dervishcarving

So, did we get a definitive answer on where to get teh glass-marbles for the eyes? look perfect for the job

there was a thred a while back on this. get a jam jar fill with vinegar and chuck in a couple of iron nails. leave it (with the lid loose) for a few days then pain it on. the tannin in the wood reacts with the solution to darken the wood. I know splinters uses this quite a lot. worth a try but if the wood you are using has low tannin levels its not so effective. you can improve the tannin levels by painting on a few coats of tea (no milk) first. might be worth a try if you want to avoid burning. i prefer burning but remember to oil plenty afterwards cos the burnt-effect will wash off

Dan is definitely the one in your area superb carver

1/8th inch for me please

Anyone remember what diameter the shaft is for a dremel tool? A 5mm and a 10mm diameter head would be great.

that would be splendid if you could Norfolk If they work out there might even be a market for them. If you did a couple of different sizes

did you paint the end grain to help reduce splitting? we milled a load of elm last year and forgot to paint it. a lot of it has split badly

Woodcrafter, where di you get the dremel tool that you use for eyes? im looking for one for my dremel

try posting this on the woodcraft forum too

would be good for bowl turning. I do turn bowls but on a foot-powered pole-lathe, no way i can turn somethign that large. im sure there will be people interested tho,

hey, sometimes you want to do a carving high up on a stump... igonre the pishtaking Chris, its all part of the banter :0

good work! There are probably a few missing from the UK but others will let you know im sure. Now all i need is to win the lottery and see if i can compete in them all

is that a top-handled saw? not ideal for carving

FOr sanding i use a bosch angle grinder with either sanding discs or (more often these days) flap-paddle sanding discs (off ebay, about a quid each, well worth trying. just clean them up regularly with a wire brush). I start at 40 or 60 grit and then move up to finer grit for fine details. If its awkward to the angle grinder in to some places i use a black and decker power-file. expensive tool but works a treat. finishing i ususaly use deckign protector. needs a lot of coats but does exactly what it says on teh tin. If its a very fine finish (hand finished with 200+ grit sand paper) to be kept inside i use linseed oil (boiled, dries quicker). many coats and polish between coats and you get a great, hard finish varnishing for outside is an option. i varnished some toadstool seats last year with ronseal outdoor varnish. It was pretty well seasoned oak and i applied a fair few coats of linseed oil before sanding teh surface and then varnish, 3 coats, sand in between coats. lovely durable finish hoe that helps

Thats lovely work mate. Dremels are great for fine-detail but it still takes skill, well done and done be embarrassed, if you put heart into it why not show it?

Im a firm believer of... run before you can walk I went from shroom, shroom2, dolphin, cat and onwards. if you dont push yourself you will stagnate you have the blocking out idea right, maybe the proportions are off a tad but thats just practice (or use splinters-approach and mark it out on the wood before you start) Your next step will be to experiment with the details. I started studying anatomy (no, not just himan although most of my career has been medical-related so i guess i had a head start). Find some books (or google) on animal anatomy, learn how the skeleton fits together then move onto how the muscles are attached to this skeleton. once you have that you are ready to 'add flesh' to your blocked-out carvings. If you sand the finished piece like this you can see how you did. or you can also learn how to carve fur-detail at the same time (takes practice to get it right and learning to use the side of the chain a lot) and add fur-detail as you go I agree with Si on this one, when i started (and if i am doing more complex 'intertwined' pieces) i model it out with bluetak first before i put saw to wood practice is all it takes. time and practice

Ach, we have all done similar. life is a learning process after all

thoughts... The blue-ing suggests it was hot which suggests it was too tight? also, if it was blunt (due to stones) then you could have been pushing it too hard and causing an overheat? the oil leak...was that after a few days sitting in the shed or only a few minutes? many saws will accumulate oil around the base of the saw/guard/under the rim etc and then this will slowly leak out when left standing. My old MS180 (carving saw) had problems with the oiler and it would leak a lot so i would empty the oil if i was leaving it for more than overnight, a lot more than a few drops. try a sharpening session and check tension. if its still leaking a lot then maybe take it back and get them to check it

am looking to do the same slack. what have you used it for so far? bowls etc?

Get Si to do it, that way he might even finish the hollow-one for us to see

that looks just like the angle grinder attachment that i used (carefully with all guards in place, all gloves fitting properly) and after 2 operations i have some movement back in my left fingers. i will need at least 1 more operation (more tendon grafts plus skin grafts) to get the use back in my index finger. now im not saying dont use that tool BUT just think about how close those teeth are to your finger. does it seem safe to you? the turbo plane is great for bowling (hollowing out), chainsaws are perfect for carving and then sanding discs (flap discs on angle grinders) give the nice finish. try those before using a dangerous tool like this one in my opinion. good luck with whatever you choose. if you want pictures of the wreck my hand was left in just ask

v thought provoking

crivens! now build me a full size one