Mahlstick substitute
 

I was complaining about not being able to rest my hand and my husband whipped this up (we call him McGyver). It is the best thing I have ever used for steadying my hand.

It's a fireplace poker wrapped in duct tape. It has a curve at the end that is perfect for hanging over the edge of the canvas (even 2" depth). It does't mess up any paint since it never touches the wet area at all. We only wrapped it in duct tape so the pointy end would be less so.

The only down-side is that it is a bit heavy - not for holding, but using it on a smaller canvas would be tricky unless it is held tightly on an easel.

Amid Schmid
 

I saw a video of Richard Schmid once, and he had a thin bamboo cane hanging on his easel. I went straight to a local flea market and found one for a dollar. I've used it for over four years now and am very pleased with it's performance.

I found that my paintings don't look quite like his, but I am looking somewhat like him......hmm.

Speaking of odd mahlsticks, my wife was telling me she needed to buy a new Swiffer broom (the broom that has a piece of cleaning cloth that gets pinched onto a rectangular piece at the bottom of an aluminum rod), because the bottom piece broke off. I took a look at the sectioned aluminum handle and thought 'mahlstick?'. I was light, thin and yet firm. The beauty of this stick is that is comes in 4 pieces that screw together, like a pool cue(stick), allowing me to have 3 different lengths, and when I store it, it comes apart to store away easily. If I get a chance I will post a picture.

BTW, I am not implying that my wife is the only person who cleans the house. I do my fair share too. :D

David

My "mahl stick"
 

I use a cheap dowel bought from Home Depot.

David & Julie -

Out of curiosity - what is on the end of the Swiffer and on the end of the dowel? Did you cushion them?

Kim--

To each their own, but isn't it heavy?

I use an old yardstick with a funeral home advertisement stamped on it. (common here in the South). I like the flatness of it for some reason.

Regards-TE

Kim,

I have a pencil eraser capped over the end of mine. Mine is a piece of alminum tubing I bought from Home Depot. It is extreeeeeeeeeemely light.

I also have a wooden dowel, but this swiffer handle is excellent. Its light weight, compact (for storage), extendable from 12" to at least 48", without sacrificing rigidity. It has a wide grip handle, and at the end of each section is a threaded rod on which you can attach a threaded wooden ball or anything that has a threaded hole of the same size. Here is the Swiffer website, if you are really interested: http://www.homemadesimple.com/swiffe...ucts/dry.shtml. I just started using it, and I still laugh at myself for being so 'frugal'.

David

My left arm often 'forgets' what it is supposed to be doing and will move - so the heaviness of mine helps my arm to remember. If I used a light one like Mike's or David's I'd bet I would end up pushing into the canvas too hard. Perhaps it is just a concentration issue for me. No blonde jokes please ;)

I have a dual duty cane, it has a nice curved handle that hooks on the top of the canvas. It's stable, lightweight, rigid, and when I need it, it helps me walk!

Jean