Walking Stick Making

It is done in nine stages

Baking: Since our cranberry is a branch tree and the branch tree is not very smooth in general, the most important feature of the cranberry tree is that it softens when it is baked at 180-240°C for 8-15 minutes, and it is on the correction board as we want (Various sizes of holes are drilled on it and the tree is corrected in those holes. solid wood.) is straightened and cooled.

Turning: The most important operation of the walking stick is turning. This process varies according to the shape of the handle of the designed walking stick and the shape of the engraving on it, its thickness and aesthetics. In the lathe, the part to be attached to the handle, the body to be processed and the parts to be inserted are prepared by pulling.

Body: According to the processing to be done in the first group, the bill is opened on the body of the cranberry taken on the lathe and the snake, lozenge, etc. to be processed. The shapes are first marked and scaled in the most pleasing way. This study also determines the price of walking sticks.

In the second group, the body to be decorated is drawn straight on the lathe. Canes in this group are varnished after all cleaning, sanding and painting processes of the cane, including the handle, are completed. And the motif to be removed, the photocopied motif embroideries papers are temporarily glued. And after that, the lines of the motifs are passed on the body with various small drills attached to the tip of the tool called a spiral (Dentist's milling cutter). And again, with these special drills, the inside of the motifs are cleaned until the white part of the tree is exposed. After the cleaning process is finished, it is punched in the form of dots with a special tool made of thick nails, which we call the stapler, which is left by the drills and removes the irregularity. This way gives a pleasing order to the motifs and a classical look to the motif.

Handle Cut: Not every handle model suits every body, every embroidery. Each embroidery has its own matching handle shapes. The harmony between the handle and the processed body is very important. All of the handle types we have are available in boss patterns. The wood to be used is carefully cut in strip machines. And dowel holes are drilled. Thanks to this hole, it is mounted to the body with glue. Since the first mowing process is a bit rough, the last cuts and corrections are made on the strip again according to the body. The angular edges of the cut shank are roughly rounded in the milling cutter. Then, full aesthetics is given with special rasps and files on the benches.

Inserting Bits: In the lathe, first the dowel for the bit to be inserted is opened. The tip to be attached (horn tip and polyamide) is drilled and mounted to the dowel on the body with glue. After drying, it is cleaned in a way that is pleasing to the eye compared to the body. The durability and aesthetics of these ends of the Devrek Walking Stick are very important.

Stirring and Sanding: Stirrer is first drawn in order to completely remove the rasp traces on the handle and body after the carving and rasping processes are finished. After this process, starting from the thick, the shapes on the cane and the body are sanded until they get a clear and bright appearance.

Coloring (Painting): Actually, the color on our walking stick is not a dye. The most important feature that distinguishes our walking stick from all other walking sticks in the world is this coloring process. This is where the cranberry tree has a special place in walking sticks. It is most easily and permanently painted either with Chinese ink or by burning with pure nitric acid. By quenching pure nitric acid with just water, you can first dissolve some iron in yellow or pure nitric acid, extinguish it half with water, and get the brown color. The parts that will give color to the cane are carefully applied with nitric acid, which is adjusted according to the color, without touching it. And it is burnt well on the tube fire and it gets color. These colors are removed by scraping on the cane only with a rubber pad. It certainly does not deteriorate under abnormal conditions.

Ornamental Processing: These are the sections that are generally decorated with shapes arising from painting on the snake, and each master decorates the 5-7 cm area just below the stem with flowers or other symbols in the sections that replace the identity of that master. These decorations are either painted with Chinese ink and carved with a spiral, or they are made by drawing with ceramic pens. Or the same process is done with acid and then engraved. Another is to leave these areas white and burn them with a decoration soldering iron, which we call a cautery pen.

  Varnishing: The varnishing of the walking stick, all of which are completed, is generally done by dipping and filtering thinned in a fast-drying cellulosic long tube. The dipping method is the healthiest method in terms of penetrating every part of the varnish and evenly dispersing it. This painting is repeated 7-8 times at regular intervals until a good varnished surface is obtained.