How Many are Now Carrying a Cane?

Nem,
On snow and ice I have a similar pole: Leki Prestige, Titanium. Won't walk to the barn without it when the ground is white.

Jim

Thank you.

I want to thank everyone who has kept this thread going. Because of you I found it a couple of months ago. It never occurred to me that carrying a cane was such a great idea for a self-defense weapon. The ability to moderate the use of the cane from intimidating display, to compliance through pain, to painful incapacitation, to lethal incapacitation is the next best thing to having a Star Trek Phaser. Finding this thread came at the most opportune of times for me. Twice in the previous year during walks with my wife our Shi Tzu was attacked by large dogs in our neighborhood. Not necessarily attacks intent to kill, but the size of the dogs could have caused unintended fatal injury. Each time we were able to pickup our dog before contact was made, but I knew we were just lucky. Because of this thread I purchased a “Stock Cane” from Nasco. I followed the instructions in this thread for using boiling water to bend the curve out to a hook, to cut to appropriate overall length, for sanding, for staining with tung oil, and attaching a tip from the Drug Store. Last week my neighbor’s Lab attacked from behind and was on our dog before we could react. Two quick thrusts from my cane to the Lab’s ribs got him off our dog and an aggressive threat display of swinging the cane and yelling chased him off. This situation was a perfect example of when the PF-9 I carry was not the most effective tool for the situation. I could have never drawn, and accurately and safely fired the 9mm as quickly as I ended the threat with the cane. On behalf of my wife and I, thanks guys, you saved our little buddy.

Now that sir is a great story with a wonderful ending......

Jim

My Pomeranian and I know exactly what you mean. The Nasco was my first too. I started a little collection after that, but my favorite is my Lollysmith Blackthorn.

Great story, Good Stock Canes and do tons of damage if your determined to do so.

Owen Sparks said:

I got a real blackthorn for Christmas and was disappointed. It is very thin and light, about half the weight I like. This thing was made to sell to tourists. Blackthorn has the same general properties as rattan, light and flexable. Neither carries enough mass for a defensive cane though both are very durable and perfect for sport fighting.

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Not sure where you purchased but try Amazon (just one of many). Real blackthorne is not heavy but certainly not flexile like rattan, and is TOUGH! These were used by the Irish after weapons were outlawed for them. A real blackthorne is fully capable of killing a man. And the real blackthorne has enough sharp (Very Sharp) thorn remnants that nobody will take it from you without injury to themselves(think grabbing a Samurai sword from an attacker's hand by the blade) Not recommended! If you get the real McCoy, I'm positive you will not be dissapointed!
Unkei

The problem with mine is the diamiter, about the size of my pinkey finger at the tip. The material itself is very tough.

A nice cane story. My wife's father, who passed away in 1984, used to walk to my wife's house to play with her daughter (his granddaughter) after he retired. Along the way was a dog that was to become his nemesis. So, in 1982 she bought a cane for him to fend off the dog. Yesterday, after visiting her mother, she brought home the cane.
It is 35" long with a brass handle shaped like a horse. It is in three pieces, each connected by heavy brass threads. At first I wondered if the brass fittings would compromise the integrity of the cane. Upon examination I conclude that they appear to provide strength. The threaded part is .345" wide and .50" long.
The brass fitting which is in the interior of the cane shaft extends slightly longer.
The handle provides heft to the feel of the cane. I'd post pictures, but she left her camera at her mother's house. I will after she gets it back.
I guess I can call this "cane recycling".......

Jim

Cool Cane story !

I got a Brass Duck head cane of Ebay and just got another Hame Brass head from the bay for another cane Build. Now I got to get hickory shovel handle.

You could also use this supplier for hickory: http://www.wood-dowel.com/store/41-hickory-dowel-rods

I personally have tested these against a 4.5 ft German broadsword (blunt) and they hold up surprisingly well. At least I haven't broken the 5/8" yet.

glistam said:

You could also use this supplier for hickory: http://www.wood-dowel.com/store/41-hickory-dowel-rods

I personally have tested these against a 4.5 ft German broadsword (blunt) and they hold up surprisingly well. At least I haven't broken the 5/8" yet.

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Thanks but I got enough goodie accounts. Plus the local hardware store sells shovel and tool handles for the same price without the shipping.

Deltaboy,

How do you reduce the diameter of the tool handles and what sort of head or crook do you add and how? Do you do anything with the tips? Can we see one?

-kBob

I use a wood rasp and draw knife to get the shape down then I hand fit either wooden balls that I bore out with a forester bit then I use Carpenters wood glue to attach the wooden balls. I also use Brass Hames that I find at flea markets or ebay. If I am in a hurry I use the belt sander or my rotor tool with a sanding or wood removal bit.

http://www.mydrafthorse.com/cfwebstore/index.cfm?fuseaction=product.display&Product_ID=346

http://www.smnv.net/Products/Hardwood Balls/Balls.htm
I like the 2 1/2 to 3 inch balls

I having to use my canes more all the time. So Got to keep making them.

me too

Same here. I just keep on limping. Made one the other week with an 8-ball on top...gonna make a cue ball one next. Also have made some with hame balls...gave them away except for one.

I have a cane that has been in the family since 1876. But I still have a carry firearm most always. ;>)) I have practiced with the cane and am able to do a quick "poke" strike while pulling my firearm I am packing.

1 have given away 3 or 4 dozen of various styles. Fun to make, gratifying to give!

bikerdoc said:

1 have given away 3 or 4 dozen of various styles. Fun to make, gratifying to give!

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My wife starting to wish I would give some away.

Got to get some pictures of my new canes.

A nice introdution to thinking about canes

Well, I just read this whole thread from beginning to end, over the course of a few days that is (actually I think I started reading before Delta made his last post), and I have to say there is a lot of food for thought on here. I recently got the idea of carrying a cane for defensive purposes, mainly thanks to my love of Sherlock Holmes and an article in the new Combatant magazine on The Fighting Cane. My natural inclination whenever I think of something I hadn't thought of before is to research the ever living daylights out of it. For this purpose The High Road is indispensable and I want to thank you all for the massive amount of information and ideas available here.
As far as my personal cane, I have started out with a Cold Steel Slim Stick and am very happy with it so far. That is, once I replaced that ugly golf ball. I decided to customize with my own wooden ball knobs and I had almost as much fun with that as I have practicing/playing with my new cane. I am very happy with the length, being 6'3" the 39" shaft is just about perfect with a nice large wooden head on top. And with the stain and polyurethane I put on them they look nice and ornamental rather than dangerous. I used my wood burner to burn a spiral pattern around one of them that gives a little extra grip and I also put my initials in it to make it nice and personalized. I like being able to change out the knob as I feel the need to dress it up or down and they have already gotten used to it at work, which is a main reason I wanted one. I work for a well known coffee company that allows customers to carry but we don't allow partners to carry to work. As I frequently close I always feel somewhat naked without my EDC .45 while walking to my car. With my cane I feel much better about my chances if someone tries something with anything less than a gun. And yes, in my case pretty much everyone I work with knows it can be used as a weapon. But they also know about how bad my knees can be, even at 25, because of damage done to my cartilage when I played football in High School. It's not an every day thing, but an issue often enough that the cane is justified as a walking aid in addition to its other potential uses.
On another note, I was in Tractor Supply today and noticed they had some stock canes in as several of you had mentioned. I got an idea which I think I'm going to try. I hate the crook, it just doesn't work for me, but I am going to buy one and cut it off with just a nice elbow left where the crook used to be to use as a nice hand hold. Then I'll take my rasps and files and shape it to a be more rounded on the end and I'm going to sand and stain the whole thing a different color as the finish it has now is very light and I prefer a darker finish. This thread lead me to the conclusion that it may be nice to have a somewhat heavier weight cane and I like the idea of having an all wooden cane for places with metal detectors so here we go with experimentation. If it goes well and anyone cares to see, I may very well post some pictures of the finished product.

Have fun with those stock canes. They are fun to work with.

I use one about 30% of the time due to really bad arthritus in my knees, depends on how far I have to walk and how long I have to be on my feet. Would be a good weapon in some circumstances.

While I have some wood drying in the garage, I've made a couple canes from polyethylene plastic.

I'll get some pics up once my computer comes back from the doctor, but one is 100% High Density polyethylene, and the other is an 80/20 blend of High density and low density green colored polyethylene.

I think I prefer the High D, its extremely sturdy. The blended cane has some flex and give to it, which is great for using it as an impact self defense tool, but not so great when you actually need to support your 235 pound frame.

The beauty of it is, I make them from die purges at the plastic extrusion company I work for, so for only a few minutes of my time during the course of my job, I actually get paid to make them.

Another bonus is that failed projects can be cut down and used for dog chews.

as mentioned, here are some pics of the polyethylene canes i've made