Need a Handle?

jj777746 said:

@JOAT,Should have read your reply re making a similar gadget before I sent an Email asking if it is available in Australia. I take a cup of tea in for Mrs.jj every morning & am having to stop doing this unless I can use my "walker".I use two walking sticks all the time except for the wife's tea-in-bed ritual so a handle attached to my walker should work o.k. I should have also said at the beginning that using one stick while carrying anything in the other hand is extremely hard to tolerate ,and getting worse.Thanks Theo.James

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Oh my, I screwed up. I helped someone. LOL Well, I figure stuff like that is made to please the designer, but they usually don't please me, which is one reason for making my own version, that and it's more fun making my own. I can think of several options for taking in the tea. One is NOT fastening the tea carrier, or whatever, to one of your canes. I've found that carrying something at the top of my cane throws the cane way off and it is harder to maneuver. If you have a walker that you lift and move, then I would think that is not going to do well either. However, if you have one of the walkers with wheels, I think that would have great potential. But, if you want something a bit classier, I think a small wooden tea caddy on wheels should work. I know when I go to a store and use a shopping cart I actually do better than if I used my cane - can lean on the cart when I get a bit tired or stop to look at something, and when I walk use both hands on it. So I think a wheeled tea caddy/cart might work. On the other hand, might well be easier to carry the tea in a thermos, in a cloth carrier with a strap that will go over your head and be carried on the opposite side. I would advise a non-breakable cup and saucer tho, you could make a satchel to carry those, and the thermos. No need to sew anything, awhile back I made a pretty fair size laundry bag, to carry my stuff to my son's to wash while my washer is not working, and made the entire thing out of old denim pants, and held with Titebond II wood glue. Holds together just great. I've patched holes in pants and jackets with patches and Titebond, and as long as you don't pull on the patch when it comes out of the washer, it will be as strong as ever once it comes out of the dryer. I've got stuff several years old still holding up very well.

I think the only other thing I have is use canes long enough. All the cane sites have the same info, word for word on selecting cane length. Supposedly a 6' man needs a 36" cane. That is BS. I am 5'7" and started with making 36" canes. Going up steps, not long enough to give a good push. When to 37", then 38", and my next canes will be 40", and they should be about right. When I go up steps, I put the cane on the same step I stand on, put on foot on the next step, and when I move up, push with the cane. Just now I am using a 37" cane, lost the 38" by putting it on top of my Jeep and then forgetting it when I left. Now first thing I do is toss my cane in the Jeep. LOL The 37" cane is not long enough, when I get on the next step, I have to bend over a bit to keep the cane on the lower step. With a 40" cane I will be able to stand up perfectly straight on a step, and still have my cane firmly on the step below. Helps with balance as well as helping push. I have also found that gripping the cane handle with the last three fingers, and holding the cane shaft with my thumb and first finger give me much better control on where I place the cane tip. Oh yes, my canes are all square, which stops them from rolling off a table or counter.

No problem James. But was going to look up some images, and post one or two designs you might like. Turns out a tea caddy is a box for holding tea. What you want is a tea cart, or tea trolly. And you are going to have to look up your own designs, because there is a load of them out there.

I forgot to mention, I have also used glue to make inside carry pockets in several of my jackets and vest. I pick colors that match the original colors. Have also used sections of pants legs to make small cloth bags for tool bags, to carry my rolled coins to the bank, rifle rests. I even covered a manila file folder with a piece of cloth, to make it much more durable, looks better too.