Ivory and Ebony Walking Stick bent out of shape... fix?

[maron.alexa]

I have an Ivory and Ebony walking stick that was gifted to me.  It is an antique, from the Eduardian or Victorian era.  It is a beautiful walking stick, however it is bent out of shape.  It is not too terribly bent, but it is noticable.  The person who acquired it for me told me that it had been from the previous owner leaning heavily on it whenever he used it, although I think it may have just gotten warped.  Is it possible that the ebony wood was warped, or more likely that it was just bent out of shape through daily use by its previous owner.  Also, is there any way to fix this, or is it necessary to replace the entire stick, and how much would this affect the value?

Thank you,

Alex

[centexcompsvcs]

 Go here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wRFdDWP_h1c

Google: Straightening walking sticks etc,  lots of information.

[maron.alexa]

The only problem is that it is an antique and is already lacquered and whatnot.  I have looked at these treatments, and they seem perfectly good for making your own walking stick, ie finding a stick in the woods and using those methods to straighten it, but what about for a stick that is lacquered an is an antique.  Is there any way to straighten it without removing the lacquer?

[zzydny]

Part of the charm of antiques is the wear patterns.  What you have is a nice antique.  You fix it, it loses value and you may destroy the item itself in the attempt.  I say enjoy it as it is.