|
| C032 - Collector's item: a simple but very attractive little cane in "porcupine
wood".Approx. dimensions: Overall length 31-3/4" / 82.5cm. Diameter of shank 3/4" /19mm (below the knob part) tapering to 1/2" / 13mm. |  |
| This lovely little knobstick is made from a piece of "porcupine wood" - a very
descriptive name for material from the coconut palm. Whether it can truly be
referred to as "wood" is perhaps debatable as palms don't grow in the same way
as other trees. Instead of laying down annual layers of growth, the trunk is
really built up from the compacted bases of the leaves which continually sprout
from the top. Thus there is nothing that we would recognise as grain in the
wood - it's just a pattern of more-or-less aligned bundles of woody fibre. | 
|
| Here you can clearly see the Porcupine-quill appearance of the "wood". The
surface is actually very smooth and highly polished. The rich patina suggests
it has some age, but it's difficult to put a date(!) to it. Most likely it's
from the early part of the 20th c. When I acquired it, the tip was in very poor condition. It had obviously been
used for quite a time without a protective ferrule, and had lost some of its
original length as a result. In order to restore it to a more usable length, I
made and fitted a long tip of cow horn. This will prevent the stick wearing
down any further, and to my mind enhances the appearance considerably. |    
|
This is an elegant little stick, but with sufficient strength to provide
support for anyone short enough to use it. SOLD Return to "Collectors' Sticks" page Return to "Sticks for Sale" page |