WriterDom
Good to the last drop
- Joined
- Jun 25, 2000
- Posts
- 20,077
Both are hard to fuck up.
Canes can be made with many types of materials. One of the most popular is rattan. Rattan is safer because it doesn't break easily or splinter. You can bend the tip back to the handle and it snaps back in place. For what most people charge for one cane, you can get a hell of a lot of rattan from a place that sells basket or chair making materials.
It comes tightly wrapped in a coil about the size of a Christmas wreath. You'll get perhaps 10 different sections of 10 to 12 foot lengths depending on the diameter. Enough to make 20 to 30 canes. So keep that in mind before you order. Unless you have a lot of kinky friends to give gifts to, or plan on selling some, you would be better off buying one that is already made.
I like to work with only 2 or 3 sections at a time. The first step is to soak them in the bathtub overnight. You'll need to weight it down as it tends to float. Once it is throughly soaked the next step is to straighten it. That is where a little creativity comes in. I have read of people placing the cane inside of a garden hose, but it seems that it would take longer to dry that way. I Straighten mine by nailing it to the wall in the garage. The walls are unfinished so it doesn't hurt anything. Whatever you come up with, make sure there is no sag in the cane. It pretty much assumes the shape that it dries in.
Once it dries you are ready to cut into the desired lengths. Pick a spot just past a joint for the tip. Fibers near the joints are thicker and less likely to split. I don't have preset length. I swing it a few times to get the feel, and can cut a few inches off until it feels right. Next I sand it with fine sandpaper. Pay particular attention to the tip. You want a nice rounded smooth tip. Once sanded, I rub in a few coats of linseed oil.
Lastly, I make a handle. I found some little wooden balls in Walmart that were pre-drilled with a hole. With a little help from my dremel and superglue, they fit perfectly on the end. Next, I wrap the handle with twine up to about six inches. The first wrap is very tight, then a loose wrap back down to the ball where I tie it off. Don't worry too much about your knot holding because next you'll dip it into this stuff called Plasti Dip. There is also a spray that is just as good. It comes in 5 different colors. Anything dipped into Plasti Dip will have a rubber coating that is about impossible to peel off after 4 hours. I also dip about an inch of the top end just because it looks cool, and offers a bit of protection from mishits.
If you are making handles for other things and need more of a counterweight, you can use a heavy wire rather than twine. You will also see Plasti Dip used alone, but I like a little more handle feel to a cane.
Canes can be made with many types of materials. One of the most popular is rattan. Rattan is safer because it doesn't break easily or splinter. You can bend the tip back to the handle and it snaps back in place. For what most people charge for one cane, you can get a hell of a lot of rattan from a place that sells basket or chair making materials.
It comes tightly wrapped in a coil about the size of a Christmas wreath. You'll get perhaps 10 different sections of 10 to 12 foot lengths depending on the diameter. Enough to make 20 to 30 canes. So keep that in mind before you order. Unless you have a lot of kinky friends to give gifts to, or plan on selling some, you would be better off buying one that is already made.
I like to work with only 2 or 3 sections at a time. The first step is to soak them in the bathtub overnight. You'll need to weight it down as it tends to float. Once it is throughly soaked the next step is to straighten it. That is where a little creativity comes in. I have read of people placing the cane inside of a garden hose, but it seems that it would take longer to dry that way. I Straighten mine by nailing it to the wall in the garage. The walls are unfinished so it doesn't hurt anything. Whatever you come up with, make sure there is no sag in the cane. It pretty much assumes the shape that it dries in.
Once it dries you are ready to cut into the desired lengths. Pick a spot just past a joint for the tip. Fibers near the joints are thicker and less likely to split. I don't have preset length. I swing it a few times to get the feel, and can cut a few inches off until it feels right. Next I sand it with fine sandpaper. Pay particular attention to the tip. You want a nice rounded smooth tip. Once sanded, I rub in a few coats of linseed oil.
Lastly, I make a handle. I found some little wooden balls in Walmart that were pre-drilled with a hole. With a little help from my dremel and superglue, they fit perfectly on the end. Next, I wrap the handle with twine up to about six inches. The first wrap is very tight, then a loose wrap back down to the ball where I tie it off. Don't worry too much about your knot holding because next you'll dip it into this stuff called Plasti Dip. There is also a spray that is just as good. It comes in 5 different colors. Anything dipped into Plasti Dip will have a rubber coating that is about impossible to peel off after 4 hours. I also dip about an inch of the top end just because it looks cool, and offers a bit of protection from mishits.
If you are making handles for other things and need more of a counterweight, you can use a heavy wire rather than twine. You will also see Plasti Dip used alone, but I like a little more handle feel to a cane.
