Traditional Blackthorn Sticks

[Ryan Ross]

They are indeed!

Given the type of finish (paint & varnish) it's really MEANT to be a walking stick rather than something you'd want to spend a lot of time practicing with as a fighting stick. But Liam says if you need to do some. . .cosmetic work. . .on it for whatever reason, all you need do is lightly sand the affected area; use a little black paint or magic marker if appropriate; and seal with a little varnish.

In terms of the grip and how it feels, this will work just dandy with either the Irish methods or our hanbojutsu.

I'm going to keep my $30 indestructible neoprene "faux blackthorn" from Cold Steel for practice, and this as my EDC and airline-travel piece.

Thanks for the additional intel, Sensei.

Personally, if I find the right stick on his page at the right time, but it's not finished as a "fighting stick", I might even consider a complete refinish.

I've been making all my own bokken for years, and I use a mixture of linseed oil and tung oil, with just a little bit of beeswax melted in. Works primo. And that will keep the stick from becoming too brittle, too (though with a stick of that relatively short length and stout girth, it'd be less of a problem than with a bo or bokken).

And I too have one of those Cold Steel deals. Pretty neat piece, for the price, but like I think you mentioned once before, the main problem is that the color on the "root knob" is wafer thin.

[CMcG]

Well, it arrived at my workplace a couple of hours ago. Length is 37", just right for me. Has a metal cap at the tip, but I'm going to want to get a rubber cane tip on the way home.

I love it already!

Very nice sir, and it is surely as stout as they come!

<snip>
And I too have one of those Cold Steel deals. Pretty neat piece, for the price, but like I think you mentioned once before, the main problem is that the color on the "root knob" is wafer thin.

I also have a Cold Steel faux-blackthorn. I think the main problem is not that the paint on the "root knob" is wafer thin, but rather that the knob is a separate piece entirely that is just glued on. People in the Irish stickfighting community have noted that the root knob eventually cracks and comes off if the stick is used for heavy contact.

[Ryan Ross]

I also have a Cold Steel faux-blackthorn. I think the main problem is not that the paint on the "root knob" is wafer thin, but rather that the knob is a separate piece entirely that is just glued on. People in the Irish stickfighting community have noted that the root knob eventually cracks and comes off if the stick is used for heavy contact.

A very, very good point. I've not used mine over-much, but I can easily imagine that piece coming loose from sympathetic vibration alone, even if it wasn't contacted directly. So yes, I probably should have said, "the pain problem that I have personally encountered, thus far".

Even so, for the price, it could almost be looked upon as disposable. Bokken are generally seen that way, and decent ones are at least three or four times what you can pay for a Cold Steel blackthorn.

[Ryan Ross]

Wow- It's crazy how similar they are in size and shape.

You know, I think I'm going to go back on my word about the Cold Steel Blackthorn, yet one more time- I find that the main problem with it is the ridiculous weight!

Is it still quite usable? Oh yes. Would it actually be more dangerous if lighter? Almost certainly. Is that why Seago Sensei got a gem, in his new aquisition? Affirmative.

[Dale Seago]

Ryan, I agree on the weight.

My real blackthorn is lighter, but still more properly considered a short staff than a "stick". In blade terms versus the more commonly seen sticks, it's like a baskethilt claymore versus a fencing saber. Not light & whippy-fast, but a good "downright blow" is likely to break bones even one-handed.

BTW I just pulled the trigger on a jo-length staff (54") from Liam, #71C.

[Ryan Ross]

BTW I just pulled the trigger on a jo-length staff (54") from Liam, #71C.

Just keep adding insult to injury, sir. I'm sure it's good for my character.



Excelent picture, by the way. I still can't believe how perfectly proportioned that blackthorn is. I'll be hard-pressed to find one as good, methinks. Could happen, though.

[CMcG]

Great pic there Seago Sensei. Further confirmation that a good blackthorn makes an excellent kilt accessory!

[Dale Seago]

Great pic there Seago Sensei. Further confirmation that a good blackthorn makes an excellent kilt accessory!

For that pic I need just one more accessory. Note the "Japanese general directing the troops on the battlefield" seated pose. What I really need to complete it is to also be holding a gunbai or signaling fan in my right hand.

[Bugbear]

I wasn't going to post anything, CMcG, because they aren't blackthorns, but I just tied up some young branches on my trees into crooks at their bottoms, and will be shaping them as they grow over the next couple of years. It made me think of this discussion. I'm still learning how to do this, though, so it is practice.
And congratulations, Dale.

[CMcG]

The new jo-length hiking staff just arrived at work today:

Wow! Ye old shillelagh stickmaker has been good to you, eh?

I wasn't going to post anything, CMcG, because they aren't blackthorns, but I just tied up some young branches on my trees into crooks at their bottoms, and will be shaping them as they grow over the next couple of years. It made me think of this discussion. I'm still learning how to do this, though, so it is practice.
And congratulations, Dale.

That sounds interesting, Bugbear. Is that crook for making a cromach?