Hi Shank is stripped blackthorne
British stick makers do strip shanks. indeed long tradition ( See Norman Tulips book) of taking holy 2" or more dia
& reducing to shank size leaving knots, & then staining to bring out the grain of the heart wood. If you take a holly of shank size from the woods you will only get a white stick no grain.This also works well with blackthorne.
I have used this method for years
The big difference in British sticks generally is that we straighten our shanks.
British stick makers do strip shanks. indeed long tradition ( See Norman Tulips book) of taking holy 2" or more dia
& reducing to shank size leaving knots, & then staining to bring out the grain of the heart wood. If you take a holly of shank size from the woods you will only get a white stick no grain.This also works well with blackthorne.
I have used this method for years
The big difference in British sticks generally is that we straighten our shanks.
