[barney]

I'm working on a walking staff to use with my Santa portrayal. I've pretty much got it in hand "except" the finishing of the top and the bottom tip. It's a somewhat curved piece of white aspen approximately 55-60 inches long with the bark stripped and surface sanded. I've "woodburned" a North Pole/Santa sleigh w/ reindeer, and Christmas houses going down about 2/3 of the shaft. I've had a custom leather hand grip made that will be laced onto the hand area. Part of the top will be a crystal globe approximately 2 inches in diameter. The wood will be finished in a color/tone to complement the color of the leather handpiece. But what I have yet to find is a finishing piece for the tip at the bottom and at the top for the globe to set on. My first thought was to use copper pipe caps polished, but they are not available in the 1 3/4 and d1 3/8 inch sizes I need. So, I'm throwing this out for suggestions as to where I might find odd size copper caps like that, or in the absence of that, suggestions for something else to use that will look tasteful and classy.

Thanks!

 

[CV3]

Hi barney,
Treeline has a combo brass cane tip that fits sticks up to 11/4" . You would just have to shape down the 13/8. The nice thing about aspen is it take paint well. You could carve or high light a area at the top with your wood burner and paint with one of the copper or gold paints with the flecks in it an varnish over it. There are a number of painted aspen sticks in my gallery pictures that may give you some ideas.
Hope that is of some help.

 

[MJC4]

Treeline also has brass ferules that I have used as collars at the attachment point from topper to stick

 

[CAS14]

I like the products from Treeline. I've also been happy with similar products from other sources.

I've used tips from Lee Valley: http://www.leevalley.com/US/wood/page.aspx?p=40009&cat=1,250,43243

I've used tips from Black Diamond:

http://blackdiamondequipment.com/en/search?q=tips

Depending on the stick, I may improvise a ferrule and use a threaded insert to fit the tip I've selected.

20mm dummy round with tip cut off.

http://walkingstickforum.com/uploads/gallery/album_7/gallery_11_7_219216.jpg

Copper ferrule with rubber cane tip.

http://walkingstickforum.com/gallery/image/269-copper-bands-match-copper-tip/