St Kilda and at the Highland Folk Centre at Newtonmore. They don't need shearing -

the wool comes off in your hand.

 

[cobalt]

good luck with the anterlope horn i will follow with interest.

I was wondering if you can bend them like rams horn

your right aboiut the wool of the soay sheep.its supposed to be amongst the finest, also the meat of the animal is highly prized with a great flavout and low cholesteral

 

[cobalt]

I think it may be a worthwhile doing something on hints and tips i am sure we all can learn from it..

when i start the crook i will photo what i do when i decide and put it in that suggestion., if you havnt started it . I think it would be very useful to members on the site.

There is enough people on here who have experiance in stick making, with loads of different ideas and taste

I have done the same think cobalt. This walnut can was done,all but a putting on the finish, when it fell and there was a flaw in the handle I had not seen. It popped off at the back of the handle. I epoxied a blood wood insert to the front part then epoxied the back part to the insert using a fast drying epoxy. Then drilled a hole with a deep countersink in the back.put in a #6 2inch screw and a plug. Then finished the cane with spar varnish. There is almost always a way to rescue a cane when some thing happens I hope some of the newer cane and stick people will let us know if they have a issue. One of us who have been doing this for a while will probably have a answer.