Cane Pole Project

[Keith Ritter]

Been goof'n with a cane pole today. It's a 9.5 foot river cane, I sanded and smoothed all the rough places. I made a wine cork handle and butt cap. I put a stainless eye on the tip. What should I seal it with? I was thinking linseed oil or tung oil. Because of the small diameter of the cane the grip should make it comfortable to fish with.

[David, aka, "McScruff"]

Either one should be fine.
Commercial canes are finished with urethane or something like it.
Whatever you can do to waterproof it.

Did you hang it vertically with a weight before finishing?

[Dwayne Denison]

Looks great

[Keith Ritter]

Didn't hang it up. What is the purpose? Would like any tips you have.

[David, aka, "McScruff"]

Well, let me tell you how the old timers did it, from what I know. You can do it if you want.

You season the green cane by hanging it vertically from the tip, with a weight at the butt.
This pulls the fibers lengthwise and the cane dries with this set. This improves both the strength and gives a more supple tip section. If my memory serves, they called this "drawing."

If you don't do this, the cane is likely to dry with a bias due to uneven drying of the fibers - resulting In a bowed cane.
This hanging process is not quick, either. It takes a couple of months, as it should he done slowly. Bamboo is dense and it shouldn't be forced.
In the distant past, I hung mine in a shed well out of the weather.

Do you have to do it this way? Only if you are a perfectionist. I would be pretty rigorous about selecting long canes with the thinnest tips I could find. It strikes me as a waste to lose that effort by not seasoning them well.

But that's me, Keith. The fish don't care, from what I've learned.
I hope this helps clear things up.

[Keith Ritter]

This particular one was already dry, got herbicide overspray from a nearby field. Dried standing upright. Has slight bow. I have some green ones but don't have a area out of the weather that I can hang them from that's high enough.

[David, aka, "McScruff"]

Make the best of it. The fish won't know.

[Rick Goohs]

Looks great.

  I'm sure either oil would work just fine.