What would you use to seal this crack in a homemade manzanita walking stick?

[Danny D.]

What would you use to seal this crack in a manzanita walking stick?

Would you just cover the crack with a wrap of leather string instead?

BTW, I tried Elmers white glue (with sawdust) which just shrank.

I tried Durham's Water Putty, but, putty is not a glue, and it just fell out as the stick flexed over time (it's what my wife uses on hikes). Note: The business end of the home-made manzanita walking stick worked out much better than the hand-holding end.

For that tip, I bought a steel sleeve, & a rubber chair leg protector:

The rubber doesn't last long; but the wife likes it (so I keep replacing it). If there's a better idea than rubber chair leg protectors, let me know.

[G. Ross]

I would use Epoxy with a half-drop of black dye mixed in. They make crutch tips and walking cane tips. Take it to a drug store and see which fits.

[Terry Coombs]

I'd go with the leather wrap , that end of the stick is not stable due to the open end grain . It moves with temp/humidity changes . Wet the leather before you wrap , as it dries it'll shrink .

[Danny D.]

G. Ross wrote, on Mon, 30 Mar 2015 17:04:03 -0400:

Are they a different rubber?

[Danny D.]

Mike Marlow wrote, on Mon, 30 Mar 2015 18:19:22 -0400:

The cane will last forever; but the rubber tips last, oh, about a month each.

[John McCoy]

"G. Ross" wrote in news:aOednakNkvemJ4TInZ2dnUU7- [e-mail]:

Likewise I'd use epoxy, but I'd mix sawdust in it to make a putty (and I'd skip the dye, the sawdust will darken the mixture).

John

[Lew Hodgett]

---------------------------------------------- Epoxy and micro-balloons.

1) Open up the crack by removing ALL the failed items you have tried. You need a clean rough surface. 2) Mix up some slow epoxy and wet out all the cleaned surfaces with epoxy. 3) Take the remaining mixed epoxy and add micro-balloons mixing as you go until you have a mixture the consistency of mayonnaise. Using a paint mixing stick or equal, apply thickened epoxy as req'd to fill crack completely allowing 10% overfill. 4) Allow to cure 2-3 days, then sand smooth. 5) Wet out a piece of leather and wrap the repair.

No suggestions for tip.

Have fun.

Lew

[Lew Hodgett]

-------------------------------------------------------- Why waste quality epoxy with garbage filler?

Micro-balloons, even in small quantity, are inexpensive.

Lew

[Danny D.]

Lew Hodgett wrote, on Mon, 30 Mar 2015 18:28:08 -0700:

One problem I failed to mention is that sanding is out of the question simply because the allure of the manzanita is the thin dark bark (which the wife loves as it's one of her favorite woods).

Googling what a "micro-balloon" is ... I see they're a fine glass powder.

Can you buy them at the big box stores?

[Lew Hodgett]

--------------------------------------------------------- "Danny D." wrote:

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Sand off the excess epoxy putty, not the wood.

BTW, if you cover the repair with leather, you d> Googling what a "micro-balloon" is ... I see they're a fine glass > powder.

---------------------------------------------------------- Definitely NOT, you need to find a fiberglass supplier.

Got a boat builder in your area?

There used to be a couple of major yacht builders in Sweden.

Lew

[dadiOH]

When I made my cane, I used a brass ferrule and stuck in a rubber cork. They last for 3-5 years but I don't go hiking :(

If you relace the steel tip with one that is, say, 1/2 to 3/4 longer you can partially insert a rubber cork. It will last much longer, more rubber to wear. You will probably have to whittle it slightly to skinny part of the taper down.

[Danny D.]

dadiOH wrote, on Tue, 31 Mar 2015 05:30:47 -0400:

What I like about a rubber cork is, if I choose the size wisely, that I can replace it with wine corks, which I have in abundance.

[Fred McKenzie]

Danny D.-

You may find a tip that lasts longer, but it may have a problem slipping.

How does the tip fail? Does the metal sleeve cut through? If so, look at smoothing the bottom of the sleeve and putting a fiber washer under it as a buffer.

At the handle end, would something like a bicycle handlebar grip work? What about another rubber tip without the metal sleeve?

Fred

[Danny D.]

Fred McKenzie wrote, on Tue, 31 Mar 2015 11:50:27 -0400:

I think a wine cork tip will fail within a week, but, the rubber cork stoppers that we used in chemistry class may last longer, if I can find them in cheap bulk quantities.

The metal sleeve is brand new (just put on Monday, only yesterday.) What happened before was that the rubber tips wore thin from being used on hikes by the wife. They holed in about a month (often less time than that). I usually left them on for another few weeks, as they still afforded some protection to the wood tip end for a while longer, even when holed.

The metal tip was to prevent wear to the wood, as the stick still works even as a wooden stick. The problem is that it will crack and break over time, so, the point was to put the metal to protect the end, and to make a uniform size for the rubber tip.

A bicycle grip might work. The wife changes hand position, so, it's probably best not to put any grip. The whole point was to enjoy the wood, but, unfortunately, it cracked from being stored in the house, I guess (very dry here in California these past few years).

[Scott Lurndal]

Lee Valley part # 45K42.18 has been quite robust for me; over four years of rough trails and concrete sidewalks and the rubber tip is still ok.

[Danny D.]

Scott Lurndal wrote, on Tue, 31 Mar 2015 19:34:03 +0000:

Is this the rubber tip?

It is a bit big for the walking stick I made for the wife; but maybe I can fit a steel tip on the end, which then would fit the rubber insert.

[Danny D.]

Mike Marlow wrote, on Tue, 31 Mar 2015 23:27:26 -0400:

Good question. This walking stick is mostly used on the roadway, but, I would think people who use canes use 'em on the roadway as well.

It gets maybe, oh, about three miles a day, which is only about 15 miles a week (roughly, given she only walks weekdays with her friends), so it lasts roughly 50 to 75 miles.

How long do canes last typically? Do they go a month at 50 to 75 miles?

[dadiOH]

I don't walk that much but it has been YEARS since I changed my cane tip. But a factor as important as distance is the surface upon which it is being used...carpet/wood is one thing, a road is another.

I once spent six weeks mapping the geological structure of a mountain in Montana, lots of walking on both solid and loose stone surfaces. I shredded my first pair of heavy sole work shoes and the second pair was half way shot.

A road is not the same as a mountain but it is also not the same as "round the house".

[John McCoy]

"Lew Hodgett" wrote in news:5519fa0f$0$44107 $c3e8da3$ [e-mail]:

True, but then you end up with epoxy-colored epoxy. Using sawdust or sanding dust gives you a dark color that generally looks better. And in this application the strength of the result (which is probably better with micro-balloons) isn't a concern.

John

[Mayayana]

My first choice would be a new cane. Maybe you could use a heavy-duty band clamp. Maybe 5-minute epoxy. Another possibility might be to epoxy in a steel shaft coming up from the bottom.

But I'm not sure any repair is realistic. A cane is something you need to depend on. One collapse could be very dangerous. If it were me I'd sacrifice the aesthetic appeal of the home made cane and just make sure I had a strong one.