Blackthorn Walking Stick

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Excellent point. A imbalance IMO, even for every day carry is one of the most over looked prerequisites for choosing a EDC. Most especially for back related injuries or preventing them. Many people will worry more about their tires being out of aliment rather than their own skeletal system.
Thanks all for the Post, trying to learn as much as possible. Want to get my Brother a nice cane for Christmas. He is a middle age Teacher, that fell in the rain last year and now practically Paralyzed. He can manage for short periods with a cane. However, a fighting cane would not work. Thinking a cane that will give him something personal to take a pride in and maybe a small pistol for self defense.

There could be a whole thread devoted on Balance and weight for choosing a firearm as well.

Ps some folks might remember my post of when a dog attacked mine and what I had to do to keep it from killing her. To the point of making a head Dive into the attacking dog. Fortunately a Police officer saw this and came running and was able to intervene with Mace, which by the way was not all that productive. I then started caring a Steel Baton on my walks. Ironically it was the one day that I did not carry my firearm since I had business in a area that would not allow it and I forget to get the gun when I came home to give her a walk.
Jeb, not sure if you followed the link above to Old Shillelagh we store or not but they offer some blackthorns with more traditional Cain handles. One of them may work for your brother. I find the knob handle one I bought fairly easy to handle, but my issue isn’t anywhere what you described.
 
Jeb, not sure if you followed the link above to Old Shillelagh we store or not but they offer some blackthorns with more traditional Cain handles. One of them may work for your brother. I find the knob handle one I bought fairly easy to handle, but my issue isn’t anywhere what you described.

Thanks, yes have been following this and it was the Old Shillelagh that got me interested. I understand your condition is not my Brothers, but saw the pride in the craftsmanship of the OS.
 
There was a blackthorn walking stick in the utility closet in my home all the years of boyhood. It has gotten lost in time. Must have been my Grandfather’s.
I acquired a blackthorn stick when my back betrayed me. It helps me to walk a bit straighter.
I have a couple of the Cold Steel versions also. I can see their value but they lack the elegance of the real thing.
Another “walking stick” that has served me well is a hickory livestock cane which i ordered from lehmans.com.
Very strong. It came 60 inches long. I cut it to the proper length for me and added a rubber tip.
https://www.lehmans.com/product/837...poziS4iiHkgZPy0AWS5R30Cw647i-fD4aAvsUEALw_wcB

Pete
 
I will be hiking in Southeast Asia next year and was giving some thought to personal protection that travels the globe well. I remembered this post. Looks like I will be doing some research and classes. I find this subject very interesting.
 
I will be hiking in Southeast Asia next year and was giving some thought to personal protection that travels the globe well. I remembered this post. Looks like I will be doing some research and classes. I find this subject very interesting.
It’s funny that you chose today to post here, because my second blackthorn just showed up.

38” long and 700 grams.
E564D78D-530D-4510-A67E-C3416DDB1CD7.jpeg 26318F12-7472-4CC9-AC5B-4EFD0FBAD976.jpeg

I’m curious if these get scrutinized closely for air travel. It’d really suck to have it confiscated.
 
I'm in the process of making a hickory cane. I doubt if it would pass muster. I'm planning on putting a tip on it where you can unscrew the rubber head and have a spike. Not for any self defense or diabolical reason. I just love in an area in Pa where I consistently get the wintry mix instead of snow. Mainly ice. Was going to convert my Lollysmith Blackthorn over to this. Maybe I'll wait for when me and the missus travel.
 
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I've carried canes while flying. Learn how to properly walk with it, if asked if you need a cane for the scanner take their offered one as they run yours through the x-ray.
@Kleanbore @Gordon
Question for you gents on this. It seems to me that the knob handled walking stick works fine for me at a bit longer length as it's more of a balance aid in my case and self defense tool. I've already found mine beneficial on icy surfaces. However an actual cane used for mobility and support should be a bit shorter shouldn't it? That way a person can lock their arm out a bit easier, as the motion you use to support a bum leg or some other physical restriction will be different than just using a walking stick for balance. I guess what I'm trying to say is there's a big difference in how a stick is used for getting around between a balance aid stick/cane and a mobility aid stick/cane, correct?

So I'm 6'3" in height. Let's say 6'4" with boots/shoes on. What I've heard for a walking stick is take your height in inches, divide by two, and there you go. So the two blackthorns I have are 37.5 and 38" They work nicely for walking around, are a comfortable length, and help me keep my balance.

However if I need an actual cane, I would think I would want one around 35-36 inches to keep my arm straighter, and increase the support. Or will that put undue stress on the hand wrist and elbow? I mean it's not supposed to take the place of a crutch.

Is my thinking correct on this?
 
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In addition to the formula that 460Shooter provided, here's another way that I found online to measure for a cane.

Googled =
Use a measuring tape.
With your arm hanging straight down at your side, the top of your cane should line up with the crease in your wrist. In other words, the number of inches between your wrist and the floor is the length that your cane should be.
 
However an actual cane used for mobility and support should be a bit shorter shouldn't it?

As stated, the top of the can should reach the crease of the wrist when intended for support due to injury or disability (3 knee surgeries, multiple ankle injuries and a spouse that was a PT before becoming a NP).

I just flip them over, let the top rest on the floor, and mark the shaft for shortening.
 
House call....

Since this thread started, I have been in therapy for lower back problems.

A couple of the therapists dropped by the house one evening. One of them brews beer, and he brought some great Belgian-style quadruple. There was a fire in the fireplace.

One of them saw my 57" hickory walking stick from Brazos Walking Sticks. They discussed it with each other and decided that I would be better off retiring the canes and using the stick. The advantage, they said, is posture.

They were right.

BTW, it serves very well as a deterrent weapon.

Almost as good as a quarterstaff.

No one has tried to prevent me from crossing any narrow bridges.
 
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Black thorn was a common sight when i lived in England. Not far from my childhood home there were large stands of black thorn. I remember when i was young getting a black thorn, thorn through the sole of my welly boot that them went into the sole of my foot. It was no fun having mother digging it out with a darning needle. When we did beating on driven pheasant days the thorn tips break off in your skin and very quickly go septic. A hot shower or bath after a days beating in black thorn and brambles soon tells you how many times you've been stuck
The fruit of the blackthorn is called, the sloe. Picked after a good frost and then steeped in gin you get the superb, sloe gin.
Black thorn also grows in southern Sweden and i spotted a perfect stick when working the spaniel on a pheasant shoot: I had it marked down for cutting after a few more years growth but the game keeper there moved on to another job and i never got the chance to go back and cut it.
 
I’ve been debating whether or not to share this, because these sticks are not really meant and weren’t purchased as self defense tools. However the various discussions of materials and sticks other than shillelaghs and blackthorn walking sticks that have come out in this thread have been interesting. So why not?

My interest in my ancestry and the cultures that it evolved from gives me an interest in folklore and mythology. The notion of the “green man” has been ingrained in me for a few decades as well, which isn’t a surprise given my profession.

So in light of those factors I felt a fun urge to pick up some sticks of different materials.

This stick is 48” long, 720 grams, and is made from Rowan tree. Also known as mountain ash. I bought it from a seller on eBay, and I’m quite satisfied with it for hiking purposes. It is strong and light, and will support a human body no problem. It does have a little flex though and I don’t know that it’d survive a self defense incident. However, if it breaks during a successful use, and my life is saved, I think I could live with that. So if you’re thinking strictly in those terms of defense, I wouldn’t recommend it. I do like the aesthetic choice the stick maker made by moderately sanding this stick, and then using a clear seal so the bark comes through.
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Next is a stick made of hazel. I didn’t even know hazel could be this large. It’s done in the knob stick style, is 37” in length, and if I remember correctly it weighs a little under 400 grams. I’m very impressed by how strong it feels given it’s weight, and I actually think it’d be a little better for thumping an aggressive dog or person than Rowan would. In any case, it’s a neat hiking companion and I enjoy it. I purchased this one from McCaffery as well.
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On another note, I did have an issue with the second blackthorn I posted above. I noticed after about a week that a crack had formed at the center of the knob and started radiating down toward the shaft. It then started radiating around the base of the knob. I assume this one didn’t cure out properly. I contacted Mr McCaffery and asked for suggestions on repair, and he responded within perhaps an hour that he felt the crack was problematic and that he would send me a replacement. Now that’s great service. The man stands behind his product. Approximately 9 days later, this showed up.
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So I have now ended up with three blackthorns as a result. I just consider the cracked one my beater/practice stick.

So one stick expanded to six. I am keeping an eye open for an oak shillelagh as well, because that’s what the originals were made from prior to Ireland being logged off, but I more or less have my needs met for years to come.
 
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Sticks and stones....

I hear about people who have firearms stashed around the house.

I have had canes everywhere, in case I walk ot another room without one.

The long sticks have stayed in a corner. That is changing. Now, I 'need' one more.

I looked at the Brazos site and decided I would like an iron bamboo stick. It is made of a Chinese grass, and it is much stronger than steel, on a weight basis.

I wanted a 57" stick, but Amazon had a 55" for a lot less money. It'll do.

It's for preventing falls while walking. Should a brigand try to cause me to fall, I will deter or repel him with my Ferrocalamus.
 
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I’ve been debating whether or not to share this, because these sticks are not really meant and weren’t purchased as self defense tools. However the various discussions of materials and sticks other than shillelaghs and blackthorn walking sticks that have come out in this thread have been interesting. So why not?

My interest in my ancestry and the cultures that it evolved from gives me an interest in folklore and mythology. The notion of the “green man” has been ingrained in me for a few decades as well, which isn’t a surprise given my profession.

So in light of those factors I felt a fun urge to pick up some sticks of different materials.

This stick is 48” long, 720 grams, and is made from Rowan tree. Also known as mountain ash. I bought it from a seller on eBay, and I’m quite satisfied with it for hiking purposes. It is strong and light, and will support a human body no problem. It does have a little flex though and I don’t know that it’d survive a self defense incident. However, if it breaks during a successful use, and my life is saved, I think I could live with that. So if you’re thinking strictly in those terms of defense, I wouldn’t recommend it. I do like the aesthetic choice the stick maker made by moderately sanding this stick, and then using a clear seal so the bark comes through.
View attachment 890352 View attachment 890353
Next is a stick made of hazel. I didn’t even know hazel could be this large. It’s done in the knob stick style, is 37” in length, and if I remember correctly it weighs a little under 400 grams. I’m very impressed by how strong it feels given it’s weight, and I actually think it’d be a little better for thumping an aggressive dog or person than Rowan would. In any case, it’s a neat hiking companion and I enjoy it. I purchased this one from McCaffery as well.
View attachment 890354
View attachment 890355
On another note, I did have an issue with the second blackthorn I posted above. I noticed after about a week that a crack had formed at the center of the knob and started radiating down toward the shaft. It’s then started radiating around the base of the knob. I assume this one didn’t cure out properly. I contacted Mr McCaffery and asked for suggestions on repair, and he responded within perhaps an hour that he felt the crack was problematic and that he would send me a replacement. Now that’s great service. The man stands behind his product. Approximately 9 days later, this showed up.
View attachment 890357
View attachment 890356
So I have now ended up with three blackthorns as a result. I just consider the cracked one my beater/practice stick.

So one stick expanded to six. I am keeping an eye open for an oak shillelagh as well, because that’s what the originals were made from prior to Ireland being logged off, but I more or less have my needs met for years to come.

Interesting to see Rowan makes a good stick. I've quite a few old Rowan trees on my ground. The problem is moose love to eat young Rowan saplings so you never see a good stick. Last Autumn the Rowan trees had a bumper harvest of berries, Rowan jelly can be made from the berries and that goes great with venison.
As mentioned Ash makes a good stick. My favorite stalking ( Thats deer Stalking) stick was Ash that i used for many years till i managed to break off the bottom foot. My next stalking stick that i still have is Hazel that i cut myself and its a bit heavier than the hazel stick in the picture.
To get the best Hazel it needs to be coppised so you get young growth. I once knew a chap who spent the winter cutting Hazel just for the stick trade. This was at a time when the health service in the UK used wooden walking sticks.
This thread just like the Knife Threads has made me realize how many knives and sticks i have. I even still have my Fathers silver topped cane he had in the 1920's.
 
I don't carry weapons, I have a flashlight in the car, to illuminate the darkness and I have a walking stick, to aid in ambulation. My knees have torn cartilage, that gets sore sometimes, MRI if you want.

The way I heard the story, short versions = weapons. Schools of use existed, as did family/clan "secrets". Outlawed by the British, so they grew into walking sticks. Some I've seen look like long, heavy handled cudgels. Then or now, you can't outlaw aids to ambulation, and they didn't have the American with Disabilities Act (Nobody wants to screw with THAT)

ETA: If you don't mind, where do you work, that you can have a spear in your office?
 
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I had my other hip replaced 2/5/20. Used this oldie but goodie a few days. As you can see, I am all about fancy sticks. :cool: Got the job done and I'm sure nobody I know wants to get whacked with it either.

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I just spent a month in Southern Mexico and a Livestock Cane like yours, maybe slightly heavier hickory and finished by my son. It is 25 years old and had some livestock use on it when I was younger and my son refinished it when my knees started going at 70 three years ago. :( I flew with it no problems from San Francisco and stored it in the overhead luggage compartment . In some of the towns at night , and going to bars it REALLY was comforting, especially since I been taking Hapkido for about 6 months and even tho the Grand Master had not deemed me ready for instruction in it , I closely watched very skilled masters use similar in Kata and asked alot of questions and did my home work.
 
Still waiting on my Wooden Swords.com (Purple Heart Armory) extra heavy cane and the rest of the order. The rubber blunts they put on the end, looks slimmer then crutch tips ;)
 
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