Plastic Blackthorn stick

[QDanT]

Having read jojo's thread on his Cold Steel Tomahawk
http://www.bushcraftuk.com/forum/showthread.php?t=59606
I looked at the Cold Steel UK site and spotted this

http://www.coldsteel-uk.com/store/Irish-Blackthorn-Walking-Stick.html
I'd have to win the lottery though at over £50 :yikes: for a plastic stick
So down to the "shed" and a sort through the "it'll come in handy someday" pile produced
the wooden base end of a fishing umberella that I found on the canal bank must be 25+ years ago
and a pair of wooden door handles with brass fittings. That I took off a door, in a skip, ages ago.
Hack sawed the bayonet fitting end off the pole and soft soldered one of the handles to it, just played the blow lamp on the wood to darken it a little. To give me :- a 39" Shillelagh

Thank you jojo for the thread start and Cold Steel for the Shillelagh idea. ---- just thought I'd share cheers all Danny

 

[redneck]

Plastic blackthorn?? Sacrilege..hawthorn is the only acceptable substitute!!

 

[slammer187]

Cool stick, it looks great,
Your striker will be out to you on Tuesday because Monday here in Ireland is a bank holiday
Sorry for the long wait

 

[dwardo]

Man after me own heart HOW MUCH?!?!?! Right i am off to the shed!

 

[jojo]

Pleasure Danny! Your stick is much nicer than the Cold Steel one. Somehow, plastic does not sound right for a proper Bushcraft stick does it?! Looks like an proper antique find!

 

[Laurentius]

That is the most ridiculous thing I have seen in ages. Why?

What sort of an idiot buy's these things. Artificial Christmas trees maybe excusable if you don't like pine needles all over the floor, but faux shillelaghs %^$&^$^*

 

[British Red]

Do you want some real Blackthorn Danny? I've a load to thin out

 

[joejoe]

being cheeky would be interested if they would make good sticks. ps how is the home coming on

 

[QDanT]

Do you want some real Blackthorn Danny? I've a load to thin out

Thanks for the offer B Red we've miles and miles of disused railway line here Colne to Skipton Earby to Barnoldswick and the Leeds to Liverpool canal is less than a mile away there's also lots of disused quarrys so plenty of gone wild Blackthorn thickets. I planted a couple at the bottom of the garden 1986 and there jealously guarded by the resident garden Blackbird pair being Cat proof I don't blame them, the sloes on them at the moment are still green. This is a walking stick I made back then it used to have allot tighter steam bent bend but has slowly relaxed over the years, don't we all ?

bad photo but I've just taken it with flash
cheers Danny

 

[TomBartlett]

Well done for making your own there. With frugal thinking like that, you won't have to win the lottery!

 

[QDanT]

Here's a saying :-
Q "When's the best time, to cut a stick ?"
A "When tha' see's Bu**er !"
I know this might poke the purists with a stick (bad pun intended) okenest: but at one time I'd cut a stick when out most hikes, until I had a few and developed favourites, and I wouldn't say there was any great difference to the stick qualities whatever time of year - sap up, sap down but just my 2p's worth. If I'd loads of money I think I'd get the Cold Steel one. Anyone following Teddy Tours will have seen the White fiberglass stick with the black tape round and the small bell. This for a few years was my "beating" stick, with flag, on the local Pheasant shoot, very strong and light and on some of the boggy tours has been a life saver.

My fanciest stick I found in the woods on Arnside Knott SD 45617 77456 a few years back where most of the Hazel had Honeysuckle trying to strangle it. I drilled into the antler and the stick then screwed them together with a piece of threaded bar with Araldite on the threads,

carved the end of the Honeysuckle into a Snake head and used two copper panel pins for eyes

I peeled the bark off the Honeysuckle, it had really been squeezing the Hazel

Yorkshire plumbing fittings and a farthing for the end caps and a couple of coats of varnish

just thought I'd share cheers all Danny

 

[John Lee]

Is there anything this man cannot make? I think Danny deserves a Knighthood -- Sir Danny of Yorkshire.

 

[QDanT]

Is there anything this man cannot make?

Money !
Thanks for that John. I think allot of the skill is spotting the stick in situ, and you can get hooked and spend the whole trip out stick prospecting

looking for one perfectly straight or ridiculously bent

cheers Danny