Walking Staff

[Chas]

Also checkout Walking Sticks by Edward Hart and Walking and Working Sticks by Theo Fossel.

Way back in the mid-70s, I once took a four day Stick-Making course taught by Theo Fossel (paid for by the RAF). One of the most interesting and informed individuals that it has been my privilege to meet. This is the stick I produced at the end of the four days.



It was such a constant companion that five years ago, I had to attach a ferrule and spike, to make up for the 1 1/2" that had worn away!

[OC Richard]

Interesting that cromach isn't in my Gaelic dictionary. (I love linguistic stuff.)

What there is is:

crom, v. bend, stoop, decline; descend, bow
crom, n. m. a circle; ridge
cromachas, n. f. bandy-leg
cromadh, n. m. roof; act of bending, stooping, bowing; a measure of length equal to the full length of the middle finger
cromag, n. f. anything bent; a peg or catch, a tache, a hook to hang on, a fish-hook
cromaichean, n. pl. the aged

Based on this alone, I would guess that the Gaelic might be cromag (a bent thing). It is sort of like a big fish-hook after all.

A very large number of vintage photos show what appears to be an ordinary cane



This is the only early photo I have showing a taller cane, though not very cromach-like



A couple seen in The Highlanders of Scotland (one at a very oblique angle)



A later photo showing quite a few



Here's a mix of canes and cromaich (pl ?) (cromaig?)



And nowadays



The Renaissance Faire around here always has at least one walking stick maker with a large variety of things, some of them rather Scottish-looking.

[Nathan]

Richard, I believe cromack or cromach is the Scottish English word which derives etymologically form the Gaelic cromag. A 'g' at the end of a word is pronounced like a 'k' so cromag is pronounced cromack.

I'm still looking for the quintessential ram's horn cromach, but I haven't found a source for the raw horns. I am a bit of an amateur stick maker though and used some antler generously provided by Crash to fashion a few sticks.



Here I am using one of them in the wild.





I found this wooden one in a local kilt shop and it was the only one they had. It has served me well so far.



I found this short walking stick/cane at a thrift shop for $5 but it has a distinctly cromach-like head on it and I'm fond of it. Sadly, it is a tad short for me, even as a cane. I might add a spike to it, so it will be up to a comfortable size.





McMurdo's gorgeous cromach (cromag) is in the U.S.A. at the moment, so he borrowed my short walking stick last weekend and I think it still works nicely with Highland attire. There is a precedent for this style as OCRichard's old pics demonstrate.

[HootinHoller]

If you don't have a local shop nearby and if you have some basic woodworking tools it isn't difficult to make your own market stick or cromach.

Cromach, Market Stick, Walking Stick...

Ok, please elaborate for me.

As to making one, some woods can be steamed and bent (white oak is probably best) and others like fruit trees (cherry, apple) can be harvested in winter before the sap starts running if you want the bark to remain or summer if you want to strip the bark entirely.

If you have a few years, you can actually bend a sapling and tie it letting it grow for a few years until it's thick enough and the cellular structure will retain the curved shape. Saplings growing in banks often have a nice curve at the base.

The main thing to retain strength in the finished staff is to have the grain running the full length of the staff. As Benning Boy pointed out, short grain is weak.

[Panache]

Cromach, Market Stick, Walking Stick...

Ok, please elaborate for me.

Cromach's are taller than market sticks and have a curved crook while market sticks are flat across the top. There are also thumb sticks that have a "U" shaped top of antler (or a natural fork in the wood) that are shorter than market sticks that are used for hunting.

Cheers

Jamie

[Cengle54]

[QUOTE=Panache;1235924]If you don't have a local shop nearby and if you have some basic woodworking tools it isn't difficult to make your own market stick or cromach. Just go down to your local discount sporting goods store and the odds are that they sell inexpensive hardwood walking sticks that are not only the right height, but also finished and probably have a metal spike / ferrule as well as a rubber tip for under $20.

Then all you need to do is fashion a crook head like this and attached it.





All in all, my market stick came to about $25 in materials and an afternoon's time to fashion, stain, and attach the crook head.

One thing about the staffs with a separate (decorative) head is that they are going to be a lot more delicate than a cromach made of one piece of wood. (Case in point: my lovely Flame-Haired Celtic Amazon Goddess and my son were "helping" me unload the car one day and managed between the two of them to hurl my market stick to the sidewalk where the original head shattered. )

I made a new head for the original stick and gave it to my wife and using a new sporting goods store walking stick managed to reuse the top part of the crook to fashion a new market stick. In general I use it only for highland games





For actual hiking I prefer my one-piece ash wood cromach I bought at William Glen and Son in San Francisco because it is sturdier and I am not worried about damaging it




And it works for the Games as well



There is something nice about using something you made (not to mention saving a significant deal of $$$$$)

Cheers

Love the pics! Esp your wife's skirt! I'm new here and in the process of trying to find my Walker family clan connections. Was looking for Meggers recent posts but looks like she hasn't been here for awhile? Having a bit of difficulty learning how to navigate this site.
Connie

[ASinclair]

Hello Connie!



If you haven't done so already, you may want to introduce yourself in the Newbie forum.

[Hawk]

Just a short question, to those here, for food for thought.....what would you think to have a cromach that could be broken down for transport? Thinking of a design that would have excellent connections similar to those in a good pool stick ( solid brass or the such ), and a head that would screw off so you could have different carved ones? What say you Gentlemen? Just a thought.....

Hawk

[Thomas H]

Just a short question, to those here, for food for thought.....what would you think to have a cromach that could be broken down for transport? Thinking of a design that would have excellent connections similar to those in a good pool stick ( solid brass or the such ), and a head that would screw off so you could have different carved ones? What say you Gentlemen? Just a thought.....

Hawk

That would be a great idea . We can do that

[Tobus]

Just a short question, to those here, for food for thought.....what would you think to have a cromach that could be broken down for transport? Thinking of a design that would have excellent connections similar to those in a good pool stick ( solid brass or the such ), and a head that would screw off so you could have different carved ones? What say you Gentlemen? Just a thought.....

Hawk

I have seen some stick makers who do offer the option of a joint so that it can be broken down into smaller parts for travel. It would probably be fine for a casual stick that is used lightly, but usually it's not recommended for a serious hiking staff or working stick that will see a lot of hard use and heavy loads. It's just a potential failure point.