Walking Sticks & Canes.

[sfend002]

That looks great. Unfortunately I may not be far behind in the need for one myself . After football, and an unfortunate incident whle I was a patrolman I may eventually join you. I live close enough to Manassas to visit the craftsman if he has a store. My grandfather had a good assortment of walking sticks in his time as well.

 

[scotrace]

Nice stick, man

AND
Single breasted, peak lapel. Very nice.

When visiting the James Garfield House in Mentor, OH this year, it was a pleasure to see the collection of sticks that that President used. They were very beautiful and varied.
If you are going to use a stick for any reason, it may as well look dynamite!

 

[adamgottschalk]

AND
Single breasted, peak lapel. Very nice.

When visiting the James Garfield House in Mentor, OH this year, it was a pleasure to see the collection of sticks that that President used. They were very beautiful and varied.
If you are going to use a stick for any reason, it may as well look dynamite!

Thank you, scotrace! I'd like to see that collection of sticks myself. Strikes me that a gentleman can look extra, well, gentlemanly when walking around with a walking stick. Take Dixon Cannon's father for example...extremely dignified looking while being "down to earth." I could only hope to come close...

 

[Daisy Buchanan]

OOHH! Great thread and great walking stick indeed. I like the look, it suits you quite well. At some point I might actually need a cane, so this thread will come in handy for me.
Daisy

 

[Kodiak]

I have a taller "expedition-style" cheapo-walking staff, and a couple similar ones I have made that aren't worth too much. I'd love to have one like Adam's. Any chance you could post/PM me a link to that seller?

 

[adamgottschalk]

I have a taller "expedition-style" cheapo-walking staff, and a couple similar ones I have made that aren't worth too much. I'd love to have one like Adam's. Any chance you could post/PM me a link to that seller?

His eBay store is here. His eBay ID is "stickwithcharacter." He's always got a bunch of styles, and you can have the sticks customized to your liking (length, handle, etc.). Great guy. Enjoy.

 

[K.D. Lightner]

I have several hiking staffs, not walking sticks. One is made of Saguaro cactus spine, very light, very nice. I got it on ebay. People would not think that saguaro would be strong enough to make a hiking staff out of, but it is quite strong.

Have a big staff given to me by a friend that is artistically designed to look like a snake. A real beauty -- I display it more than I use it.

I have a hiking staff made of metal and wood, got it in REI. The wooden head screws off and you can use it as a camera stand; the rubber tip can be taken off and you can use it to steady yourself on ice or chunk it into the ground and use it as a camera stand. You can also adjust the length of the staff.

My favorite cane, or walking stick, is a silver-colored wolf's head cane I got off ebay. It is not the one styled exactly like the Wolfman cane or the Dark Shadows cane, but has a pretty wicked looking wolf on it. The price was cheap, not real silver, so I can't kill werewolves with it. You can get them for under $20. And, as an added bonus, the head screws off and a sword is inside.

I have wanted a wolf's head cane ever since the time I saw Claude Raines clobber Lon Chaney, Jr. with one in the original Wolfman.

karol

 

[nightandthecity]

I have three walking sticks. An ash plant (the traditional English fighting stick) and two antique blackthorn sticks (the traditional Irish fighting stick...in fact one of them is actually an old faction fighter's stick from the early 19th century, and is strictly for display).

Still looking for the right cane at the right price. I've had a few and sold them on. I'd love a sword stick but they are manifestly illegal in the UK. We are still allowed penknives.

 

[adamgottschalk]

I had a shillelagh that was a dried out cabbage stalk, dated to around 1910, with a cool little silver plate on top for initials. Unfortunately, it didn't take well to the Northwest rains, and it broke in two one day.

I also have an antique blackthorn shillelagh. I used it a couple of times but found I broke at least one thorn off it each time I took it out. It now hangs from a nail, looking really cool. I'll post a picture of that too. It's quite spiffy, the handle is the root of the plant, the thorns are in nearly perfect array around the astoundingly straight cane, and it has a vine that curls around the whole length of it, starting from the root ball.

 

[moustache]

Here they are

I own three walking sticks.Two are vintage with silver accents and the third is grey marble topped.A newer Bridge model.
The first has silver hallmarks that put it circa 1920.That would be the thinner ebony model.Next,the thicker walker is circa 1890.
The Bridge i purchased two years ago.

I don't use them in town often except when my knees act up.I have cartilege degeneration and the cold days can really be a pain (pun intendedlol )

But when walking in the country or in the wildlife/bird sanctuaries my wife and i visit,they are a delight.

JD

 

[Blackhorse]

I'm thinking a walking stick would be a great asset. I've pulled many a stick out of the underbrush to take on slick muddy trails or the occasional stream (while in hip boots or waders). Even as a 'bush wacker' (lol) they can be of significant value. What I don't want is one that LOOKS like a CANE!

Is there an "official " difference between a walking stick and a cane in terms of dimensions? Or is this one of those, "A rose by any other name..." sort of things?

 

[adamgottschalk]

There are "canes" that look like medical devices (and which I wouldn't be caught dead holding) and then there are "walking sticks" which look more like a fine-tuned accouterment for the well-accessorized person. From across the pond, there is the word "shillelagh" (pronounced shi-LAY-lee as far as I know) which apparently can be everything from a delicate piece of blackthorn to a large hunk of wood good for walking the mountains with. Here's my antique blackthorn shillelagh (which is for show only...I'm just too clumsy).

 

[Tomasso]

Very nice!

My grandfather left a modest stick collection, now in storage, that needs to be photographed. Some day.

 

[John in Covina]

Hmmm, walking stick.

As someone with what is euphemistically refered to as "football knees" there are times such an item would come in handy.

Anybody know if there is a way to find the best height of a stick for someones stature to get the best support or comfort?

 

[adamgottschalk]

As someone with what is euphemistically refered to as "football knees" there are times such an item would come in handy.

Anybody know if there is a way to find the best height of a stick for someones stature to get the best support or comfort?

Best advice I can offer is to get a wooden stick that's definitely too long (like a 5 foot stick if your 6.5 feet...well, maybe that's a little much) then you can trim it to a length you like. It's really hard to say, as everyone has their own particular way of using a walking stick. Some, like me, like it to be sort of low, so I feel as though most of my weight is supported by it when I want. Others like theirs taller, like well above hip height. Also depends on your most regular use for it. I use mine getting around everyday, so I have one at a length that feels "everyday" to me. I have another longer, bulkier one that I'd take hiking (if I ever went hiking).

 

[Happy Stroller]

:
Anybody know if there is a way to find the best height of a stick for someones stature to get the best support or comfort?

===================== End of quote ======================

There's a minimum height, if not the ideal height, that you can determine your stick should have. Just let your arm hang straight down your side, then tilt your palm upwards. Imagine the top of the cane has to be below your palm. Where your palm is should be the minimum height your stick should have.

If you're looking for a more comfortable height, let your elbow bend slightly in a much more relaxed manner. You may considering adopting the height of your palm in this new position as the ideal height for your walking stick.

Hope that helps to make your strolls much more comfortable.

 

[Blackhorse]

I just thought of something. I pruned out two pretty big flowering plum trees about two weeks ago. I always save limbs of any girth for garden construction, stakes, etc. So...I guess I must have about 60 - 70 pretty nice walking sticks out there...rustic...but nice. Plum is a lot like Cherry, once dry it is pretty stiff and not prone to breakage. I'll have look through my stacks and see what might suit the purpose.

 

[katiemakeup]

My mother, who has Multiple Sclerosis, has a wonderful collection of walking sticks and canes... she has an antique one with a brass handle that if screwed off, reveals a rather large dagger. I'll see if I can get a picture of it...

 

[melankomas]

Canes?

good (time of day),

as it gets a bit cooler and wetter, i find walking a bit more difficult. i have a generic, personality-free cane for these times. i wondered if anyone here uses a stylish sort of cane, since everyone seems so stylish? i shall need a new one soon, and thought i'd get a nice one rather than another inexpensive, purely utilitarian cane.

thank you for any suggestions, or simply for reading.

 

[Dinerman]

I've never actually used it, and I don't think it'd support much weight, but I have an old bamboo cane that belonged to some long dead relative on my dad's side. I can't remember which.