# Personalising a stick



## cobalt (Nov 14, 2013)

wonder how many here personilse the shank

quite a few use toppers but i have been asked for a initial to be put on.

I have no idea what to charge i just saw it as a challenge he just asked to make it different?

so i have some cow hornso whilst paint was drying on a few toppers decided to have a go .

printted a few illuminated text and having a go . I think thedesign i choose is a bit ambitious but if I make any mistakes I could simplify it

I was hoping if I can do it a bit of scrimshaw style work on it to fit in with the design

A few photos to see if it works or if its going to be a disaster

The horn sliced to about the size








Cut to the dimensions














heated horn using heat gun and being pressed into a mould using of cuts of hazel wood the approx. size of shank








check horn to fit shank








the design














basic shape cut








still a bit of tidying up to do yet to be engraved and polished post more when I get the chance even is it doesn't work out


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## Rodney (Jun 12, 2015)

I know I'll be interested in seeing it. Neat idea.

Rodney


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## dww2 (Feb 4, 2017)

Wow. That is so cool. Just cutting that out would have had my nerves frazzled.

How do you plan to attach it?


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## CV3 (Jan 30, 2014)

That is going to look good. Nicely done.


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## cobalt (Nov 14, 2013)

no time for anything at the moment Was hoping to engrave it and use a bit of scrimshaw style.

I was hoping to see some of the work carried out on sticks .Alot of ex service men put there own design on there shanks related to what they did in the service.or there service badge

I like a bit of personnel history put into a stick shows the character of the man .it not necessary valuable or complex but just interesting;

Anything related to there work for me is always of interest far better tan a plain stick

Royal air force badges over here look good but I know people put badges on there shanks giving a brief history of where the have been or where they come from.

Sun prised I haven't seen any from the lone star state or a symbol related to there state symbol . some cover there sticks in badges as there are loads available some just go a tad to far but why not


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## Gloops (Jan 23, 2015)

Looking good Dennis, like the style of the "A", have you thought about low relief carving the design on it and then bringing it out by adding black (as in scrimnshaw) , wipng off to leave the accentuated design as in this example :-









Just an idea as the design on the letter is good.


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## cobalt (Nov 14, 2013)

thats my idea gloops it depends on the old hands ifhere steady enough and the eyes thingsnot so clear as they used to be

.But i i make a balls up of it i will just smooth it out and use it

Cutting it is quite easy to do shaping is simple with a heat gun and a crude press mould its the same stuff that your finger nails are made of. Cutting and shaping was done with a rotary tool


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## Gloops (Jan 23, 2015)

cobalt said:


> thats my idea gloops it depends on the old hands ifhere steady enough and the eyes thingsnot so clear as they used to be
> 
> .But i i make a balls up of it i will just smooth it out and use it
> 
> Cutting it is quite easy to do shaping is simple with a heat gun and a crude press mould its the same stuff that your finger nails are made of. Cutting and shaping was done with a rotary tool


Know the feeling, the eyes especially, I have one of those desk mounted large magnifying lenses - rectangular with light at eiter end, great for this type of work, also use a head mounted one with interchangeable lenses of differing strength for doing shank toppers , and these can be picked up at reasonable prices.


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## walkingthedog (Jun 17, 2017)

Hi cobalt this is going to be an interesting style looking great so far mate.


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## LilysDad (Sep 25, 2014)

It looks thick. Will it be inlet in the wood or left proud?


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## cobalt (Nov 14, 2013)

yes it is thick 3/16inch but by the time i have worked on it and polished it will be thinner but it will stand proud .It grips the shank at prsent but will attach it with a bit of epoxy resin


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## cobalt (Nov 14, 2013)

testing burning into the horn slightly easy to control the burner than the rotary tool tired using a steel needle to etch difficult to control. It needs a ready polished surface. .stained with ink on test piece then polished back using fine sandpaper.

results so far

polished horn




















pattern[














test piece


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## CAS14 (Dec 28, 2012)

I am humbled, and feel like such an amateur in comparison. I must spend more time to learn such amazing skills!


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## cobalt (Nov 14, 2013)

Dont be CAS14 if i can do it anyone can.

ite what it will turn out like

the old eyes arnt brilliant and you need a steady hand even if I don't have a wee dram mind you it could help


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## CAS14 (Dec 28, 2012)

Well, I have one fair eye left, but I do enjoy making sticks. I have the tools required to carve and create more artistic works. I just have to dedicate the time to learning more. This website has provided many great ideas!


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## cobalt (Nov 14, 2013)

to hectic at present to get into the shop so nothing done .checked out a few videos on scrimshaw so in the next few days i will just go for it regardless .I have plenty of horns to try it out on

have a couple more orders but not sure if i want any more work if its going to interfer with enjoying myself ,although i do get pleasure out of stick making also frustrated when it just dosnt go right .but plenty of drawing to do 1st to get the look rigth before i start

enjoy yourself doing what you like and dont let anything become a burdon


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## CV3 (Jan 30, 2014)

I am enjoying seeing your prcess cobalt. It has been awhile sense I tried some scrimshaw. I was trying to do a powder horn for a friend who was into mountain man reenactments. I could never seem to get the use of the ink right. I just had badly stained horn.


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## JRSC (Jul 11, 2017)

Very nice work! I'm contemplating doing some wood burning myself.


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## cobalt (Nov 14, 2013)

How come a 14th century monk could do such amazing example of illuminated script . You just have to look at the book of kells its amazing. We can send people to the moon yet even all those 100`s of ears ago there craftmanship was amazing. and still has value. Some of the people I have encounted cant write? beggars belief

I am trying to achieve .some bright colour text using a form of scrimshaw watched a couple of hours on technique .So skills haven't yet been wiped away people go to amazing lengths to emulate them still.

Her am I planning how to do it , I am still not sure of the approach whether to go down the path of using pyrography or just use a scribe. But I do want to use several bright strong colours without contaminating each colour using fine lines , sounds so simple..Seafarers would get fine detail on objects in what would be called difficult environments . okay they only use one colour mainly which makes life simpler. And that was made from soot . Here we are with modern technology but still way behind there skills.


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## JRSC (Jul 11, 2017)

I can agree. As much as I've studied "primitive" technology, the more I see people back then we're as intelligent as we are now. In fact, I'd say because of our modern technology, we've kind of gotten dumber... lol!


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## dww2 (Feb 4, 2017)

I'm not sure "dumber" is quite the right word. I think society has simply lost touch with some of the basics in life. Consumerism has run amok, forcing production to mechanize in order to keep up with demand. People don't know how things are made; they just want what they want, when they want it. Instant gratification leaves them plenty of time to expend their finite amount of intelligence on who is the next one getting tossed out of the Big Brother house or sing some horrible pop song the best.

Modern tech is driving this unfortunate change in civilization. But it has an encouraging side effect. I was reading somewhere that there has been a surge in the number of people taking up the old ways of doing things, and that it has been aided by Youtube. Young kids see a video of someone making something by hand and say to themselves: "Wow! I want to try that!" and another convert to the old ways is born.

Plus, the internet brings us websites like this where we can stay abreast of others' attempts at keeping old crafts alive (and perhaps adding the more useful aspects of the modern tech.)


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## cobalt (Nov 14, 2013)

Got to agree up to a point about the internet keeping crafts alive i get so much information of it its amazing.Problem there is sorting out sound info and rubbish .

Overall though I think stickmaking is as healthy as its ever been it parts by the web but be the older generation using there creative minds and ability to do it. People are passionate with what they do we don't all agree which isn't a bad thing usually its healthy

Trying to do something different with stickmaking is a challenge and I try anything from interchanable toppers to personalising stick in any way I can not for commercial gain just for the challenge and always look for alternative but it gives me a lot of satisfaction in carving different species of water fowl. but wouldn't want to keep carving the same one . I don't think I could stand doing the same type of stick each time.


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## Gloops (Jan 23, 2015)

Got to agree Cobalt, once sold one of my paintings at our art club exhibition (pastel overlooking Robin Hood's Bay),and someone else had wanted it, so commissioned a replica but slightly larger - the most boring job I have ever done lost all enthusiasm whilst doing it.

With the carving especially the dog portraits at least there is a difference in colour and patterning when doing repeats of the same breed.


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## cobalt (Nov 14, 2013)

personalising the stick hasnt been a toatal sucess but quite happy with the horn cut out.

tried a scibe using a needle then a nail , tried burning into the horn that has possabilities , applied paint to it then sanded it of the excess not much good . replied the paint thickly let it dried again then tried scraping it of using a flat blade . then tried cleaning out the carbon from the burn with a scribe reapplying paint then scraped the excess of .

So overall a waste of a couple of hours and decided to trim the shape clean it up and will just use it as is. will epoxy it about half way down the shank .

A few terrible pictures


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## CV3 (Jan 30, 2014)

I agree with you and Gloops on doing the work on your time and your way. Every time I have tried to fit some one else's time frame I am sorry I did. And I will not try and repeat a carving. I may repeat a subject but not a work I did. 
Thanks for sharing you atemps at doing something new cobalt. Knowing what is not working is as valuable as knowing what has worked. Like you I enjoy trying new things. It can lead to some great looking projects


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## Rodney (Jun 12, 2015)

CV3 said:


> .......Thanks for sharing you atemps at doing something new cobalt. Knowing what is not working is as valuable as knowing what has worked. Like you I enjoy trying new things. It can lead to some great looking projects


This.

I end up with interesting firewood fairly often.

Rodney


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## CAS14 (Dec 28, 2012)

Firewood: I too have added much to my firewood stack. In face, I've brought home many sticks from the woods, that upon closer scrutiny, weren't worthy of an effort at all.

Kindling: the draw knife does produce lots of great kindling.

Someday I'll learn to carve, scribe, and wood burn. I've acquired some of the necessary tools.


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## dww2 (Feb 4, 2017)

I've had quite a few bowls end up back in the woodpile, too. I figure they weren't wasted as long as I learned something from the mistake.


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## cobalt (Nov 14, 2013)

sounds like we have all been down that road


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