The Carving Path: the end of another day carving - The Carving Path

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the end of another day carving photo of my tools and bench

#1 Guest_ford hallam_*

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Posted 31 March 2007 - 04:18 PM

Hi all,

I've been documenting the making of the piece I'm presently working on and have the camera nicely set up in my studio. I took this picture a little while ago when I called it a day. I though you'd like to see how I do it! :D

You can see a few chisels, a couple of scrapers and some Water of Ayre stones. The piece I'm carving is a steel disc, 40mm in diameter. It is mounted in Japanese pitch set in a steel bowl which weighs a ton. :) Apart from a piercing saw and file these tools are all I've used thus far.

I'll reveal all later.... :D

regards, Ford :(

#2 User is offline   Dick Bonham 

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Posted 31 March 2007 - 11:38 PM

Hi Ford,
Thanks for the picture and YES we would love to see how you do it.
Dick

#3 User is offline   magnus homestead 

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Posted 01 April 2007 - 01:25 AM

Hi Ford,
Always like to see another's bench etc. In this case, the more you show us the better! Thank you. I'm curious about the disc itself - it would be nice to see a close up.
Magnus
www.magnushomestead.com
"if not for the point, the still point, there would be no dance. And there is only the dance." T.S.Elliot

#4 Guest_ford hallam_*

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Posted 02 April 2007 - 10:39 AM

Hi there Fellas,

now that my camera is set up in the studio it's a doddle to provide images. Here are a few more then. I've got some wide angle-lens shots on the other camera which I'll upload later, they show more general views.

cheers, Ford

p.s. the disc is steel and is 4 cm across. It will be a kagamibuta and this is the back just before soldering on the loop. I had to sign it at this point as it will be impossible later.

and one more :D

#5 Guest_ford hallam_*

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Posted 02 April 2007 - 11:20 AM

and if that's not enough then here are some more. You'll notice how small my space is, that's so I can imagine I'm still in Japan :D . Thankfully we're moving in about 7 weeks, and my new studio will be a ballroom by comparison. :D
cheers, Ford

#6 User is offline   Janel 

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Posted 02 April 2007 - 11:50 AM

Thank you!
Teachers open doors, you enter by yourself. Chinese proverb
What you can do, or dream you can, begin it; Boldness has genius, power and magic in it. ~ Goethe ~

Janel Jacobson's web site

#7 User is offline   Jim Kelso 

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Posted 02 April 2007 - 05:24 PM

It's a pleasure to see your bench Ford. Is that Vodka in the flask? :)
Our three most valuable tools: our thumbs, our imaginations, and our good-will.

My Webpage

#8 User is offline   magnus homestead 

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Posted 02 April 2007 - 08:41 PM

That's a great tour of your workspace Ford - thanks! I like your removable drawers or trays - I've made a few of those to go inside larger drawers in my bench - I'll have to make up a shelf cabinet like yours though as I have more and more punches these days.
As to the disc you're carving - I really like the area where the three relief sections come together. I'm looking forward to seeing the progress in this piece.
- Magnus -
www.magnushomestead.com
"if not for the point, the still point, there would be no dance. And there is only the dance." T.S.Elliot

#9 User is offline   Karl Carvalho 

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Posted 03 April 2007 - 12:35 AM

Aloha Ford,

Good natural light. A stout work surface. Organization. Thanks for the peek.

mahalo
Karl

p.s. Are those Japanese scorp/burnishers between the hammers and chisels?
Accept what the fire gods give you. Serendipity is part of the process.

#10 Guest_ford hallam_*

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Posted 03 April 2007 - 08:21 AM

glad you enjoyed this little virtual tour. :)

Hey Jim!,
Vodka? no no no, It would have to be sake. :) Actually I bought that glass decanter in a second-hand shop because it looked like the sort of light condensers that Jewellers in the past used to use to focus a light source on to their bench pegs. I had it filled with a copper sulphate solution for a while and it transmitted a very soothing light. I've got to make some sort of retort stand for it to keep it up of the bench
surface and out of my way.

Hi Karl,
The longish tools, I assume you are referring to, are scrapers, hisage in Japanese. They are indispensable for refining carved forms. In fact I frequently am able to go directly from a scraped surface to charcoal, skipping out the stone polishing stage.

Hi Magnus,

the little cabinet is pretty much the standard storage solution in Japanese workshops. They are a must as it's so easy to end up with quite lot of specialised punches and chisels. And if you don't keep them in specific groups you'll end up spending half the day searching for what you need! :( . Glad you like the piece so far.
This will actually form the basis of a fairly long and image heavy "tutorial" which I'll post when I publish the site. there will be quite a few "never before seen on the web" processes utilised in the creation of this particular item.

and as a little teaser here's the piece at end of day, yesterday, I got distracted and didnt get that much done. This will be the reverse of the piece and it now has the loop silver-soldered on. I always ensure that the solder seam is not visible and will now work those gaps close so there will be no silver line to spoil the patina I have planned. The cylinder of box-wood will be turned up to form the core of a lacquered bowl. The chisels in the foreground are those I've used so far.

more to follow, regards Ford

#11 User is offline   Jim Kelso 

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Posted 03 April 2007 - 12:15 PM

Coming very nicely indeed. As Magnus said, lovely transitions.
Our three most valuable tools: our thumbs, our imaginations, and our good-will.

My Webpage

#12 Guest_ford hallam_*

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Posted 03 April 2007 - 12:55 PM

Thanks Jim, :(

now for the tricky bit! I'm covering the moon in silver nunome-zogan which will then be polished out to create a shaded appearance. The edges of the clouds will be dusted with a fine silver haze, also onto a nunome-zogan ground. For anyone wondering about the new terms, here's a bit I wrote ages ago describing it, very briefly

Quote

......Sorry, i suppose it is a foreign language to some ( mostly the girlies, ), Damascening or nunome-zogan in Japanese is an overlay technique. The ground is cut in 3,4 or 5 different directions with very closely spaced, fine, parallel vertical cuts, typically 9 cuts to a single millimeter. This results in a surface which is comprised of lots and lots of tiny sharp peaks. It is into this prepared ground that the softer metal, usually gold or fine (pure ) silver wire, or foil, is worked with bamboo, horn or metal punches.

The original thread is here, it's post no;13. Good idea Janel :)

Seems odd to quote myself, I might get a big head! :)
more to follow........

#13 User is offline   Janel 

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Posted 03 April 2007 - 02:42 PM

Big head or not, the information is very helpful. One thing you might add is the context from which that quote came, or the url for that topic so we can more easily cross reference this information.

What sort of tool do you use to make the tiny cuts? Is the tool pricked, or punched or pulled or pushed, pressed? and how long is the line, 9 cuts/mm wide by a mm long? I am trying to visualize this minute action. Do the lined intersect one another or are the ~nine lines their own little patches? Thanks for humoring the "girlie". Perhaps each of the possibilities would offer its own textural result...?

One question about the color of the steel in the first full disc image, the one above the little hammers... why is the color a yellow or warm color? Is it just the digital white balance not set for the lighting?

I am looking forward to the rest of the tutorial! When is your web site going to be live?
Teachers open doors, you enter by yourself. Chinese proverb
What you can do, or dream you can, begin it; Boldness has genius, power and magic in it. ~ Goethe ~

Janel Jacobson's web site

#14 Guest_ford hallam_*

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Posted 03 April 2007 - 04:26 PM

Hi Janel,

I'll be posting the next few steps in a couple of hours, all will be revealed.

I have taken Giles' advice, I got a Canon 400D with a 60mm macro, am shooting tethered via the laptop using a remote control software package from an outfit called Breeze systems. It makes it amazingly easy to try out multitudes of camera settings and adjust all the various parameters. I'm also playing with the lighting to see which works best, some with natural light, some my bench light and some spots etc. I need to get the adobe light studio now to handle all this output!

back in a bit, I go and get that link to the quote above.

cheers, Ford

#15 Guest_ford hallam_*

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Posted 04 April 2007 - 08:09 AM

Hi all,

I thought it best to move the remainder of this sequence of images over to the tutorial section, 'cos it's starting to look like a tutorial. :) Here's a quick short-cut to continue....click here!

regards, Ford

#16 User is offline   Jim Kelso 

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Posted 04 April 2007 - 05:15 PM

View Postford hallam, on Apr 3 2007, 08:55 AM, said:

Seems odd to quote myself, I might get a big head! :)


You could always rig a special sling at your bench. :(
Our three most valuable tools: our thumbs, our imaginations, and our good-will.

My Webpage

#17 User is offline   Doug Sanders 

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Posted 04 April 2007 - 08:59 PM

Thanks for those studio shots Ford- there a quite a few ideas there I might plagarize. The small tool cabinet especially. I was lucky to acquire several old library card catalog units of six drawers each last year which are making due right now, but your case is ideal.

-Doug

#18 Guest_ford hallam_*

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Posted 05 April 2007 - 07:27 AM

hey Jim, some mornings I definitely feel as though I need my head in a sling :( :)

glad the "tour" was of use, Doug. :)

#19 User is offline   Debbie 

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Posted 09 March 2008 - 08:01 AM

View Postford hallam, on Mar 31 2007, 07:18 AM, said:

Hi all,

I've been documenting the making of the piece I'm presently working on and have the camera nicely set up in my studio. I took this picture a little while ago when I called it a day. I though you'd like to see how I do it! :rolleyes:

You can see a few chisels, a couple of scrapers and some Water of Ayre stones. The piece I'm carving is a steel disc, 40mm in diameter. It is mounted in Japanese pitch set in a steel bowl which weighs a ton. :) Apart from a piercing saw and file these tools are all I've used thus far.

I'll reveal all later.... :rolleyes:

regards, Ford B)


Ford - your link doesn't work anymore - is ther anyplace I may see your worksapce besides showing up at your door?
Debbie

#20 Guest_Clive_*

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Posted 09 March 2008 - 12:28 PM

Hi Debbie,

My brother Ford is no longer a member of this forum... a big loss to all of those members who appreciated that his knowledge and expertise was unrivalled. I understand that he will soon be launching a new carving forum and am sure, will there, be more than happy to answer any of your questions.

Clive
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