The holidays just finish and I wanted to post a project that combined fall leaves with copper wire for your walking hiking stick making project. This is a beginner level walking stick and hiking staff making project.You do not need fancy wood carving tools for this walking stick project. Just a good whittling knife, tracing paper unless you want to free hand the leaves shapes on the wood, some 16 gauge copper wire, paint, paint brush sanding paper and clean shellac finish.
Here are the very basic steps to make your wood walking stick and hiking staff:
1. Remove the bark and sand the stick up to 220 grit paper.
2. Use tracing paper to trace a couple different fall leaves for a picture, book, etc. Keep it simple for this walking stick making project. Or you can free hand your fall leaves.
3. Now transfer the images onto your stick. Put an odd number of leaves on the walking stick. Odds numbers always look best.
4. Wood Carve around the leaves about 1/4" deep.
5. Wood burn your hiking staff leaves veins.
6. Paint the walking staff leaves using various colors. Let the colors blend to give it a true fall look on your wood hiking stick.
7. Finish the wood with a few coats of Shellac or you favorite wood walking stick making clear finish.
7. Drill a hole above and below the leaves area for the copper wire ends.
8. Insert the end of the copper wire into the top hole and wrap the wire around the project. Insert the other end into the the bottom hole. Copper wire is a great artistic addition to any walking stick or hiking staff.
9. Optional work: rope wrap your hand grip area and put on a hand loop for your walking stick and hiking staff.
If you need great complete details on how to easily make unique hiking sticks and wood walking sticks get the guides. It's a complete A-Z guide to hiking stick making. It has hundreds of pictures and complete very through how to make walking sticks easy to understand instructions. You will carve, stain, rope wrap, inlay, create you own metal tips, handles and details several projects.
Join out tips lists on how to make unique wood walking sticks and hiking staffs.
Happy walking stick making and wood hiking staff carving!
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