Walking Stick Z Completed

Wood stained with antiquing medium.

This week I was able to complete the walking stick.  It has been a long process.  The locust sapling had to be allowed to dry for a couple of years.  So I guess you could say this project was years in the making, although it only took a few months to do the actual work of cleaning and putting the art work on the stick.  I started working on this stick in May of this year.  Since I make walking sticks as a hobby, it takes a while to get them done because I don't work on them full time.  Weather also played a part in the length of time it took to complete the walking stick because I work outside on the wood burning.

Wood before medium.

The last part of the project was to paint the lines of the knot work with 14 carat gold paint.  Once the

Nicks and wood grain are brought out when stained.

painting was completed, I gave the entire stick a coat of antiquing medium to darken the wood.  I used the Folk Art brand of antiquing medium on this project.  The product is brushed on, then wiped off immediately.  I worked it in over a small area and then wiped it off with paper towels.  This product was thicker than antiquing mediums that I have used in the past.  The tint was more or less a burnt umber color that was shaded slightly towards red.  When the product was wiped off, it left the wood with a color that looked somewhat like cedar or a reddish pine.  I wanted the dark color because it would show
the nicks and cuts that are the result of the hand work of stripping the stick.  It was possible to sand until the stick was completely smooth, but I preferred to show the hand work rather than hide it.  Once the medium was dry, I sealed the stick with two coats of satin varnish
as a sealer.

There are plenty of choices when it comes to finishing the walking stick.  You can use a tinted antiquing medium as I used for this project or you can purchase a clear medium and add the paint color of your choice to mix an interesting tint for the walking stick.  I considered using a tint of light green paint mixed with antiquing

Walking stick finished with a clear sealer has warmer tones.

medium for this walking stick, but eventually decided that I liked the darker color better.


There are plenty of colors of wood stain.  Some stains come with a sealer and others do not.  Make sure you read the labels carefully.  It is not actually necessary to stain or paint the
wood.  The wood can just be sealed with a clear sealer.  The sealer will give a warmer tone to the wood and bring out the grain without adding color.  I have added a photo of another walking stick that was just sealed without any added color.

Poem wraps around the stick.

Using some type of sealer is important.  It helps protect the paint that has been put on the stick.
It also seals the wood against the oil and dirt from hands as well as environmental moisture. 
Sealers also come in various types.  Some sealers are indoor only, some are indoor/outdoor sealers.  They also come in matte, satin, gloss, and high gloss.  The right choice of sealer can add or detract from the look of your walking stick, but basically it comes down to personal choice.  Some people like the shiny look of a high-gloss walking stick; others prefer a more natural wood look.  It is a little expensive to experiment with paints, stains, and sealers but I encourage you to experiment on scrap pieces of wood before you commit to something on the walking stick.  It can be disappointing to end

Photo looses detail when shown full length.

your project with an unsatisfactory finish.


All in all, I am pleased with how the stick turned out.  I had hoped that I would be able to add a poem that wrapped around the walking stick.  I never really came up with anything that spoke to me enough to put it indelibly onto a walking stick.  I decided that I would just carve in the knot work and leave the rest of the stick clear.  If I ever do come up with a poem that I think is suitable I can go back and wood burn it onto the stick.  In the mean time, I am freed up to work on other projects.  I have included a photo of my walking stick, Shaman Staff, that has a poem carved into the stick so you can get an idea of what I am talking about with the poetry.

Photographing a walking stick is never easy.  If you move back far enough to photograph the whole walking stick you lose all the detail.  At least that is my experience with my camera.  I find it best to take photos of small sections of the stick to show the detail.  Then I give one picture of the length of the walking stick just so people can see it is a walking stick rather than a wand of just a small bit of wood.

Next week I will be blogging about a different project.  Check back on Sunday.