# Refurb



## alador (Apr 25, 2013)

This is a refurb of an old stick I kept by the back door and used when I took the dogs for their walks for the last 5 years.It was in very bad shape (water damage, cracks, dents, etc. I added the metal scroll and collar and the plastic dip tip.


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## Batakali (Feb 28, 2016)

Wow! What a beauty! Very blackthorny.


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## alador (Apr 25, 2013)

I like the contrast of the black shaft and the natural knob. This was supposed to be just an experimental stick to test things I hadn't done before. I steamed out the dents with a soldering iron and wet paper towel, added the metal inlay, and did the dipped tip, all of which I had never done before. I fully expected to just toss it after the experiment was done but it turned out better than I thought. I hadn't even planned to put a finish on it originally. I'm anxious to see how well the plastic dip holds up to usage.


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## CV3 (Jan 30, 2014)

The contrast is great alador! well done!!


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## Gloops (Jan 23, 2015)

That's a nice looking stick.


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## Batakali (Feb 28, 2016)

I have great respect for people who can carve the animal shapes or work with horn but there's something about a nice knob stick that just makes me happy. They have a thing I call complicated simplicity. You can shape and sand it all you want but in the end you're still doing what the stick tells you.


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## LilysDad (Sep 25, 2014)

Nice work! I will be interested to hear how the plastic dip works as well.


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## Batakali (Feb 28, 2016)

I've used the rubber dip on a sticks metal knob, it's held up pretty good. Just give it a few dips and it should be good for general use. Remember that it's made for tool handles so it can take some abuse.


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## MJC4 (Mar 6, 2014)

Very well done Alador! Where did U get the tool dip from?


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## alador (Apr 25, 2013)

I bought my plastic dip at the Harbor Freight store but I'm pretty sure I saw it at Lowes too. By the way, the metal scroll work was done with guitar fret-wire, kind of challenging to work with at first but I think it's going to be useful for future projects.



Batakali said:


> I have great respect for people who can carve the animal shapes or work with horn but there's something about a nice knob stick that just makes me happy. They have a thing I call complicated simplicity. You can shape and sand it all you want but in the end you're still doing what the stick tells you.


I agree with you about knob sticks, both to see and to use they are the quintessential walking stick to me. I prefer the ones with the bark left on but this one was too damaged for that to be an option.


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## Rodney (Jun 12, 2015)

Nice work! The metal scroll is a nice touch.

Rodney


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## Whiteroselad (Dec 4, 2015)

Great stick, and a very original idea with the metal scrolling. It is no wonder that you used this stick for so long. I hope you have many more years use from it as well. N.


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## alador (Apr 25, 2013)

Whiteroselad said:


> Great stick, and a very original idea with the metal scrolling. It is no wonder that you used this stick for so long. I hope you have many more years use from it as well. N.


Thanks Whiteroselad! My original idea when I bought the fret-wire was to do something like a stained glass effect on a stick. This was a test to see how it would go. Well, the straight lines are no problem, just shallow kerfs with an exacto saw. but the curves are another thing altogether. A dremel tool is hard to control in a small area so I'm on the search for something more suitable. I see the intricate inlay designs that other do and wonder how anyone has that much patience.


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## mehig (May 1, 2016)

View attachment 5842




alador said:


> This is a refurb of an old stick I kept by the back door and used when I took the dogs for their walks for the last 5 years.It was in very bad shape (water damage, cracks, dents, etc. I added the metal scroll and collar and the plastic dip tip.


One of the 3 ball end sticks I've made one is of a similar shape to the one you have pictured(1st picture). The other 2 are straight shanks. The curved shank has much better balance than the straight shanks. In your opinion would this be a property observed in other similarly shaped ball end sticks?


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## alador (Apr 25, 2013)

Many of the Blackthorn sticks I've seen have a similar shape, I think because they are also root ball sticks and that last bit of curve near the root is hard to straighten.
I do like the shape for my own use though, I guess that's why I've used this one for so long. I have a few nice shanks I plan to carve handles for but I always prefer one piece sticks.


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## Batakali (Feb 28, 2016)

mehig said:


> Sticks & Shillelaghs 001.JPG
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 I have a few books on blackthorn shillelaghs, one of them has a quote stating that ideally the stick should have a slight overall curve. I have noticed in my studies that the curve seems to add more force to a blow. As for balance, I've noticed that as well, I think the curve and the length it adds works to balance out the weight of the head.


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## mehig (May 1, 2016)

Batakali said:


> mehig said:
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> > Sticks & Shillelaghs 001.JPG
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Thanks for your input gentlemen!


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