084 - A stout hazel staff topped with a metal finial mounted on a burr elm base.
I was contacted by Juliette Taylor, stage manager of The Bristol Old Vic theatre. They were about to start rehearsals for a production of Les Liaisons Dangereuses by Laclos. The play is set in late 18th century France, and the announcer character is required to thump the stage with his staff to attract attention to his announcements.
Time was pressing and they needed a suitable staff urgently. After a search through my "womble box" came up with one or two possible knobs and things, the production team went for this metal finial-thingy. I have absolutely no idea what it was originally, but I picked it up in a charity shop a few years ago thinking it might look good on top of a stick.
It certainly had the right feel for the period, but I needed some sort of base to make it look in proportion on top of the thick hazel shank. I took a piece of burr elm and cut a core out of it with my biggest hole-saw. I mounted the resulting cylinder on a drill and worked it into a suitable shape with a block plane, then rasps and files.
I left the inevitable holes in the burrwood unfilled, giving it a slightly
"distressed" appearance.
Black buffalo horn spacers helped blend the shapes together.
The next task was to add some weight to the staff to ensure it would produce a good heavy "thump". So I inserted a long10mm steel rod into the bottom end. This passes through the tip, making contact with the floor. The tip itself is made from a hard phenolic-type material which I obtained from a discarded piece of school benchtop.
SOLD
(A commissioned work)
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