Phil White Posted March 13, 2009 Report Share Posted March 13, 2009 Hi All, After over a year of evenings and weekends, I have finally finished and installed my latest heraldic sculpture. This piece was commissioned by the Canadian Nurses Association, and is my interpretation of the written description of their recently granted arms. The sculpture was carved in basswood, then gilded with 23 k gold leaf, and finally painted with artists oils. The basswood grown in Canada is very similar to limewood in the UK, or linden in Europe. It is relatively large, about 39" or 1 meter tall and 5" or 12 cm thick at the center. For those interested in the carving and gilding process I will post a tutorial, focusing on one of the smaller components; the lion crest above the shield. Any and all comments welcome. Best regards, Phil Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janel Posted March 13, 2009 Report Share Posted March 13, 2009 Thank you for posting the whole piece photos. I was wondering how the rest of it looked. Where, and how, will it be installed? You described the dimensions of this piece, and in the tutorial photos I noticed that the block you started with was made from joining pieces together. What and how did you do that part of preparing the wood for the large project? Janel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil White Posted March 13, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 13, 2009 Janel, The piece was installed in the lobby of the headquarters of the Canadian Nurses Association here in Ottawa last week. The block was made by laminating 40" long pieces of 2 1/2" X 5" basswood. the boards were run through a thickness planer, then laminated with ordinary white glue. The photos below show the block before it was carved or sawn, and after the carving was finished: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kwinn Posted March 13, 2009 Report Share Posted March 13, 2009 Wow, that's nice work. Thanks for sharing with us. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dick Bonham Posted March 13, 2009 Report Share Posted March 13, 2009 Hi Phil, I, also was wondering what the completed crest looked like. It is beautiful. Your work is amazing! Dick www.erbonham.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sergio Posted March 13, 2009 Report Share Posted March 13, 2009 Hi Phil, very beautifull work, superbe. You stick together the differents parts of wood to avoid the cracks ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil White Posted March 13, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 13, 2009 Thanks, Dick & Sergio! Much appreciated. Sergio, I chose to laminate the block because, as you suggest, the wood is more stable this way, and since it was intended to be painted and gilded, the lamination lines were not an issue. Secondly, it would be impossible to get a block this size without laminating. Si vous avez des questions en français, soyez libre à les posez en français puis je pourrai les traduire. Phil Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hyllyn Posted March 15, 2009 Report Share Posted March 15, 2009 It's wonderful to see your work Phil. Please do post that tutorial one day and do forgive my lack of communication with you in the past months. Best regards Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Kelso Posted March 15, 2009 Report Share Posted March 15, 2009 Very impressive Phil! Thanks for sharing that. Jim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toothy Posted March 15, 2009 Report Share Posted March 15, 2009 Hi Phil The crest looks stunning. Thanks for the tut as well. I see you say you used white glue - PVA? Are you not concerned that there might be some movement between boards? I learned, from books etc, that one should use a glue like Cascamite (whatever its latest name is). In any case it looks really good. Toothy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil White Posted March 15, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 15, 2009 Hyllyn, Good to hear from you! I thought this might bring you out, since you had expressed an interest in the subject. Nothing to forgive, we all get busy. As you have probably discovered, the tutorial was posted. Thanks Jim, much appreciated. Toothy, Yes, it was a PVA glue, but I was incorect when I said ordinary white. It was in fact a brownish PVA based cabinetmaker's glue from Lee Valley Tools that is excellent for this type of work. I have never noticed any problem with it, even after several years in a climate that can range from +40 degrees C and 100 % RH in the summer to -40 and 5% RH in the winter. The glue is a little bit harder than regular white PVA once dry, and doesn't tend to move, but still has some flexibility. Phil Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Ruslander Posted March 15, 2009 Report Share Posted March 15, 2009 Awesome, as is everything you do, Phil. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil White Posted March 17, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 17, 2009 Thanks for your kind words, Mike. Phil Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Debbie Posted March 18, 2009 Report Share Posted March 18, 2009 very good work Phil, thank you for showing us. Your tutorial will be interesting to read. Debbie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil White Posted March 20, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 20, 2009 Thanks very much, Debbie Hope you enjoy the tutorial. Phil Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Chan Posted March 20, 2009 Report Share Posted March 20, 2009 Nice carving, and the painting is beautifully done too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toothy Posted March 20, 2009 Report Share Posted March 20, 2009 Hi Phil Thanx for the reply. It sounds like you are using the same type that I tend to use. It is an aliphatic glue known here as "Alcolin Professional", is a yellowish colour and more brittle/harder than "white glue" when set. Toothy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil White Posted March 22, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 22, 2009 Hi Toothy, It is similar. Here's the description, if you are interested: Lee Valley cabinet makers glue Phil Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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