For Men Who have Everything.

[Dennis]

Men who have everything are likely to receive the most useless gifts.

My first is for a professor of medicine and the story behind it is that in olden times, surgeons, who were then lower down in the pecking order, had actually to touch their patients, whereas physicians just pointed with a silver topped cane.

The ball for this cane was completed from two domes made in a large Durston cube, with a wire ring between them.

The tube for the stem was formed around a suitable punch and topped with a further dome. There is also some twisted wire decoration and the two parts have been connected with a core of 5mm silver tubing for strength and to maintain ventilation when soldering.

My second is for a graduate in philosophy. There is no story behind it, but I could hardly leave him out, so I have called it a philosopher’s staff.

For this one I ran out of time for using the college equipment as the term had ended, but luckily I found a cupola set on EBay for £35 post free, which did the job well.

The shafts for the canes I also found on EBay and they have non precious blackened ferrules so that they will withstand hard floors.

Thickness of silver sheet used: 8.00mm. Wire used 2.00mm round.
Diameter of first domes 46.50mm. Second domes made with cupola set, 54.25mm.
Hammered texture, brass brush finish. Dennis.