Cromach from Tony Espley in Wales

**ASinclair** · 16th November 18, 01:04 AM

Look what arrived in the mail this week.

**ShaunMaxwell** · 16th November 18, 04:59 AM

Very nice!

**Tobus** · 16th November 18, 05:14 AM

Congrats! I bought my ram's horn cromach from him back in 2012, and it is as lovely as I could possibly have imagined.

Yours is buffalo horn, right? What type of wood is the shank?

**Father Bill** · 16th November 18, 06:16 AM

Absolutely gorgeous, and I love the ones like this that have the wee lantern hook on the end.

**ASinclair** · 16th November 18, 11:11 AM

Originally Posted by Tobus

Congrats! I bought my ram's horn cromach from him back in 2012, and it is as lovely as I could possibly have imagined.

Yours is buffalo horn, right? What type of wood is the shank?

Thanks! Yes, the head is buffalo horn. The shank is hazel. The collar is bone. The tip is fitted with a brass ferrule.

**Tobus** · 16th November 18, 11:45 AM

Originally Posted by Father Bill

Absolutely gorgeous, and I love the ones like this that have the wee lantern hook on the end.

You know, I've often wondered whether the little curl on the end had a function or if it was just decorative. I've considered many possible uses for it, but never hanging a lantern. I suppose it could be used for that, but I pity the poor soul who tries to walk anywhere using his cromach with a lantern actually hanging from it. But for raising a lantern over one's head to see a wider field of view, definitely! Hmmm...

Originally Posted by ASinclair

Thanks! Yes, the head is buffalo horn. The shank is hazel. The collar is bone. The tip is fitted with a brass ferrule.

Thanks, I thought it might be hazel. It has that distinctive white freckling just like mine.

Tony Espley makes a wonderfully elegant, yet functional and simple cromach. Again, congrats. An heirloom piece for sure.

**OC Richard** · 26th November 18, 03:31 PM

That's beautiful. The shape of the handle is elegant and sophisticated. Tony obviously has "the eye".

I'd never heard of him. I spent much time going over the photos on his site. It's amazing how each handle is unique in extremely subtle ways, and each is a perfection of proportion. Thanks for bringing attention to Tony's work!

I'm guessing that shipping to the USA is expensive. I wonder if they would let one of these be brought on an airplane flight.

**Macman** · 26th November 18, 04:14 PM

Originally Posted by OC Richard

I wonder if they would let one of these be brought on an airplane flight.

YMMV, but I was made to check a walking stick purchased in Hawai'i on the flight back; it wasn't allowed in the cabin.

**ASinclair** · 26th November 18, 04:24 PM

Originally Posted by OC Richard

That's beautiful. The shape of the handle is elegant and sophisticated. Tony obviously has "the eye".

I'd never heard of him. I spent much time going over the photos on his site. It's amazing how each handle is unique in extremely subtle ways, and each is a perfection of proportion. Thanks for bringing attention to Tony's work!

I'm guessing that shipping to the USA is expensive. I wonder if they would let one of these be brought on an airplane flight.

Thanks Richard. I could not find a source for a stick of this quality in the USA. The shipping cost was just under half the cost of the cromach, but the total cost was still less than several importers (including Amazon.com), and Tony came highly recommended. The shipment was trackable online, and it was delivered to me in just a few days. I was very pleased.