[Rodney]

This cane is the first I've made intended to go to someone else. It's also a remake of two canes I had completed before I found out I was making them too short for me. The handle is from one cane and the shank from another.

The cane is going to the father of a friend of ours. Our friend asked where I got the cane I was using. When I told her I made it she asked if I would make one for her dad. I've never met him so I wanted to make something that would be appropriate in a wide variety of circumstances. This is the result.



The handle is a natural oak crook with a holly collar. The oak was ebonized with steel wool dissolved in vinegar. The shank is flowering plum. It has my usual copper pipe and rubber tip ferrule. I used amber shellac for the finish, clear might have been better. Total length is 36".

Thanks for looking,

Rodney

 

[Batakali]

I'm very jealous! One question, I've had a couple of people here suggest steel wool in vinegar. How do you apply it?

 

[Rodney]

Wash the steel wool first. It has oil on it to keep it from rusting. Actually any small steel or iron bits like rusty nails will work. Steel wool just dissolves faster because it's small. I put the steel wool in an empty salad dressing bottle and filled it with white vinegar then set it aside to let the wool dissolve. Leave the cap loose. It tends to build up pressure otherwise.

Once you have your solution you can use it to stain any wood with a high tannin content. I've experimented with oak, cherry and mahogany so far. I just wipe it on. It takes a while to see the changes as the tannins react with the solution.

Here's a great article on ebonizing wood.

http://www.popularwoodworking.com/techniques/ebonizing_wood

He explains the process far better than I do and his results are impressive.

Rodney