Implement Care

Implements can range in price from very inexpensive pervertibles to very expensive one of a kind special order items. To maintain implements they should be well cared for.

These are some of the things that I have learned, to help prolong implement life:

For Canes-

Soak in lukewarm water for about 20 min before use and let them air dry or dry them with a towel before use, if you want them to be a bit heavier. Never store wet canes in a covered/sealed container, as they may get moldy. You should soak canes about once a month, although you can soak them more or less often depending on use. If you haven’t used them in awhile, always give them a bit of water before use, as this keeps them more flexible and they are less likely to become brittle and snap.

We clean our implements with Wet Ones Antibacterial Moist Towelette, Cloth, 5-3/4 x 7-1/2, White, 40 Wipes per Dispenser. We have used this on all of our implements, except those that have fur on them. This is good to use when using an implement on multiple people to disinfect the item between uses.

If you get blood on a cane you can clean it with a little hydrogen peroxide on a soft cloth. Although my feeling is that once an implement has tasted someones blood, it should only be used on that person thereafter. After getting the blood off give the cane a short soak  before use.  If you have a bent handle cane never soak these, but rather stand them in a shower away from the water or rub them with a damp clothor your wet hand only, because their handle may straighten out if you soak them.

If you live in a very dry climate you may also need to oil your canes from time to time with raw linseed oil.

For Leather:

For leather we use the Wet ones to disinfect the leather and then coat all leather portions of teh implement with Fiebings Aussie Leather conditioner. This we do at least a few times a year. If they are getting a lot of use then we condition them more often.  Between people we use the wet ones.  We usually put a light coat on then let them sit for an hour or overnight to let it soak in, then wipe them all off until they we don’t feel any residue. Kimberly-Clark/Scott Paper 75040 Shop Towels work great for laying the implements on, while you are at the waiting stage, and for cleaning the implements. 

Leather implements cared for well, will become more soft and supple with use.

Wood:

Since all of our wooden implements are sealed we clean them with the Wet Ones. 

Transport:

When transporting wood or leather wrap them to keep them from getting dings and dents during transport.  For canes a fishing pole case, a stiff plastic tube or some other item that will ensure that the canes will not get broken during transport.. If you cannot do that, wrap them well and don’t put anything that has hard edges next to it in a suitcase.

If anyone has any other suggestions please let me know.