Knobbly wooden stick

8788 Views 12 Replies 5 Participants Last post by Lakesboy, Aug 22, 2016

Lakesboy

Discussion Starter · Aug 14, 2016

Hi everyone, I wonder if you can help me out? A couple of years ago I started to collect walking canes, and recently I bought an antique cane with a silver collar, and from the hallmark it was shown to be made about 1905. I am fairly sure that the shaft is made of some type of wood, but I might be wrong. I have downloaded an image of the shaft to show you all. As you will see it resembles a series of blisters, but is extremely attractive. Does any kind person have any idea what it is?

Wood Sports equipment Rectangle Jewellery Hardwood

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mehig

· #2 · Aug 15, 2016 (Edited by Moderator)

Are you sure it's wood? What do the ends look like? How much does it weigh. I'm thinking it might be a type of cactus plant.

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Lakesboy

Discussion Starter · #3 · Aug 15, 2016

Hi mehig
Many thanks for your reply. Are there varieties of cacti that are strong and rigid enough to be used as a stick, because you could be correct. One of my friends has suggested that the stick is actually a tree root? But in truth when I've had a good look at the end of the stick, it doesn't look too much like wood. The stick is actually quite light, being just 290g.
Regards
Al

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LilysDad

· #4 · Aug 15, 2016

I was at an antique show yesterday and saw an unusual stick. It appeared to be three round strips of rawhide tightly twisted around a steel rod. It gave the appearance of a twisted stick but was much too regular to be that. Then it had a horn handle that was carved to match the twist.

The rawhide was almost black and gave the appearance of wood.

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Lakesboy

Discussion Starter · #5 · Aug 15, 2016

Many thanks for the reply. I've downloaded a few more images to show more detail of the stick
Regards
Al

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Rodney

· #6 · Aug 15, 2016

Nice looking stick!

Do a search for date palm sticks. They're made using the stalks that the dates grow on. It looks very similar to them though I was thinking the bumps are more neatly arranged on those.

Rodney

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Rodney

· #7 · Aug 15, 2016

LilysDad said:
I was at an antique show yesterday and saw an unusual stick. It appeared to be three round strips of rawhide tightly twisted around a steel rod. It gave the appearance of a twisted stick but was much too regular to be that. Then it had a horn handle that was carved to match the twist.

The rawhide was almost black and gave the appearance of wood.

That sounds a lot like a bull penis stick. They're still being made.

Rodney

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mehig

· #8 · Aug 17, 2016

Lakesboy said:
Many thanks for the reply. I've downloaded a few more images to show more detail of the stick
Regards
Al

I'm thinking the "blisters" are where the thorns were located when it was alive

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Lakesboy

Discussion Starter · #9 · Aug 17, 2016

Hi again mehig
You might be right with your idea of the cane being a thorn stem. I have however yet to find on the Internet, a stem with such blisters. I will keep looking.
Regards
Al

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mehig

· #10 · Aug 18, 2016 (Edited by Moderator)

Lakesboy said:
Hi again mehig
You might be right with your idea of the cane being a thorn stem. I have however yet to find on the Internet, a stem with such blisters. I will keep looking.
Regards
40 years ago in Belize I saw a similar walking stick that belonged to a Belizian fisherman with a bone handle. I've been searching online for a picture as well...no joy! http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/go/66650/#b

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Lakesboy

Discussion Starter · #11 · Aug 22, 2016

Hi everyone
I took the walking stick to a large antique fair at the weekend. I was pointed in direction of an expert in walking sticks. I showed him the stick and he advised me immediately that he had seen quite a few such sticks in the past, and that The shaft as made from a bulls penis.
Regards
Alex

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