Finished a topper

[AlArchie]

I finished a topper for that twisty stick.....didn't want to carve anything on the stick itself, but decided on a snake head as a cane handle. Stained up a mite darker than I wanted but it isn't as dark as it looks in the pics either.

Al

[Clifford_Parker]

Nice work Al. Cheers

[Cut_Fingers]

Now that's a cool cane!! Since I got a bum foot right now, I don't suppose you would lend it to me for say a lengthy amount of time. (few years) hehehe

Nice cane!

[Mike-in-WV]

Nice work Al! What kind of wood is that? Wish I could get my detail that clean. Great job, Mike

[Bartster]

very nice work al looks real snakkkkiiieeee

[Nancy-G]

So tell us how you did the scales.
Swell serpent.

[AlArchie]

I had this pretty well carved by last week.....just needed the scaling and finish. The topper is carved in aspen ( a piece with some nice grain to it), the stick is aspen that had a wild grape vine grow around and into it.

The plates on the head were sketched from photos and then woodburned in with a colwood tip. The scales aren't really snake scales; snake scales are diamond shaped and keeled. Taking a bit of artistic license, I used an 1/8th inch half round generic brass tip I made for a hobby burner, started behind the head plates and worked back. Eyes were pushed in using one of those 1/4" eye pucnches that I shapened up on the lathe. Painted them with paynes gray, hit it with a light pine stain and then clear coated it about half a dozen times.

To connect the two pieces, I first used a 3/4" forstner bit to bore a 1/2" deep hole, centered in the base, then used a compass to draw a 3/4" circle centered on the shaft, and whittled that down to fit into the hole in the handle. A 1/4" x 2 1/2" double ended hanger screw was used to connect the two pieces, then I whittled and sanded the handle to match the staff, backed the screw out, epoxied the joint and ran the screws back tight.

Sorry, the 1/8th" scales were used to fill the transition between the head plates and the main scales, which were just over 3/16" half-round.

Ooops, guess ya just asked about the scales.....oh, well, motor mouth rants on!

Al

[Kenny_S]

Great looking topper ALA. Loved the color also. To bad we don't have those type of sticks around here. Been looking. Thanks for the detail in how you joined the topper to the cane.

Anyone would be proud of that one.

[AlArchie]

Kenny, if you can find an area that has been clear cut, you may find some of these. Aspen or any other transitional trees that take root sometimes get started with wild grape, honysuckle or any of a number of different vines. They have to start growing at the same time and have about three or four years growth, before the take on this grown-in-twisty look!

Al

[jamesfa]

Alarchie-that is a great looking snake cane-like kenny i haven't found any twisty sticks in my area.while travelling i found some on a hike in N.C. but i didn't happen to have a saw in my pocket.

Frank