Walking Sticks & Canes.

[Warbaby]

I have always wanted to supplement my outfit with a walking stick or cane but I am curious if you guys ever are not allowed into anywhere (events, bars, restaurants) because the cane is viewed as a weapon?

When in doubt, affect a slight limp and no one will bother you about it. Same goes for airport security.

 

[MB5]

I heartily recommend this book, ' BLACKTHORN - THE LORE AND THE ART OF MAKING WALKING STICKS by Jack Walker. Includes some cultural background, methods of choosing and straightening etc. About 90 pages with mainly B&W photos. Mr. Walker (great name!) knows his stuff and passes it on well. His methods can. of course, be applied to other types of wood.

Can I also encourage people who want a stick to 'do it themselves' - I think you'll find a new interest and hobby. Go for it!

Do you have an ISBN for that?

The only thing I can find is by John Murchie Douglas, with the nearly identical title Blackthorn: Lore and the Art of Making Walking Sticks.

 

[Diamondback]

When in doubt, affect a slight limp and no one will bother you about it. Same goes for airport security.

Bingo. A knee-brace also helps with this (look at Dr. House)--cinch it down and it will cause some loss of mobility, but you can also loosen it if you need the added flexibility.

 

[DesertDan]

Or just do like I do, develop gout and degenerative arthritis and then you'll have plenty of opprotunities to use one.

No one has ever stopped or questioned me about my cane.

Fortunately I don't have to use one all the time.

 

[Diamondback]

But I'd rather have it be something I can turn off at will, in case I need to do something really unexpected--who's gonna expect a gimp to suddenly do a Banzai Charge, especially with how fast I can move for someone of my bulk? lol

 

[Panache]

I have always wanted to supplement my outfit with a walking stick or cane but I am curious if you guys ever are not allowed into anywhere (events, bars, restaurants) because the cane is viewed as a weapon?

I'm a fellow Californian and have never had anyone question me for carrying a walking stick any where I have taken it. I carry all my sticks as simply that, walking sticks. If you carry one naturally and not as a weapon then I imagine you will have no troubles.

Cheers

Jamie

 

[Boodles]

Bingo, Mr. Warbaby

When in doubt, affect a slight limp and no one will bother you about it. Same goes for airport security.

This is exactly what I do. My limp is not all that dramatic but it's still noticable. I'm actually quite comfortable in that character and apparently believeable. I suppose it does help to be an old, gray, Vietnam era guy. I have never experienced a problem with either a City Stick or the blackthorn. With the City Stick I do refrain from carrying the one with the stainless skull on top into airports. None of my City Sticks are those with swords inside, of course. That would never do for airport or any other security.

 

[rcfko]

I recently bought my first cane from Fashionable Canes. I am wondering, it is appropriate for me to actually use this in public as I'm only 28, healthy, and do not need to use a walking assistance device; or would it be an insult to those that actually require a walking stick/cane? I believe that I do occasionally see male characters in classic movies using canes when not necessary. Is it an acceptable accessory?

I do like the idea of having something in my hand to swing as I walk down the street. Being a lazy bone, I like having something to lean on when I stand and the cane would be great for that. If I were to start using the cane, how do I properly walk with it? Do I swing it back and forth from the wrist and arm like a pendulum in sync with the opposite foot? Or do I move my arm back and forth in sync with the opposite foot while keeping the cane perfectly straight?

I also like having something to defend myself with if need be, but am not a fan of the cane sword. Other than it being highly lethal and illegal, if one does not know what he/she is doing, chances are the blade will fall into the hand of the perpetrator and one will be in even more trouble than before. I understand the need to disarm a crook by knocking stuff out of his hand; or to trip him over; or swinging at a melon to knock him out while under attack. But I think it is a little nut to impale a crook with a 2 feet blade. I quite enjoy what I have hidden in MY cane. Quite utilitarian I think.

I can fight with this alright, fight the weather!

 

[Charlie Huang]

I've got into walking sticks recently. I mainly use them either for formal wear or when I just need something to prop myself on (escpecially in icy conditions) or pace myself. I like elegant dress sticks as I use them more in Town rather than the Country. At other times I use a full length solid stick umbrella.

1918 Brigg malacca cane with silver-gilt top and horn ferrule. Brigg told me that it is worth £600-700! I got it for £31! This I use for morning dress.

1916 mock snakewood with silver cap and band. I thought it was real snakewood but when I let James Smith & Sons examine it they said it was actually beech that has been painted to look like snakewood. They couldn't install a metal ferrule on it on the day so they put a rubber one on instead.

1918 (mock?) snakewood with silver band. I'm not sure if it is real snakewood. I will have to get Smith's to put a metal ferrule on (and maybe shorten it as well) as it is missing and then I'll ask them. The most interesting thing is the engraving on the silver band (hallmarked Birmingham 1918) which reads 'GR' (i.e. George Rex) and the dates 1914-18 which means this cane was made to commemorate the end of WWI!

I'm now on the lookout for a silver topped ebony cane for evening dress.

 

[Qirrel]

http://www.fashionablecanes.com/mm5/graphics/00000001/72005.jpg[/IMG]
I can fight with this alright, fight the weather!

http://ejmas.com/jnc/jncart_barton-wright_0200.htm

Who needs a blade in their cane?

 

[Nick D]

Those are excellent sticks, Mr. Huang. I'm particularly fond of crook-handles, I like being able to hang it over my arms when needs be.

 

[Tomasso]

Those are excellent sticks, Mr. Huang.

I concur.

 

[rcfko]

Who needs a blade in their cane?

Exactly

 

[carldelo]

Definitely not a blade - I saw this cane with a low-power telescope in the handle while looking over the Orvis site for a tweed jacket:

http://www.orvis.com/store/product.aspx?pf_id=2L8T&dir_id=885&group_id=10103&cat_id=11793&subcat_id=11794

Honestly, I can't decide if I like it or if it's hopelessly tacky. If the telescope was 10X instead of 3X, you could at least consider it to be a birder's accessory, which automatically raises the eccentricity bar....

 

[Zombie_61]

I have always wanted to supplement my outfit with a walking stick or cane but I am curious if you guys ever are not allowed into anywhere (events, bars, restaurants) because the cane is viewed as a weapon?

I use a cane occasionally because of back problems (with my condition, some days are worse than others). To the contrary, I find people are generally more courteous and accommodating when I'm using one of my canes, particularly security personnel. That said, on those occasions it's rather obvious that my cane is indeed being used as a mobility aid and is not merely an affectation.

I recently bought my first cane from Fashionable Canes. I am wondering, it is appropriate for me to actually use this in public as I'm only 28, healthy, and do not need to use a walking assistance device; or would it be an insult to those that actually require a walking stick/cane? I believe that I do occasionally see male characters in classic movies using canes when not necessary. Is it an acceptable accessory?

I wouldn't consider it an insult, but I obviously can't speak for everyone who uses a cane for practical/medical reasons rather than "fashionable" reasons. As to whether or not it's an "acceptable" accessory these days, I think most people outside of this forum would probably say no. But then, those would likely be the same people who wear their baseball caps backwards, their pants four sizes too large, and/or wear a replica of their favorite sports personality's jersey even though they've never actively participated in any sports themselves; you have to consider the source.

If I were to start using the cane, how do I properly walk with it? Do I swing it back and forth from the wrist and arm like a pendulum in sync with the opposite foot? Or do I move my arm back and forth in sync with the opposite foot while keeping the cane perfectly straight?

Swinging a cane is never a good idea unless you intend to strike someone with it. Walk as you normally would while allowing the cane to hang from your hand, and "plant" the cane as you step with the opposite foot (i.e., if you're holding the cane in your right hand, you place the rubber tip on the ground as you step with your left foot). For a more thorough explanation, read this page on the Fashionable Canes website.

Back to the main topic, I currently have three canes. The first is a simple adjustable cane with a wooden Fritz handle and an aluminum shaft, the type that can usually be found at any medical supply or drug store. It's an eyesore, but it gets the job done. I purchased it years ago after an ankle injury and only used it for a few weeks while my ankle healed. The good thing about adjustable canes is that nearly anyone can use them, so it's come in handy over the years when family or friends needed a cane temporarily for whatever reason.

When I learned in 2005 that my back problems would likely affect me for the rest of my life, I decided to get a cane that was a little more "stylish". Being a fan of House, M.D. I did some research on the various canes used by Hugh Laurie during the series, and it led me to the Fashionable Canes website where I purchased two canes. The first, and the one I use most often, is based on House's "flame" cane. For me the Derby handle is more comfortable and stable than the Fritz handle or the traditional Tourist ("J" shaped) handle, and the carbon fiber shaft makes it extremely lightweight (when you're carrying a cane around all day, even half a pound can increase your fatigue level quite quickly when you have back problems). The second is a simple Derby handled walking cane with a walnut handle, beechwood shaft, and silver collar. I got this cane for those rare occasions when I might have to dress more formally and the "flame" cane might be viewed as disrespectful or simply obnoxious.

 

[Charlie Huang]

Definitely not a blade - I saw this cane with a low-power telescope in the handle while looking over the Orvis site for a tweed jacket:

http://www.orvis.com/store/product.aspx?pf_id=2L8T&dir_id=885&group_id=10103&cat_id=11793&subcat_id=11794

Honestly, I can't decide if I like it or if it's hopelessly tacky. If the telescope was 10X instead of 3X, you could at least consider it to be a birder's accessory, which automatically raises the eccentricity bar....

It is different to Poirot's one as the viewglass fot his is fixed permanently in the horizontal position so like a derby style cane. Personally, I don't like the cane above but prefer the Poirot one (it has a thinner shaft for one which is more elegant).

I would imagine that one of the venerable stickmakers in London could make me one but I bet it would be very expensive...

 

[Bingles]

I have two walking sticks I use often.. one is the Cold Steel City Stick mentioned here previously, and the other is a chestnut root walking stick. Also being 28, I don't carry them for medical reasons -- though once in a great while, my lower back does go out, leaving me in great need of support.

I go for walks at night almost daily... and to be honest, though I live in a nice neighborhood, I wouldn't feel right without something to use should the need arise. It provides some extra assistance walking and protection should it be needed.

 

[Warbaby]

For those of you who are inclined to make your own walking sticks, there's an eBay seller (summitoutdoors) that has very nice handmade brass and steel tips - also alpine walking stick spikes. Prices are a reasonable $6-$8. He also sells canes and walking sticks.

 

[Machine Ager]

Cane For New Years!

Greetings I thought this forum might like to see the cane I picked up in New Orleans a couple weeks back for use at a New Years party

I think it is a Falcon but could be an Eagle.... Chrome covered brass head.. on black wood cane...

Machine Ager

 

[Bingles]

For months I had been looking at this walking stick in a local antique shop. It reminds me of something out of Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings, so I finally picked it up last week... for $10.