Ethnographic Arms & Armour - View Single Post

..nameless.. · 1st November 2016, 05:46 AM

Hello all.
I recently stumbled upon something, and I was wondering if anyone had any input/experience.
I am well aware of butter smeared, chimney hung, pickled stix, but I have never heard of the following, which certainly 'describes' the finish on an antique shillelagh that I recently acquired!

The text is;
https://hemamisfits.com/2015/02/03/w...tick-fighting/

"Hugh had for many years been watching over the growth of a young blackthorn sapling, as if it had been an only child. It had arrived at maturity about the time the diabolical article appeared in the Quarterly, The supreme moment of his life had arrived, and the weapon on which he depended was ready.

Hugh Bronte returned home from the manse with his whole heart and soul set on avenging his niece. His first act was to dig up the blackthorn carefully, so that he might have enough of the thick root to form a lethal club. Having pruned it roughly, he placed the butt end in warm ashes night after night to season. Then when it had become sapless and hard he reduced it to its final dimensions. Afterwards he steeped it in brine, or ” put it in pickle/’ as the saying goes ; and when it had been a sufficient time in the salt water, he took it out and rubbed It with shamois and train oil for hours. Then came the final process. He shot a magpie, drained its blood into a cup, and with the lappered blood polished the blackthorn till it became glossy black with a mahogany tint.

The shillelagh was then a beautiful, tough, formidable weapon, and when tipped with an iron ferrule was quite ready for action. It became Hugh’s trusty companion, esteemed and loved for its use as well as for its beauty. No Sir Galahad ever valued his shield, or trusted his spear, as Hugh Bronte cherished and loved his shillelagh. [17]

The method described here shows a very advanced method of producing a fighting stick, one which was very much ahead of its time. The use of brine might sound strange to most people who have seen what salt water can do to wood, but we are talking here about a controlled submersion which acts the same way as a modern chemical treatment by flushing any remaining sap and replacing it with salt crystals which close down the wood’s pores. The same method was said to be applied to many fencing-sticks used to train sailors. The train oil (another term for whale oil) acts as a second barrier. Putting the knob in hot ashes also slowly transforms the wood fibers into carbon fibers. The stick is then dual hardened; the shaft stay more flexible to absorb parries and shocks while the top is harder resulting in more damaging blows."

So many shillelaghs, so few magpies...

I do love the drama of it all, but anyone ever heard of such a thing?
Thanks
*__-

1st November 2016, 05:46 AM	#1
..nameless.. Member Join Date: Aug 2012 Posts: 2	The 'other' shillelagh finish? Hello all. I recently stumbled upon something, and I was wondering if anyone had any input/experience. I am well aware of butter smeared, chimney hung, pickled stix, but I have never heard of the following, which certainly 'describes' the finish on an antique shillelagh that I recently acquired! The text is; https://hemamisfits.com/2015/02/03/w...tick-fighting/ "Hugh had for many years been watching over the growth of a young blackthorn sapling, as if it had been an only child. It had arrived at maturity about the time the diabolical article appeared in the Quarterly, The supreme moment of his life had arrived, and the weapon on which he depended was ready. Hugh Bronte returned home from the manse with his whole heart and soul set on avenging his niece. His first act was to dig up the blackthorn carefully, so that he might have enough of the thick root to form a lethal club. Having pruned it roughly, he placed the butt end in warm ashes night after night to season. Then when it had become sapless and hard he reduced it to its final dimensions. Afterwards he steeped it in brine, or ” put it in pickle/’ as the saying goes ; and when it had been a sufficient time in the salt water, he took it out and rubbed It with shamois and train oil for hours. Then came the final process. He shot a magpie, drained its blood into a cup, and with the lappered blood polished the blackthorn till it became glossy black with a mahogany tint. The shillelagh was then a beautiful, tough, formidable weapon, and when tipped with an iron ferrule was quite ready for action. It became Hugh’s trusty companion, esteemed and loved for its use as well as for its beauty. No Sir Galahad ever valued his shield, or trusted his spear, as Hugh Bronte cherished and loved his shillelagh. [17] The method described here shows a very advanced method of producing a fighting stick, one which was very much ahead of its time. The use of brine might sound strange to most people who have seen what salt water can do to wood, but we are talking here about a controlled submersion which acts the same way as a modern chemical treatment by flushing any remaining sap and replacing it with salt crystals which close down the wood’s pores. The same method was said to be applied to many fencing-sticks used to train sailors. The train oil (another term for whale oil) acts as a second barrier. Putting the knob in hot ashes also slowly transforms the wood fibers into carbon fibers. The stick is then dual hardened; the shaft stay more flexible to absorb parries and shocks while the top is harder resulting in more damaging blows." So many shillelaghs, so few magpies... I do love the drama of it all, but anyone ever heard of such a thing? Thanks *__-