black thorn stick
- Thread starter mentalnurse
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Come along to the amazing Summer Moot (21st July - 2nd August), a festival of bushcrafting and camping in a beautiful woodland PLEASE CLICK HERE for more information.
Well i've got more than you and mines bigger
I look after 1300km (approx) of linear vegetation, covering in excess of 1700ha, this winter alone we will spend over £500K thining and pruning that little lot. So for me to grab a few sticks is quite easy and a pleasure to do
I am but a lowly woodcarver who makes a living from the land...
Andy >>>>>-------------------------------------<>
Andy >>>>>-------------------------------------<>
Wood is my life, pays me bills and feeds my tribe
Im always on the lookout for interesting bits to carve. Cheers for the offer Just to let those know, who requested some blackthorn, its been posted now so should be with you in a few months judging by Royal Mail at the moment!!!!!
(Very much sooner i hope!)
Andy >>>>>---------------------------------<>
always on lookout for sticks, just let me knowwhat you have that is suitable for walking sticks:swordfigh
I was curious about this wood and I managed to find one nice specimen with a straight shape (slightly twisted, enough to give an original-unique appearance) and a nice bend for the handle. I cut it with my knife : wow it's damn hard ! My knife is a strong all purpose knife (13 cm long and 4.5mm thick, well sharpened) and it was quite hard to cut it : when the stick is dry, I suppose that it will be iron-like ...
I have brought the stick home and I have a question. I want to get rid of the bark : Is it better to do it while the bark is still fresh or is it better to let the stick dry and the then remove the bark ?
I have brought the stick home and I have a question. I want to get rid of the bark : Is it better to do it while the bark is still fresh or is it better to let the stick dry and the then remove the bark ?
i have just restored a blackthorn stick of about 100 years old,it still has the bark on it, blackthorn takes ages to dry (some say up to 3/5 years) the sticks i have i intend to let dry clean with wirewool,light sand, clean,paint black and varnish, around the root knob i will sand down to the bare wood to see the grain and seal then varnish. (i am no expert and there will be others on here who will say do it differant but its the way i was told to do it and it seems to work) i will post a photo of the stick i have just worked on when its dry.
Interesting thread. I had a friend who was a subaltern in the Royal Irish Rangers and I recall that blackthorn sticks were part of the kit.
Problem with the bark from "my" stick is the following : the bush has grown in a dark area (very dense) and a bit humid. The bark is not smooth and is green (moss or lichen on it), as the wood is also beautiful and appears to turn red when aging, I think it is better to get trid of the bark in my case.
I didn't take the root, I didn"t want to kill the plant ; I only took one nice branch and see how I can handle it.
I didn't take the root, I didn"t want to kill the plant ; I only took one nice branch and see how I can handle it.
You have to be carefull if you strip the bark off, the wood splits so easily through moisture loss. I also scrub my sticks with one of those green washing up things to remove lichen etc. I've found blackthorn and holly to be the two most stubborn woods to season.
You are 100% right : I made a test on one of the green sticks, I stripped the bark and now there is a crack due to the drying process. And the crack is getting bigger and deeper. The crack started from the end and is now 8 cm long. I will be patient with the other stick before removing the bark.
"polypropylene Blackthorn" Bit different that!
Each time someone got clubbed to death with a shillelagh the owner would carve a notch in the stick. They liked to keep count and show off......
Each time someone got clubbed to death with a shillelagh the owner would carve a notch in the stick. They liked to keep count and show off......
A word to the wise, dont trust the photo's on the interweb
Its a solid stick, no mistake, but no way does it look like a proper Blackthorn stick. Oh well, i'll keep it for a while, then sell it on, and hopefully break even 
F
Flumpie
Guest
I really look forward to seeing the work when it's complete as the time and patience with Blackthorn to get the results really pay off.
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