Walking sticks with secrets...

[Maggoty Anne]

Now I can't stop picturing a spinoff of a popular eighties show, targeted at the elderly, titled "Knight Walker."

[Hieronimous Stonebender]

you can already talk to your walking sticks, they just can't talk back. And would it be such a good thing if they could? I'd imagine the majority of their conversation would consist of "Stop leaning on me! Learn to stand on your own two feet!" and "Stop hitting me with people!."

I'd imagine they'd make continuous observations about the people around you - most of which you probably do not need or want to hear about, considering their heads are at just about crotch level...

I don't need to walk down the street and the cane yelling at the top of its electromechancal lungs;

"OOHHH!!! GROSS!!! We got a workaholic at 11 o'clock! Workaholic! WORKAHOLIC!!! Jeesh! Definitely a single-shake man, FAR too busy for the follow up jiggle!!"

He he... I remember that quote... One of the best parts of that movie...

[akumabito]

I liked the idea of a pez dispenser, just for the sheer banality of it.

It's actually a pretty cool idea. Perhaps scaled up for slightly larger items? Chewing gum maybe? I am sure detailed drawings can be found using Google's patent search.

[Maggoty Anne]

God, google has a patent search? How do you use it, I'm sure I could have a lot of fun with that.

[Easton Crow]

The museum of natural history (I think. Maybe it's art) has a collection of walking sticks that include some that open up to conceal very narrow but full strung and fretted violins.

[Maggoty Anne]

The museum of natural history (I think. Maybe it's art) has a collection of walking sticks that include some that open up to conceal very narrow but full strung and fretted violins.

Oh, wow. That is definately the coolest and most impractical suggestion so far.

I want one. 

[Rowan of Rin]

Both the violins and the Pez dispenser are the coolest suggestions
I reckon it would be awesome to have a spring loaded compartment that proffered up a cigarette, as it would be the sort of contraption which would fit perfectly.

The only drawback is I hate cigarettes, and I find them really horrible, so scrap that idea

Damn, I keep thinking of all these cool things to do with things I hate, the next one: graffiti.
Basically, your cane is a mini airbrushing unit, powered by a CO2 cartridge. Genius! And yes, I don't like most graffiti, unless someone could implement that into a more dignified usage..

And that logically leads on to using a CO2 powered blow gun, which is amazingly illegal, so don't even let the thought process register

[Atterton]

I like the idea of cigarettes popping up out of the cane, and then perhaps the head of the cane could work as a lighter.

[Sci]

Here's my idea:

A tripod cane, for surveying and/or one of those photographic contraptions.

My grandfather did a similar thing, putting a quick-change camera shoe on top of his walking stick with a locking ball joint. It was only a monopod, but it helped. And he kept the origional stick handle on a second shoe so he could swap it back on.

[Angel]

A while ago I drew up designs for a Cigar holder in the end of a cane. It was pretty simple, but I've never got round to making it.

Pow:

Spoiler: ShowHide

[Dr Flonker]

I like the idea of cigarettes popping up out of the cane, and then perhaps the head of the cane could work as a lighter.

I'm thinking of putting a watch, compass, LED flashlight, and lighter in mine.  Watch will probably be a quartz movement as this would be a 'dress cane' rather than a 'daily walker'.

Now I just gotta get time to do this...

[hexidecima]

not sure if anyone has suggested this but how about a corkscrew?  I'm always finding myself without one at the most inconvenient of times.

[Rowan of Rin]

I do like the corkscrew idea
A note of interest, oh potential cane makers, it to remember you must also take the canes integrity to mind, as in, will it bend or snap if you put pressure on it A lot of you designs looks like there will be very little cane left, with a lot of gadgets, and when I was planning my cane, I realised that it would be nigh impossible to contain as many things in it unless it was made of carbon fiber or the like

[porkdemon]

a bit off topic but ill mention this anyway.

at my nans house there is a large collection of walking sticks, one of them has a screw off top with a test tube vial thing inside that pops up once you unscrew the top.

[Spaceman Spliff]

I've been pondering the very same project for quite some time now. I had the luck of finding an antique stick - cum - umbrella last year and I' ve been carrying it with me ever since. But the silk is starting to tear open at several places and the "wood" - finish of the collapsible umbrella cover has started to come loose, revealing the true cardboardish nature of the cover... Been thinking of a remake or Mod ever since...

The Ideas I like best are:
- Hidden Compartment (for money, drugs, what-have-you)
- Umbrella (wouldn' t want to part with that)
- Tools
- LED flashlight
- Sharp/Rubber switchable point (maybe some spring-driven mechanism)
- Heavy handle (some hardwood or maybe even metal - beware of lightning storms *shazzzam!*)
- Magnetic Tip (in combination with a needle you get a crude DIY compass + many more possible uses)

and when I was planning my cane, I realised that it would be nigh impossible to contain as many things in it unless it was made of carbon fiber or the like Cheesy

Actually, I was thinking that carbon fiber would do nicely. After all, the looks are only a question of paint-job and the material properties are awesome.

[Atterton]

I don´t think carbon fiber takes well to paint though.

[Ender]

Ahem

http://www.hfmgroup.com/professionalsupplies/flashguns.html

[Rowan of Rin]

Ahem

http://www.hfmgroup.com/professionalsupplies/flashguns.html

Oh hell YEA!
I am sure this could be easily made yourself, although I've not made it gun-cotton isn't that hard to make I believe. It is awesome, as it is (fairly) non dangerous, as it only burns for a split second, but the effect would be awesome

[Sir Newton Bridges]

i had an idea for a cane that, at the top would split in 5 or 6 parts and spread outwards, but would stop at the bottom, and each one would have a thing like the "rullegardin" thing mentioned earlier, and the ends would be attached to the edges of the others so when it lifted up, they would all pull each other open, and it would be an umbrella that looked like a regular cane when closed

and of course, you can hide all sorts of fun gizmoes in other places, like making a little metal ball at the top that can split in half on hinges and on one side of the ball there would be a clock, and theother would be a compass

[Dr Flonker]

Ahem

http://www.hfmgroup.com/professionalsupplies/flashguns.html

Oh hell YEA!
I am sure this could be easily made yourself, although I've not made it gun-cotton isn't that hard to make I believe. It is awesome, as it is (fairly) non dangerous, as it only burns for a split second, but the effect would be awesome

Guncotton is a piece of cake.  I used to make it all the time.

I'm not going to post the how-to on it though.

[DonQuijote]

I'm not going to post the how-to on it though.

you might tell us where you learned that though....

[Rowan of Rin]

I'm not going to post the how-to on it though.

you might tell us where you learned that though....

I'm sure google is your friend, but a word of warning: The Internet isn't always true

[Von Gast]

I've now ordered a 2GB USB drive (actually a Micro SD card and a tiny USB reader) and a micro compass with a view to building a cane. The compass was intended to be worn on a watch strap for emergency use and is from the well-known "Gelert" range, if anyone else is after a cheap but decent small compass mechanism for a similar project.

[Dr Flonker]

I'm not going to post the how-to on it though.

you might tell us where you learned that though....

No comment. 

[cefriedl]

a recent movie franchise from a popular book series about a boy wizard had a wand concealed in a walking stick.

That would be Lucius Malfoy From Harry Potter