walking sticks.

I think the extra reach would be beneficial and if your hiking in the hills or woods you wouldn't get a second look. On the other hand if your walking thru the neighborhood or running errands in the city you'd probably draw some attention.

On the other hand if your walking thru the neighborhood or running errands in the city you'd probably draw some attention.

Click to expand...

That would depend on the neighborhood and/or city. I have a well season chestnut staff that is close to 60" with a rubber cup on the bottom; admittedly it has been a while since I have carried it, however I never had any problem.

When I was learning martial arts, we did some work with a 48" staff. At that time, you could buy a red oak dowel about 1.25 inches in diameter at home improvement stores. Made a great stick. I still use one hiking and it's not all that out of order around town.

I've been making myself sticks lately as a hobby, experimenting with different stains and lengths etc, and my opinion is that the overall length that is perfect for me is about 39-40 inches. Your normal cane is 34-36 inches. The longer length still makes it register as "cane" in most peoples' minds, and I could easily go into restricted areas claiming it's a cane. But it works as a strolling stick, using a vertical grip, and I wrap it in paracord.

Fighting-wise it seems like longer sticks than that are (for me) unwieldy and don't let me do 1-2 combos (stab, buttstroke bayonet-style) plus look weird to take to class, etc.

I also do a no-drill paracord wrap with lanyard.

What do yall think about Cold Steel's City sticks? Been wanting one for years, but just never have bought one.

I've used walking sticks since I was a kid.

My favorite is a piece of wood I picked up when I was around 10 in the woods near Memphis.
I carved a handle into it on the way home. Still got it. Probably my oldest possession.

I've also long used Leki trekking poles while backpacking. Most use 2. I just carry one for use with a heavy pack when crossing rocks or streams. (I don't like having stuff in both hands when I walk.) In camp, I've often practiced using one as a defensive weapon; that tip is steel and penetrates wood well.

The Cold Steel City Stick has my attention, now. So do their African Walking Stick & Irish Blackthorn, but my main attraction now is the city stick.

We'll see.

I've used walking sticks since I was a kid.

My favorite is a piece of wood I picked up when I was around 10 in the woods near Memphis.
I carved a handle into it on the way home. Still got it. Probably my oldest possession.

Click to expand...

I too found a nice piece of bleached white oak as driftwood about 15 years ago. I consider it a work in progress. Mine is perfect diameter for my hand with a great natural grip and is approximately 60"-64".

Mine's 50" (+/- 3 mm).
Driftwood. Very light.
My guess is willow.
There were lots.

It has a notch on the top to prop up
the center line of a tarp tent
to tighten the tarp.

Go pick this stuff up:

Pruning saw from Walmart in Garden section ($10-15)
marker tape from hardware store (2.00)
twine (3.00)
bug spray (2.50)

Go into the woods and cut various saplings, always longer than necessary, and if possible find some sturdy dead (clearcut areas have lots) saplings and even fallen branches can work.

Using a pocket knife, shave any bark off that you want off

The wet sticks sit for about 2 months in a shed or basement

Finishing materials:
Foam brushes (2.00 for a multi pack)
Minwax stain (I have golden oak, early american, and red mahogany - three very different colors) (4.00)
Some kind of semi-gloss polyurethane (7.00)
Tung oil (4.00)
60, 100, and 220 grit sandpaper (3.00)
0000 steel wool (2.00)
ladder tips or furniture tips in rubber. get some 1/2", 3/4", 7/8", and 1". (2.00)
Turpentine (optional)
File or rasp (optional)
Dremel tool (optional)
Rags
Optional: hame knob, T handle, paracord for wraps

Sand the entire thing WITH THE GRAIN with 60 grit, paying special attention to imperfections and rough edges (note: don't sand any cool patterns out - don't touch those with the 60)

Move up to the 100 and lightly sand everything. If the cool pattern you may have on a stick is very light, leave it alone with the 100 as well. 100 works well for sanding bark down to make it finish-able.

Now, sand everything lightly with the 220, including any cool patterns or irregularities (go lightly and carefully). Feel for any rough areas and sand those with 100, then 220.

If you bought the turpentine, put a SMALL amount on a rag and wipe the stick down then wipe it down with the dry part of the rag (helps remove wood dust)

Now, put either a thin coat of tung oil or stain on using a foam brush. With stain be sure to go fast and keep it even. The stain will be functionally dry in 30 minutes or so. If you want it darker, or to mix hues, rub the stick (with the grain) with 0000 steel wool and restain, wait 30 minutes.

If you did tung oil, just keep reapplying it one time per day until you're satisfied. Do not put poly or stain on the tung oil.

Now put a thin coat of polyurethane on, spreading it evenly. This should only take a minute or so, don't brush excessively. Make sure to cover everything.

Let the poly dry overnight. If it's still slightly sticky that's OK. Rub it with the steel wool, put another coat on, let it dry until non sticky. Now put your rubber cap on and if you want, add a handle, knob, or paracord wrap.

(http://www.themartialist.com/pecom/koppowrap.htm - I use this wrapping method. It requires about 12 feet of 550 paracord and you must wrap TIGHTLY. I also keep the lanyard loop fairly big)

For $47, if you didn't have any of this stuff around to begin with which most people do, you can make an unlimited number of staffs and sticks and experiment to find what works best for you!

BTW - the twine is to bundle your sticks together in the woods, and the marker tape is to mark saplings you want for in the future if, say, you don't have time to cut another.

And a little trick I picked up is to seal the cut ends of your wood with candle wax to prevent checking (cracking due to moisture escaping).

Also, for the impatient among us, the dead saplings can be immediately worked on provided they're dry.

Conwict got it right, I do the same thing. only I am older and really need a cane/stick.

The key is selecting good wood for drying, or dead fall with no cracks, that will pass the whack test. Beat it on a tree trunk or rock to see if it breaks.

I Make one or two a week. 32 to 60 inchs - search my posts.

Give away some as gifts.

Just finishing one where I took an old darning egg and drillled and fitted it with wood screws, to the shaft ( recess the head and cover with plugs or plastic wood) kinda looks like a innocuous native american war club, pics next week.

Lots of fun and you get to play with sharp pointy things also!!! It dont get any better than that.

Give it a try my friend.

Nairbedaw said:

What do yall think about Cold Steel's City sticks? Been wanting one for years, but just never have bought one.

Click to expand...

I will only briefly comment on the controversy surrounding Cold Cteel as a company. I am annoyed at their advertising. I have found Lynn Thompson to be arrogant and brusque. It bothers me that CS appears to copy other knives and/or makers without due recognition or thanks. None of these things are as I'd choose to have a company, but nobody's perfect and I'll overlook some imperfections depending on the situation. (At least it's not like Strider Knives who built his company's reputation on lies about a military hero background - That is an unpardonable act to me.) I have done and will continue to do busiiness with Cold Steel for some of their products.

The City Stick is one of those.

I hurt my back many years ago in a serious car accident. In addition to that I sustained a serious fall last year at work which has really messed up my back. I depend on a walking cane much of the time. One of my favorites is the Cold Steel City Stick with the pistol grip. The grip is quite comfortable and is very heavy which feels good in my hand. To give you an idea of the comparative weight of the handle, the whole stick is 35.5 inches long. The point of balance is 28 inches from the bottom of the cane, 7.5 inches from the top of the handle. It is a plain but nice looking cane which fits well into any social situation. One of the things which appeals the most to me is the strength of this cane. It's made from fiberglass, I can't begin to explain just how strong it is. I am not a small person by any means. I'm no longer 700 pounds (no, that's not a typo) since I had gastric bypass surgery I have lost over 300 pounds but I'm still exceedingly large. I have no concern whatever about placing all of my weight on this cane. It's sturdy and stable like no other cane I've ever used.

It's really about your environment you exist in.

My main stick used to be about 48-50" and I made it back in college. It's Chinese waxwood, like the staves used in kung fu, and I just added a rubber foot and leather handgrip.

My college was a rural mountain town. The shuttle bus was utter crap and I had no car, so the main way to get around was your feet. Already being an avid hiker, I made a long hiking style stick for the long walks up and down the steep roads and walks (as well as trails for recreation). It snowed all the darn time too, so it was a great companion

Then I graduated, a made a complete 180 environment-wise: Downtown Baltimore City, and now I owned a car. My 48" stick just didn't "fit" anymore. It was too long to comfortably stow when getting into the car with all my friends, and the long stick just looked weird in the concrete jungle (no trouble, just funny looks). Further, it was also closer quarters when I took public transport, far too close to easily bring the stick to bear. So I cut it down to 35", a comfortable "cane height" for a person my size, and added a brass knob. Now I could slip it down on the floor near the door in my car, and it was easily manageable in crowded stores and trains. I once had to muscle a crazy homeless guy out of the way on the light rail, and it would not have worked as well with the big stick.

So it's down to how big a stick you can fit in your life and environment.

I have handled the Cold Steel city stick, and it is a nice piece of hardware. But I always felt it looks too formal, like it was meant to go with a tux. I prefer a more rural wooden look.

"My college was a rural mountain town. The shuttle bus was utter crap and I had no car, so the main way to get around was your feet. Already being an avid hiker, I made a long hiking style stick for the long walks up and down the steep roads and walks (as well as trails for recreation). It snowed all the darn time too, so it was a great companion."

-----------------------------------------------


Went to Frostberg State, did ya?

Downtown in D.C. I see short staff length walking sticks on a regular basis in the hands of guys from the local neighborhoods, when I go to the V.A. hospital on Irving street. They seem to be a bit more than waist high, and rustic in looks. Some have pretty nice artwork done on them with African type of designs cut or burned in with a small soldering iron. Most of the men carrying them do not have any limp, or seem to be incapasitated in any way. It's obvious they carry a stick for self defence on the mean streets of D.C.

Another thing to add to the list is a slightly curved wood rasp, cheap is ok. I made a great cane with a round end, shillelagh-style, last weekend - gotta post it up soon.

I use a diamond willow stick about 50" long. The stuff grows like weeds in swampy areas and dries very light and strong. They are creamy white with reddish brown knots.

Alaskanativeson:
I am with you 100% on the cold steel thing. I love a few of their products, a lot of them are over priced, but a just a few keep me coming back.

I've made a lot of walking sticks. I like one that comes to about even with the armpit for a grip with a relaxed hand and arm. My early ones were a little too heavy until I realized I could get the strength I wanted with thinner shafts using ash, black locust, or osage orange. I finish them with a piece of antler or some carving and some leather or copper or brass. No casual observers think of them as weapons.

I picked up a Cold Steel Blackthorn walking stick and I have loved it. I got my off of Amazon Dot com for $28.00.