What can be used to make a hair toy?

[jane_marie]

Not too long ago I bought some exotic wood pen blanks to try my hand at hand carving sticks and forks. I have five going right now and I love the process.

I've read up on the process of curing woods and I'm excited to try it using local materials and I'm curious what can be used and what cannot.

For example, I have an apple tree and a mulberry tree in my back yard that need branches trimmed. Will those be okay to use?

Also, red cedars are a pest in my state and I am part of a program that cuts them down to avoid negative environmental consequences to the local ecosystem... can red cedar be used?

What about other materials like roots/mushrooms that dry super hard or or rock like soap stone or limestone? I have a passion for mushrooms and think a stick carved from reishi would be really cool and would love to make one out of stone.

I had it in my head that only hard woods could be used but then I saw that a etsy seller I like has a pine stick and it got me wondering about what woods can be effectively used and pondering that made me start thinking about other materials.

[Brethil]

I've carved mine out of green wood. They have so much surface area that they've dried nicely with no cracking. And it's so easy to shape. I get fat sticks with a long enough section free of knots, peel them and split into quarters, then shape them with a knife. I've done black walnut, wild persimmon, and I forget what all else. Works fine. And if it doesn't for some reason, I've lost no money and maybe 15 minutes of time. I'd try pretty much any wood. Definitely apple and mulberry.

I've no experience with the other materials. Rock would be a pain to shape, and I'd be worried about the weight and whether it would break if you dropped it. Could be stunning though. I'd suggest using it as a topper.

I'd think woody roots would work the same as other wood. Worth a try anyway.

How difficult and expensive would it be to get some reishi? It'd be a fun experiment it was cheap and easy. Worst case is it doesn't work.

[jane_marie]

Thanks for the tips on the wood!

Soapstone is pretty common here and it's soft enough to carve with a knife thus why I thought it might be doable. I bet it would shatter easily though.

I can grow reishis and I've found them in the wild before. I was also thinking other kinds of woody polypores might work well.

I found a photo of a carved reishi which makes me think it might be doable.


Obviously it's not a stick but.

[Brethil]

Give it a go then! If it doesn't work you'll have fun trying.

I really do recommend carving wood green at least for hairsticks. The knife goes through so easily. I don't even wait for them to dry to use them. I'd be a bit more worried with cracking for a fork, plus you'd have to get a substantial piece of wood. With sticks you just need a stick.

[jane_marie]

Give it a go then! If it doesn't work you'll have fun trying.

I really do recommend carving wood green at least for hairsticks. The knife goes through so easily. I don't even wait for them to dry to use them. I'd be a bit more worried with cracking for a fork, plus you'd have to get a substantial piece of wood. With sticks you just need a stick.

I definitely try it! Sometimes when I carve my hand hurts for a week.

[Elodea]

I am also wondering if stone/rock could be used for a hair stick. Theoretically, I think it should be possible given that you had the tools to carve it. Although I'm not sure how well it would stand up to torque in a bun. That probably depends on the type of rock.

I haven't seen any solid stone hair sticks for sale anywhere, but I do wonder about that material. It'd be interesting to have a granite or marble hair stick. I guess technically jade is a stone and there have been hair sticks made from that historically (http://www.creative-museum.com/en/co...jade-hairpin-2), but as far as other kinds of rocks go, I'm not aware of them being used for hair toys that are entirely made from rock/stone.

[Siv]

Isn't there a handmade hair toys thread around here? Maybe those guys could give some input!