Is there a distinction between how a fighting stick is finished - subscriber question to stick maker

[@harvestblades]

As someone who has made, & uses wood-handled tools from knives, axes, firearm stocks etc I can't stand finishes like shelac or polyurethanes. An oil finish takes more maintenance, but in my opinion feels much better in the hand especially when cold, wet, or even covered with blood. Also a an handle that has a hard finish will often be more prone to cause blisters, vs a nice oil finish.

[@jamesreid8638]

Thank you for sharing this beautiful art, Francis. I love Blackthorn, and have tried local woods from my home region of the Northeastern US. I concur that oil finish is best for my applications, and we have occasionally taken a green stick and boiled it in a mixture of linseed oil and beeswax, for a few hours. Some of the sticks will split after this treatment, but the ones which remain intact will be "pressure-treated" in a way, and their finish can be maintained by rubbing a bit of the oil on the stick. The wood remains almost perpetually "green," as the oil has replced the sap while the sap boiled away, forming an olive-drab slag atop the seething oil.

[@BUZZKILLJRJR]

This is pretty awesome I always figured the thickness of the stick itself the weight all that had to do with some sort of fighting style, tho im getting mine for walking beof a bad ankle could use it if i needed i guess. when I do my knife handles and wood or horn I actually use boiled linseed oil and I do about 7 coats and I allow them to dry which takes a considerable amount of time but I've done properly it doesn't take but a few days.

[@GordiansKnotHere]

This is great information. Thanks for your honesty regarding this subject. Over the past 40 yrs I have collected quite a few wooden weapons, clubs and sticks, and I have my own way of treating them. With care and attention they'll last a lifetime.

[@Outrider74]

I'm a linseed oil guy myself now. Occasionally I'll use the urethane stuff for a little better shine, but the linseed has a classier quality to it IMO.

[@FrancisMcCaffrey5]

It’s looks good on bare wood like on cricket bats. On the blank painted shaft it gathers in every little crevasse and dries cloudy in places.

[@hiddenrhythmsmusiccircles]

I did some training with crooked canes. I got a great training cane and decided to treat it with tung oil. I love the idea that it’s a natural, non toxic finish that protects wood from moisture…until an outdoor training session in the summer. I realized quickly that this beautiful, protective finish made the cane impossible to control with sweaty hands! My spins slipped right out of my hands (embarrassing!) and trying to grapple with it, I had no leverage because my hands slid all over the cane. Still love tung oil, but I think twice about it for situations like this 😃

[@FrancisMcCaffrey5]

Yes I agree I never use tung oil

[@dennisheinrich8997]

👍🏻Great stuff Francis. Keep up the unique art. You BE you!😎

[@kennybrunton9389]

Definitely keep the blackthorn for good and use something else for training purposes

[@zerofox7322]

i been doing carpentry for many years and my personal choice of finish is Danish oil,each to his own.Cheers Francis.

[@tonynapoli5549]

Thanks for sharing Francis Stick in my opinion is a status! It’s Irish it’s history, at the end of the day it’s wood and it will damage and or break eventually. 👌

[@hiddenrhythmsmusiccircles]

It seems I have a lot of thoughts on this 😂 I did some training with a martial arts grandmaster (who turned out to be Islamaphobic, so I had to cut out ). This person was also a carpenter, and made short sticks and palm sticks for training/ fighting. He would soak these small sticks in a blend of oils (not sure what) and he said it made the sticks stronger. I’ve also seen “fighting shillelaghs” advertised and the description says they are soaked in oil.

[@FrancisMcCaffrey5]

Oil is fine for brining out a wood grain but isn’t durable. Usually you have to mix it with something so it’s harder

[@alexandrebarbosa4933]

Portugal has a stick fighting tradition, and there is no reference of any kind on treatment. The only thing some fighters did was 24 hour of water before fairs to make the staff flexible and after use it just throw it away😂

[@gsfahrerbobo4234]

Verry Nice sticks my friend ❤️

[@andrewmounce9174]

As a hiker and distance walker over extremely rough ground ,bogs,marshes and tracks and uplands stick helps greatly. The laws in the UK are as you probably know are some of the most tight around weapons . What's your personal take on the situation over here versus yours.

[@FrancisMcCaffrey5]

No idea I’m Irish , don’t really know much about English laws . Just stay within your local laws.

[@stefenney3126]

The UK law prevents any 'weapon' being carried for self defence, be it a stick or a knife. A weapon can be anything that is used, made or adapted to become a weapon. Loading a walking stick with lead would be deemed as 'adapting'.

[@FrancisMcCaffrey5]

@@stefenney3126 I never lead load sticks customers from the USA have said the same thing about lead loading. The beauty of a shillelagh it’s a walking stick that you can use if needed !

[@TheZombieburner]

@@FrancisMcCaffrey5 It depends on where you are in the USA. Honestly you don't even need the lead loading. The knob is the root of the branch, it's dense enough.

[@frankmorris4790]

Sir, enjoying your vids. In the upcountry of New Mexico we don't have blackthorn. We do have Mountain Mahogony . Very dense very hard. I am curious of curing time from green to cured?

[@FrancisMcCaffrey5]

With blackthorn it’s 2 to 3 years

[@billxmas889]

Seen what looked to be a Blackthorn cane walking Stick in the Bela Lugosi and Boris Karloff movie The Black Cat

[@FrancisMcCaffrey5]

I must see if I can find that to watch

[@billxmas889]

I stand corrected it is the Bela Lugosi movie Murders in the rue morgue, first sight at what looks to be a Black Thorn is at the 5:15 mark , Bela as a Evil carnival hawker sports a nice looking cane also which is more a spiraled walking stick .

[@stephen8433]

Thank you for the good explanation. I have seen people lead load a stick with molten lead. would that damage the wood?

[@FrancisMcCaffrey5]

Heat can crack seasoned wood

[@blairbuskirk5460]

You don't need to melt the lead for that you can shape a plug to stuff into a cavity in the wood. Lead is quite soft.

[@frankmorris4790]

IN some states like California a weighted stick will land ya in jail.

[@FrancisMcCaffrey5]

@@frankmorris4790 I never lead load sticks and you are right

[@frankmorris4790]

@@FrancisMcCaffrey5 Francis, did ya seem y question as to curing time? I can't lay em up for ten years I'm 66 and want to make a few

[@hiddenrhythmsmusiccircles]

Oh! Francis, besides the black paint, what do you use to finish these gorgeous shillelaghs?

[@FrancisMcCaffrey5]

Gloss

[@everything.in.a.nutshell]

People were poor, perfect. Enough said. Gwaan Francis

[@tomgorman7325]

I have two of them

[@jamesquigley8628]

Most interesting Francis.

[@1stinlastout165]

I would of thought blood stained was the thing lol

[@FrancisMcCaffrey5]

No stain before the finish applied

[@davidbeck9045]

Do you ever lead load the head? Asking for a friend lol.

[@FrancisMcCaffrey5]

Never I use real blackthorn

[@TheZombieburner]

I'd assume a "fighting" stick would just be heavier, thicker, maybe a bit too unwieldy for a walking stick, but still not too heavy to swing. Seems like a way of utilizing otherwise un-usable sticks.

[@FrancisMcCaffrey5]

Most fighting sticks were light 200-400g

[@horsemumbler1]

The difference in speed and handiness you get between even a 250g stick and a 350g is remarkable. I have a 550g as well, and it's just plain slow.

[@LucaFinn4U]

I asked Francis this same question...with the same answer. I am cutting local wild plum--same family as blackthorn. Here in Norhtern California, I am seeing the sticks cure in about a year or so. We have brief periods of wet and long days of dry. In your region, probably similar. Each stick is a bit different. Success to You!

[@blairbuskirk5460]

Opinion upon lacquering ?

[@FrancisMcCaffrey5]

It’s fine