Alice Cooper tells lies

  • Hey Guest, Early bird pricing on the Summer Moot (29th July - 10th August) available until April 6th, we'd love you to come. PLEASE CLICK HERE to early bird price and get more information.

stonyman

Need to contact Admin...
Apr 8, 2004
152
0
52
Gloucester
Always ask permission from the witch of the hedge before cutting Holly or Elder.

Sent from my Hudl HT7S3 using Tapatalk
 

Macaroon

A bemused & bewildered
Jan 5, 2013
7,209
362
73
SE Wales
I grubbed out and cut more than my fair share of Blackthorn over the years. One of my favourite woods, the colouring and grain can be spectacularly beautiful on some of it and it's very durable indeed. But to grub out unwanted large clumps of it is some of the hardest work I ever came across, and the only decent remedy I found for the skin damage was Calendula cream with plenty of Tea Tree oil mixed into it and applied after the evening shower; I never got an infected wound after using that mix.

I've seen some horrendous wounds in both dogs and horses caused by the stuff, if left unattended they can be very nasty indeed.
 

British Red

M.A.B (Mad About Bushcraft)
Dec 30, 2005
26,709
1,947
Mercia
This is the thickness of the hedge Macaroon

Blackthorn hedge thickness by British Red, on Flickr

The grass running up to it shows how far I got last Winter. I reckon its every inch of 20' thick

..and thats the thorn length in places

Blackthorn Thorn by British Red, on Flickr

...and we'regetting in!

Hedging Tools by British Red, on Flickr

Got a fair sized burn pile to get rid of after today

Brash Pile by British Red, on Flickr

I'm stacking up somenice staves and shillelagh pieces

Blackthorn Staves by British Red, on Flickr

and a fewchunks of firewood

Firewood by British Red, on Flickr
 

Macaroon

A bemused & bewildered
Jan 5, 2013
7,209
362
73
SE Wales
Oooh, that's a nice thicket, plenty to go at there, eh?

As you said above one needs a strong young back for that sort of labour and I'm afraid that's no longer the case for me :( I always found the stuff a bit of a pig to burn when green but very good firewood when seasoned.
 

tombear

On a new journey
Jul 9, 2004
4,494
556
54
Rossendale, Lancashire
I think you've all answered a question I've been mulling over the years, why the long handled slashers and billhooks I see in rural life museums. So you can stand a good five foot from the evil spikey boogers and wale at them into submission from a "safe" distance! Guess what I'll be looking for to do up next. Mind I've a while yet before I'll need one, we only started putting the 150 hawthorn whips in 2 winters back so there's some growing to do yet. Just bought a pack of 10 blackthorn to fill in the odd gap where a whip failed or we didn't put them in close enough.

Best of luck getting it sorted!

atb

Tom
 

Macaroon

A bemused & bewildered
Jan 5, 2013
7,209
362
73
SE Wales
OK, I give up!!! I've thought about this for days trying to work it out, It's been driving me nuts........................

Somebody please explain the Alice Cooper reference before the men in the white coats to come and fetch me!
 

stone monkey

Tenderfoot
Jun 2, 2015
84
0
east yorkshire
OK, I give up!!! I've thought about this for days trying to work it out, It's been driving me nuts........................

Somebody please explain the Alice Cooper reference before the men in the white coats to come and fetch me!


Alice Cooper had a song titled " Only Women Bleed " :lmao::lmao:
 

Herbalist1

Settler
Jun 24, 2011
585
1
North Yorks
Ah Blackthorn - I've had many a puncture off this stuff even through welding gloves and boy those punctures like to fester. Nothing like squeezing the puss out of them the next day:).
the only thing I've know to stop them was some old 3/16 inch thick leather hedging mitts I used years ago when cutting out some blackthorn on a cousins farm. Never seen anything like them for sale or I'd have bought a pair!
 
Jul 30, 2012
3,570
224
westmidlands
Ah Blackthorn - I've had many a puncture off this stuff even through welding gloves and boy those punctures like to fester. Nothing like squeezing the puss out of them the next day:).
the only thing I've know to stop them was some old 3/16 inch thick leather hedging mitts I used years ago when cutting out some blackthorn on a cousins farm. Never seen anything like them for sale or I'd have bought a pair!

An they can be painful too. Reason is that they can leave dirtand bark in the very tip, so you need to open it up and clear it out, allowing it to dry. It will be miles better the next day. Also vaseline is good at removing splinters !


Also have a look at this seems like just the job at lidls at the moment.

http://www.lidl-service.com/cps/rde...s.xsl/product.html?id=3341793&title=Elektrick
 
Last edited:

BCUK Shop

We have a a number of knives, T-Shirts and other items for sale.

SHOP HERE