[JP Anderson]

I sent the branding copper from the Humble Carving post to it's home and didn't take pictures. I did find a piece of scrap I test branded. The pendant is a one of several cell phone fobs I carved this winter as skill builders. It went quickly from the mind, to the thumbnail sketch and to the metal. It was nice to finally know my tools well enough I was able to focus on what I was creating rather than learning a new media. This winter was a great confidence builder.

Thank you all for the inspiration,

John

[Janel]

Tell us more about the cell phone fobs? Were they carved from a nickle, as might have been inferred by the nickle above shown for scale? I rather like that idea, as well as the freedom of the execution of the basket weave you did on the fob.

The link for Humble Carving does not work. Can you fix that?

Janel

[JP Anderson]

Janel,

Yes, the fobs are made from nickels. Just in case your from the US Mint I only use foreign nickels. Any nickel will work but I feel the new ones shine up better. I try and find damaged ones as I pound them out with a ball peen hammer anyway. They will dish naturally as you pound them. The more polished the hammer and "anvil" the less finish work. I'm a bit tool poor, no ball vice, so I heat them up and set them on a small wood block with a chip of hot melt glue stick between. File them to the desired shape, polish as needed and carve.

John

[magnus homestead]

Hi John,

I really love all the detailed texture you are puting into the weave - I think this would make a very nice basket within a larger carving - have you explored any figurative work? I'm thinking like a field worker with a basket of grain or some such of a thing.
Thanks for your info about the brand - it will be helpful.

Magnus

[JP Anderson]

Magnus,

I do have plans to use this texture in future projects that are more involved. I have past projects that taught me I need to walk before I run. It bites to have this grand vision that fails after hours and hours of effort just because I took on more than my skills allowed. I won't be posting those.

What to carve is a huge hurdle. I work on textures when a grand design fails me. I have no commercial purpose and want my work to reflect where, when and and how we live. It's a good fight.

I observed a neat phenomenon when using the branding copper. The hot gases are trapped in the inner cavities causing hot jets of gas to reliably shoot out of the gaps where the letters GB overlap. With some thought and experience the resulting pattern could be incorporated into a design.

John

[Debbie K]

J.P.:

I like your work, it's obvious you're skilled at metal engraving/carving. I, like you, have bitten off more that I can chew on more than one occassion. My last three pieces are spectacular failures, but I think it's important to try to do more than I'm comfortable doing. I can carve stone or wood all day long, and make rings or pendants out of them, but I think it's important to push myself.

I almost always get in trouble by lack of planning. I don't think through how I'm going to put things together. But the failure teaches me a lot, and I'm usually more thoughtful in the next piece.

I'm fifty-three and have got that insistent feeling that I shouldn't waste too much time, otherwise I might not have the opportunity to do whatever it is I'm thinking about doing. I urge you to dare, because it's obvious looking at what you have done, you are capable of so much more. You don't have to show anyone if it doesn't work out, but try anyway. Right now I'm working on something that isn't so great, but I'll probably finish it anyway. It wil go in the red-haired stepchild pile (which is large). The funny thing is, I know someone will think it's just beautiful, if I don't tell them everything that I know is wrong with it. We are our own worst critics.

Debbie K

[Don Barnhill]

Very nice work. I like the weave design, it looks like the basket weave on gunstocks. Makes me want to carve something. Thanks for sharing.

[JP Anderson]

Debbie,

>I urge you to dare, because it's obvious looking at what you have done, you are capable of so much more.

I've always been one that's needed to suppress those daring deeds. You do make a good point, I kind of had that feeling before I started this nickel. My wife made the same comment "nice weave but what's your point". Should of known as the thumbnail drawing didn't wow her either. It's meant as a carving doodle and I was happy with it in that regard. I'm a bit worried I'm developing a bland style so my next one is change up.

I have an art knife that's been 2 years of on and off work. I'm used to long term projects but my biggest surprise since starting carving is how much time it takes to carve small objects. The knife started out as a three day project...... Naive I know.

I think Janel said a typical piece of hers takes 200 hours or more. My knife will have close to twice the time invested when it's done. Maybe way more as I've refused to keep track. It's taught me much and that was the goal. I'll work on efficiency later. It's hard as I have a new project I really want to start but know better than fragment my time. My conceptual drawings are years ahead of my carving skills and bench time.

Thanks for the comments. Yours and others do help me push my horizon.

John

[JP Anderson]

Don,

I admit a influence from stock carving and the desire to similar work. When I was building my airplane (I don't fly these days) I wanted to carve and checker all the handles and knobs. I didn't because you either Keep It Simple Stupid (K.I.S.S.) and go flying or carve and checker the controls and keep your feet firmly on the ground. I kept it simple and went flying. Now that I'm well grounded I have time to carve. It's a very worthy substitute...... on rainy days.

John