Year: 2016

AL GERHARD was an American maker of the 1970s/80s.  He specialized in making strip laminated  boomerangs from black locust, oak, hickory and other beautiful woods.

This hook was inspired by the beautiful Sussex Hook Boomerang of Herb Smith.  Al made it as an award for the Annual Smithsonian Associates Boomerang Workshop Lectures – A series of throwing events concluded lectures.

I won it during the final event of the day in a game called Suicide.  Over 100 throwers lined-up shoulder to shoulder.  You had to catch your own rang.  Miss the catch and you were out.

After several throwing rounds, only two throwers remained, Larry Ruhf and me.

For the rest of the story, come visit my shop.

One of the legendary makers of all time was HERB A. SMITH of Sussex, England.

This small boomerang is called MT.FUJI.  Herb’s version was inspired by the  Japanese artist Hiroshige.  It is made of paxolin (a thin, durable phenolic material). Herb was the first maker to employ paxolin. Today, many contest boomerangs are carved from similar non-wood materials.

QUEEN OF HEARTS by Rod Jones, Australia.

Rod was an excellent air brush artist and boomerang maker.  His boomerangs were almost too beautiful to throw.  However, “boomerangs are meant to be used”.

Rod made six of these for my sales.  This one was just “Too beautiful to be thrown.”  I added this boomerang to my collection un-thrown.