My new ram's horn shepherd's crook walking stick

[rsvpiper]

nice one!

[unixken]

Well done laddie, that is very nice. If I may, can I advise you to coat the shaft if its not varnished, particularly the bottom 18 inches even if it is varnished, with boiled linseed oil once a year. The bottom few inches will tend to split over time anyway, particularly if you use the stick a lot, but the linseed oil will keep major surgery away for many extra years!

The stick is finished, but the linseed oil is a good idea nonetheless, to keep the wood from drying out/splitting.

[AJBryant]

Is there anyone selling these? I'd love to get my hands on one, but don't recall seeing them listed among the typical "highland accoutrements" selections.

[unixken]

This may have been a one-off kind of thing, sold by an individual.... not something offerred by the usual eBay "stores". I'd found it searching for "shepherd's crook", if I remember correctly, and just weeding through the hits.

[AJBryant]

Appreciate it. I'll keep an eye open. I see that sort of thing often in photos of guys kilted in "walking about" outfits.

[Muddy]

Very, very nice stick.
Be careful about the Linseed Oil.
Rags soaked/used with Linseed Oil have been known to spontaneously combust. I'm totally serious.

[unixken]

Rags soaked/used with Linseed Oil have been known to spontaneously combust. I'm totally serious.

That's why we use one of these until laundered...

Standard operating procedure with any flammable rag.;)

[Muddy]

Good plan. Yeah, I saw a segment on the subject several years ago on some television show and never forgot it.
They can sit for quite some time if I remember correctly and still go *poof* without warning!

[Tobus]

Yup, BLO tends to build heat as it cures. The best advice I've used (in my many years of oiling gunstocks) is to spread the rag out on a rack to let it dry. Do not wad it up and throw it in the trash; it can catch fire that way. But as long as it's set out where the heat can dissipate, and nothing flammable is left nearby, it should be fine.

As for where to purchase a ram's horn cromach, here are some of the sites I had been watching for a long time before I pulled the trigger on mine. Some of them will be out of stock, as these things seem to be a hot item in the last couple of years, as they gain popularity.

http://www.walkingandworkingsticks.c...ket-sticks.htm

http://espleywalkingsticks.co.uk/pro...tegory/crooks/ (this is where I got mine - Tony Espley was very helpful and nice!)

http://www.thestickman.co.uk/horn.htm

http://www.shepherds-crook.co.uk/page/store

http://wilstonesticks.com/Crooks

[unixken]

Those are some lovely sticks, Tobus! But after seeing these, I'm even more thrilled by my recent purchase... I got mine for 85 quid (plus shipping).