[Nomc] Sticky Handles on Iowa Canes

8 Jun 2017

      Hello Everyone,

I attempted to send a message out to the group yesterday, but apparently it didn?t go out. I?ve found this problem with many different types of canes, and my best guess is that it has to do with the individual?s body chemistry, or perhaps lotions and other skin care products they may use. This seems to be the case, since I have seen these same handles last for the life of the cane, including my own, which often last me several years. I have seen this with some of the older NFB canes, and even the ones that use the golf grip type of handles. I have found that you can extend the life of these handles if you rub them with candle wax, and then rub them until smooth with a paper towel.

I have also been known to wrap them with black electrical tape, but sooner or later, you have to either replace the handle, using tubing you can obtain at the hardware store, ? inch inside diameter and ? outside diameter, will work very well, and the end caps are actually nylon table leg caps, which are normally pretty cheap, or just get a new cane. To hold the handles in place, I use either a water resistant glue, such as Tightbond, or the Gorilla glue works really well, but don?t make any mistakes when you are using it, because, once it dries, that?s it.

Jeff

From: NOMC [mailto:nomc-bounces at lists.nbpcb.org] On Behalf Of David Nietfeld
Sent: Thursday, June 8, 2017 9:10 AM
To: NOMC Mailing list <nomc at lists.nbpcb.org>
Subject: Re: [Nomc] Sticky Handles on Iowa Canes

Yes , I have seen that same problem here in Colorado.  It seems like it is something to do with the handle braking down, but that is just a educated guess since it happens in different places.  It also seems like it gets a little worse after you try to wash the sticky off.

David Nietfeld

Sent from my iPhone

On Jun 7, 2017, at 12:02 PM, Timothy J. Paulding > wrote:
Justin,

Yup. I?ve seen that before?especially when I was in the humid climate of Louisiana in the summer time. The only solution that I found to work was to wrap the handle in some kind of high grip tape. Tape that is used for bicycle grips works well.

I think the bob Riley cane issue that was mentioned is a bit different. With his canes, the clear plastic tubing becomes unstuck from the cane and begins slipping around. The Iowa canes don?t have that problem, but the handles themselves become sticky.

Tim Paulding
From: NOMC [mailto:nomc-bounces at lists.nbpcb.org] On Behalf Of Justin Salisbury
Sent: Wednesday, June 07, 2017 10:12 AM
To: NOMC at lists.nbpcb.org
Subject: [Nomc] Sticky Handles on Iowa Canes

Dear colleagues,

I write to ask about a problem we are experiencing in Hawaii with some of our Iowa canes. I am referring specifically to the green-handled textured canes which were once produced in Iowa. I'm not sure if they are produced in Iowa anymore.

We keep a cane bank, which includes some canes dating back a few decades. They still appear to be good products, and I think we do well to give people good canes, whether they like the most recently-produced ones or the older ones.

Eventually, the green handles on the Iowa canes can become sticky in a way that we cannot figure out how to clean. It appears that it might be a deterioration of the material of the handle itself.

The salt air does amazing things to a lot of materials here, so the problem may just be isolated to us. Has anyone experienced this before? Has anyone been able to come up with a solution to restore the cane?

Thanks so much!

Justin

Sent from the iPhone of:

Justin M. Salisbury, MA, NOMC, NCRTB, NCUEB
Opportunity Ambassador
National Federation of the Blind
Email: President at Alumni.ECU.edu
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/justin-salisbury
Twitter: @SalisburyJustin

?Education is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire.?

William Butler Yeats

From: NOMC [mailto:nomc-bounces at lists.nbpcb.org] On Behalf Of Joanne Gabias
Sent: Wednesday, June 07, 2017 10:31 AM
To: Justin Salisbury; NOMC at lists.nbpcb.org
Subject: Re: [Nomc] Sticky Handles on Iowa Canes

Hi Justin,

I actually had this problem happen with my Bob Riley cane in Louisiana. They use some type of double sided sticky paper to glue on the handle and because of the Louisiana humidity it was sliding out the bottom of the handle and was getting stickiness everywhere! What I ended up doing was pulling it all out not realizing that it was the thing holding my handle on the cane. I ended up using gorilla glue to glue it back on and it hasn't given me a problem since!

Hope that helps!

Joanne Gabias, M.A., NOMC, NCUEB, NCRTB
Orientation and Mobility Instructor
SAAVI Services for the Blind

________________________________
From: NOMC > on behalf of Justin Salisbury >
Sent: June 7, 2017 5:12:10 PM
To: NOMC at lists.nbpcb.org
Subject: [Nomc] Sticky Handles on Iowa Canes