Homemade Wahl Stick of a difference

[Hausamann]

I like to paint large and so I often use wahl sticks. I have several sizes with the usual soft fabric ball on one end. However, I saw many years ago a design that uses a hook instead of a ball. I copied the idea using a sheet of aluminium and it works very well. In fact, it has become my favourite wahl stick.

The hook is long enough to bridge across any chassis frame I may use. The hook stops the wahl stick from falling out of my hands, and makes a good anchor, along the top edge of a painting, to stop sliding from side to side. The stick is long enough to lean across the base board of my easel - not touching the paint surface if I let go of it.

 

[Hermes2020]

Interesting. I had to look that up, because I've never heard of a wahl stick! When I first read the title of your post, I thought it was a mis-spelling of mahl stick, which is the one with the soft fabric ball.

 

[Hausamann]

Interesting. I had to look that up, because I've never heard of a wahl stick! When I first read the title of your post, I thought it was a mis-spelling of mahl stick, which is the one with the soft fabric ball.

Ah, thank you so much for correcting my spelling.

 

[Hermes2020]

Ah, thank you so much for correcting my spelling.

Ha, no I didn't correct your spelling. It turns out that there is something called a wahl stick, and it looks like your one. It is also called a show stick, for some reason unknown to me.

https://www.peasridge.co.uk/shop/animal-products/cattle/halters-handling/show-sticks/

 

[Hausamann]

Ha, no I didn't correct your spelling. It turns out that there is something called a wahl stick, and it looks like your one. It is also called a show stick, for some reason unknown to me.

https://www.peasridge.co.uk/shop/animal-products/cattle/halters-handling/show-sticks/

Very interesting. Thanks for sharing.

 

[Hausamann]

I went back into my files to find out where I got the idea from. Here are three pictures found...

 

[snoball]

I put a screw-eye in the end of a dowel and a cup hook on my easel and I can put the mahl stick on the hook and swing it back and forth across the painting.

 

[JStarr]

I put a screw-eye in the end of a dowel and a cup hook on my easel and I can put the mahl stick on the hook and swing it back and forth across the painting.

Oh THAT'S terrific! Imma have to get DH to make me something when he is steady enough for power tools again....

 

[snoball]

Oh THAT'S terrific! Imma have to get DH to make me something when he is steady enough for power tools again....

You could handle it yourself. Just get a dowel and a screw eye and a cup hook. I made mine 36" long. Of course if you are going to build an easel, better have DH get in on the act.

 

[JStarr]

You could handle it yourself. Just get a dowel and a screw eye and a cup hook. I made mine 36" long. Of course if you are going to build an easel, better have DH get in on the act.

We found mine at a garage sale for like ten bucks, solid maple, moves to not-quite vertical, with a nice groove to catch falling dust. It was a MESS- paint and glue and stains and cuts- he took it into the garage, stripped it, sanded it, smoothed it, stained it and poly'd it, made sure the hardware was tight and worked- it's a lovely piece.

Don't tell him I could do it myself- he needs projects when he can do projects.

 

[Bongo]

You could handle it yourself. Just get a dowel and a screw eye and a cup hook. I made mine 36" long. Of course if you are going to build an easel, better have DH get in on the act.

okay - the cup hook is to hook onto the easel - what's the screw eye for? To hang it up when you're not using it?

 

[Hausamann]

 

[Artyczar]

This is all great info!!!

I had a mahl stick for a while. I guess I wasn't using it right and wound up donating it.

 

[snoball]

okay - the cup hook is to hook onto the easel - what's the screw eye for? To hang it up when you're not using it?

The screw eye is on the end of the dowel and goes on the cup hook to swing it back and forth over the width of the painting.
It is long enough that it rests on the top and bottom supports for the painting and never touches the painting itself.

 

[snoball]

View attachment 31871

That is the way mine works but cheap.