[cobalt]

Been asked to do a couple of large gargoyles , but i am not sure how there going to sit on a shank and think the look wont be right? i will try to find a larger diameter shank for them to sit on .I did tell the guy i thought they where a tad to big. but mine is not to reason why?

Whilst i was carving them a old uni friend popped round saw them and asked if i would do a figure head for his boat he liked the dragon ,

I did piont out to him that i was carving lime wood and didnt know how it would stand up to being fixed to a boat. he said he just wanted it to slot on so he could take it of when he has finished sailing.Its just for a small dingy ..he thought they where fun?

anyway heres where i am at

 

[CV3]

Looks like a fun project. You do good dragons!

 

[cobalt]

• More done on the dragon .got to admit its easyer to worl on a larger piece make a nice change.
• I thought i wouldnt do any more dragons but looks like i will have to do a couple more as i do want to try other things repeating things to much wont develop the carving skills.
• I have enjoyed working on them ,but now will have to redesign it to fit on a sailing dingy and have to work out the best way to be able to fix it without making it perminant yet it will still have to be secure?
• couple of photos as getting towards the detail stage

 

[rootcane]

Nice job! I realy like the shape and color.

 

[cobalt]

The dragon getting there , hoping to get some buffalo horn to make a collar for it as it will provide a good contrasting colour as i dont plan on painting it. I just have to glue the dragons beard on but i wont do any more till i get the buffalo horn and the right shank to fit it on .The i can give it its final shape so hopefully it will look better

a quick photo .the beard is just held in place with a bit of dowel its not fixed yet

A block of wood left from the dragon made a decent griffin so knocked the basic shape out today as well

 

[cobalt]

the griffinis in the round now ,but modified the back of it decided to give a bit more extra detail

 

[CV3]

Love the dragon, great features. The griffin is going good. I have not done a dragon. I will have to give one a try.

 

[Shawn C]

Cobolt, although I have been a member from the beginning of this forum, I must admit I have not contributed much in the past year. I do want to say that I have enjoyed watching you create interesting items from my book patterns - keep up the great work!

 

[cobalt]

Thank you Shawn

I have enjoyed your books they have taught me quite a bit

I have only been carving for 18mths or so but the fantasy books stear clear from the same subject matted that is normally in them and at the same time enjoy myself with out struggling

I have carved several pieces fro the books not all of them worked for me .the imp is one which i will redo as i tried to carve all of it sitting on the shank and will simplyfy it

but many thanks for some good books

i have also enjoyed your carvings on line

nice to see you back even if its just a quick visit

 

[cobalt]

1. not sure what happened her dont know whats happened to the post?
2. Trying to post some pics based on shawns work that stll needs working on trying some glass eyes and looking at some sand sculptue i have seen ,I think it would lookk good on the griffin so will have to see how it progress
3. cant attach the pics ?
4. not sure where there posted?

 

[cobalt]

I dont know what happened but the editing tool dosnt seem to work? and cant correct the pics etc

 

[CV3]

What is the name of the book you are referring to cobalt? Both are looking good. I look forward to seeing them when you are done.

 

[cobalt]

i came across these pictures of a sand sculpture and interested in the way the guy has done his scales on the dragon .mayby try this style on the griffin .Never so easy to do it on a smaller scale? but the computer decided to do its own thing and didnt know if they got posted

IThink my biggest fault in the carvings is not getting the depth into the carving mayby its because i use rotary tools ?

Sometimes not oftern i can get a clean finish on some of the carvings i have done straight from the chisel wwhich saves a lot of time sanding

i two of shawns books 1 called " Carving fantasy & legend figures in wood" and " carving gargoyels" i have mentioned them before

There good fun projects to do and the step by step process using photos are very good .The approach he has taken is that of a casual one and he does make it look easy .Also he explains the finishes he used well .

 

[CV3]

Thanks for the names of the books cobalt.

I think your lime wood and our basswood are about the same thing. I buy the best bass wood I can. It comes from state Minnesota. But power tool never give a smooth finish. The burrs really tear thought the wood more than cut. Its softness and texture of the wood. We say it fuzzes up and you spend a lot of time cleaning up. With basswood I rarely do more that rough out with power then go to hand tools. Mostly because I hate sanding!!

 

[Shawn C]

cobolt, I would agree with CV3. Bass/Lime wood are really meant to be carved with handtools. Nice and sharp, shaving hair-off-the-arm sharp. If you prefer to power carve and want to stay with a wood with similar weight / hardness, tupelo is a good option. problem is, I'm not sure how available that would be to you "across the pond". Tupelo is ideal for rotary tools, as it does not 'fuzz up".

 

[cobalt]

Yes totally agree i have already reached that conclusion .sourceing wood suitable for carving can be a problem.Find delivery charges expensive it just means a 90 mile round trip for me

But i can get most english varietys , but have to look further afield for other types, which is something i am interested in.

Also sourcing buffalo horn can be a problem theres plenty there but its usually the small cheap low quality stuff you get on ebay and alike

Rams horn however isnt a problem and it does carve wel and its easy to shape when bioled l and its possable to get good quality finish easily, but most people on this dont use it

I am looking into exotic woods the idea of mixing all these materials appeals to me and with a good design theey is the possability of making a unusual stick that stands out from the me to

 

[Shawn C]

If I am carving walking sticks or canes for actual use / support, I use sturdy hardwoods, especially if there is considerable detail involved. Last thing you want on a commissioned piece is to have it slide off the the edge of a table or something and have an aesthetic detail crack off. And this still may happen, so it is also very important to wisely design the piece in question so that detail is somewhat "protected" from damage. For these I typically use maple, walnut, sassafras. Laminated poplar has worked well on certain projects. I have used boxwood in small amounts. Even mahogany is not strong enough unless laminated.

I have used basswood for canes a few times, but they had to be big and bulky, and I have had reports that they have not taken dings and hits too well.

Horn and antler is nice and strong, but I dont fancy working it. It must be power carved and the smell is horrific.

 

[cobalt]

I think the design is the main factor when making /carving for a hikingpole /walking stick .Un fortunatly i havnt the access to the woods that available in the USA. but cherry and apple woods are a good fall back.mayby not as strong as some woods but look terrific when carved. But couldnt resist putting the beard and tongue on the dragon even though i know its vunerable to damage

I belong to a local stickmaking group some 50+ strong. luckly for me most of the members there use rams horn ,the group has 3 british stickmaking champions there and the work is outstanding.However the idea of a good stick has strict parimeters and made in a very tradistional way. this is one reason why carving wood is so attractive ,but the rams horn carving is excellent,but i feel the need to explore outside these boundrys so the chance of extending those boundrys by taking a different viewpiont both in wood and horn is more interesting

If i was as confident in the carving process as i am with drawing then i would achieve more but its a learning curve .

I was given some rams horn sheets and a rams horm from the press and found speed and pressure from a rotary tool will cause some smell if the settings arnt right.

I have carved rams horn and as long as the horn is clean the smell isnt to bad .but have yet to tackle water buffalo horn from scatch .i have carved thumb sticks from blanks with no problem from the smell..

This is the main problem with the rams horn cleaning it 1st, water buffalo is a solid horn and depending on the species of the buffalo the colours are very attractive and its not a problem or mayby i have a poor sense of smell.

 

[Shawn C]

Sounds interesting! The horn carving, I mean. You are right, cherry and apple are great woods as well to use, and I forgot to mention those. They are actually quite strong, and very hard. Great for power carving fine detail. Any fruit wood is a pleasure. Not sure if you have dogwood there, but that is a hard but attractive wood to use. I had an unusual walking stick request for someone last spring. The detail was prohibitive, as far as durability, so I used boxwood for the details and set it back into a protective "sleeve" of cherry.

 

[CV3]

Agree! The fruit woods are great. Just hard to fine sometimes and you want to be sure they are dried well. Shawn C you did a great job on you dogwood stick. I had never thought of doing a carved insert of a walking stick that is a great way to add detail.

We have a lot of dog wood in Lower Alabama. It is up there with hickory for hardness. It makes nice canes.

I like what I have seen of your work on horns cobalt. I have used cow, deer antler and I bought some buffalo I turned for pens. But have not carved any. I wish we had a group like yours in our area. There are a number of carvers but not many stick makers.