stuckinthemud
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Everything posted by stuckinthemud
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Where are you?
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Injury forces a change of mediums
stuckinthemud replied to Fieldarcher's topic in Chainsaw Carving Forum
On fallow deer antler, the pith runs to within 1 or 1.5mm of the surface of the palms, the pith is not only porous it goes so soft in water you can cut it out with a spoon. Biggest advantage of working the palmate section is it becomes plastic with steam. This allowed me to inlay it in long strips into the compound curves of a crossbow stock. The workable thickness of the rolls is slightly thicker but the stems are not plastic with steam. Unfortunately even the tips of the tines have a workable thickness of only maybe 3mm -
Injury forces a change of mediums
stuckinthemud replied to Fieldarcher's topic in Chainsaw Carving Forum
Looks like its a lot more dense than the fallow I use. Whats the longest inch wide strip do you think you could get from one? -
Injury forces a change of mediums
stuckinthemud replied to Fieldarcher's topic in Chainsaw Carving Forum
Very nicely done. What type of antler is it? -
I found I liked my gouges and chisels ground to a totally non-standard angle, I am not very tall and my bench is not a standard height, if you are a standard height and have a bench that is a standard height, then standard angles will work for you, so go with a system. I go freehand. A light vertically shining on the stone is essential as you should be using the shadow under the cutting edge to guide you. You will feel the bevel engage with the stone, then gently smooth off the metal until the shadow under the blade disappears. A ruby stone and a rubber-disk in a bench grinder loaded with chrome autopolish is the best system, but the best sharpener by far is an ordinary belt sander with a slip stone to maintain the edge
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Insuring your stuff against theft and damage is a really good idea but although you might think it is usually the responsibility of the exhibitor, so your responsibility on your stall in a craft show, the shop owners in a gallery, etc, this isn't always the case and you should always check, one guy on a different forum lent some miniatures that had literally taken years to build to an international company for a major showcase and they were stolen when everyone was packing up, no-one had valued them, and an apology doesn't really cut it....
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Very very nice
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wind blown oak, difficult access, worth it?
stuckinthemud replied to stuckinthemud's topic in Chainsaw Carving Forum
If you think the timber should still be ok, I'll go have a chat with the landowner and see what he says. The ground conditions are really difficult, did I mention its at the top of a 20m river bank ? -
There is a medium size oak tree in the middle of an un-managed copse near me that was blown down in winter storms about 18 months ago. I do not know if the tree was diseased or just hit hard by the storms. Access is difficult, over 100 yards from the nearest road, crossing two fences and navigating a steep slope. Is it worth even taking a saw down there to see what condition the timber is in? If it is a worthwhile exercise would it be best to rough-out carvings on site to reduce weight or haul out the timber in round wood logs?
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Really like the Viking prow, wish I had time to get to the chainsaw, but really busy with work (not complaining about that) and family. Still plugging away at the crossbow though - take the bits and pieces to work to carve in my breaks - its a lot easier to carve a small panel than crank up the makita
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Water - just wipe with a damp rag
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Depends on what you find acceptable, I personally switch to a scraper at this point, but many will tell you to go to 400 and some will suggest 600. Hopefully you are damping the wood to raise the grain - sounds counter-intuitive but actually speeds the process up
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Got to be honest, all my longbow staves are about that size and all are split lengthwise into staves, any not sealed developed shakes; now I seal everything.
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Bitumen?! That's genius !
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I use pva to seal timber but remember to paint your seal a few inches up each end of the log, not just the exposed timber. Apply it with your hands and really slather the stuff on - no brush to clean up and it ensures you put the glue on thicker than if you spread it with a brush - its tempting to spread it a bit too thin with a brush. I'd be glad to trade you something carved for some of the timber, I'm near Cardiff, PM me if your interested.
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I usually prefer a wax as a simple, easily repaired finish - rub the wax (bees-wax or paraffin wax) all over the carving then heat it til it melts and 'flows' (I usually hold it above a low flame on the gas hob but a hair-dryer will do, or a hot-air gun), then buff it to get a nice medium-shine - biggest single advantage is no drying time.
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Been building a replica medieval crossbow, trying to be as authentic as I can with the materials, so, bone, carved antler, and horn inlays in an apple stock with a yew and sinew bow. Its not far off being shoot-able, but I have a fair way to go with the decoration - anyone got a large fallow antler they can donate to the cause?
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yeah, fair do, better fuel up my 'saw, not had chance to do any chain-sawing, been a bit distracted with other projects recently
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Things seem to have been a bit quiet here recently, looking forward to a rush of Christmas carvings, hopefully (hint!) ;-D
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just wow!
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I carved down to relieve the stems from the flowers which were rounded over and then I hollowed out the leaves but all you could see in the photo was a dark brown mass of shadow, so I'm afraid I deleted it. The main function of all that work was to take the sides out of the viewers' lines of sight and make everything look lighter and more delicate from the front but it does look good if someone takes it down off the wall for a closer look.
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Hi everyone; this has been distracting me for a few weeks, all finished now, carved front and back from recycled mahogany.
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Fab!!!
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Very nice, thanks for posting it
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I've just been given a couple of carrier bags of oak boards that used to be a porch floor cut into lengths of between 12" and 18". First question, any idea how to strip the glue off? Second question; I've no idea what to do with the stuff; what could I use it for?
