davidinedinburgh Posted June 8, 2011 Report Share Posted June 8, 2011 Carving number 3. This is supposed to be a panther (maybe crossed with a polar bear ... global warming!) The wood is saple (?) - that's what the man said - is it some maple variant? Anyway, any advice on how to polish it up - the wood is very hard. Thanks. David. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janel Posted June 9, 2011 Report Share Posted June 9, 2011 HI David, I find that with really hard, dense and tight grained woods, that I can continue up the grit scale with sanding paper and emery cloth, from 400, 600, 1000, 1500, 2000, then the fabric backed rubber grit (modern emery cloth?) up to 12,000. This brings a polish with shine. (example: http://janeljacobson.com/carvings/409.html) A protective finish might enhance the depth and quality of the shine. Test a separate piece of wood with the sanding regimen and various kinds of finish applications before committing the completed carving to the end treatments. The example of the centipede piece uses a contrast of dulled wood and shiny. This may also be a technique that might work with your piece. All shiny might be too much shiny. The different effects are your pallet for working with the characteristics of the wood and sculpture. Let us know how it works out for you, what ever you choose to do. Janel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Baz Posted June 9, 2011 Report Share Posted June 9, 2011 Hi David Not sure about the polishing but the wood looks like sapele mahogany. Love the carving, full of energy Barry Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thomas M. Posted June 9, 2011 Report Share Posted June 9, 2011 This is supposed to be a panther (maybe crossed with a polar bear ... global warming!) I love it!!! I admit, I thought "Wow, nice pant...bear..." No, really, that a nice carving, and you managed to reveal the feline spirit out of this piece of wood. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davidinedinburgh Posted June 10, 2011 Author Report Share Posted June 10, 2011 Thank you. Janel I will try to find those sanding materials - but as you say maybe a high polish is not required. I looked at your website - some remarkable work there - thanks for your guidance. Baz You are right - it is sapele - very, very hard wood. Thomas i am tempted to try to slim him down - but I have already started my next piece which is based on an Alfred Durer drawing of a skeleton ridding a horse - maybe a little too ambitious. Actually, that's another question - for a small, intricate carving (3 inches square max) which wood would you recommend? I am going to try Lime first. Any ideas? Again, thank you all for your input. David. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davidinedinburgh Posted June 10, 2011 Author Report Share Posted June 10, 2011 This is my "blank" for the reaper (a little morbid, I'm sorry). You can see it will be quite detailed - will the lime tolerate it? David Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thomas M. Posted June 11, 2011 Report Share Posted June 11, 2011 Hi David, I really am not an expert but why won't you try a very fine grain wood such as boxwood? I think it should be easy, but lime is quite good as well. You'll tell us . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
E George Posted June 14, 2011 Report Share Posted June 14, 2011 Hi Dave, Excellent carving. Cat anatomy is very subtle and you have captured it. Type of finish used on a carving depends on what the carver wishes to express. For example, a fish might be highly polished to give a sense of being in water. Personally, the satin or low luster finish that your photos show suits a cat's fur. A high gloss finish might detract from your piece. As Janel recommends, test some different finishes on some scrap pieces. A light coating of boiled linseed oil before a protective coating will bring out the character of the wood. For that type of wood consider trying some low luster or satin polyurethane. Also look into Tripoli buffing compound. Or just use a good paste wax as a protective coating. If you can find a copy of John Rood's book Sculpture in Wood, there is a very good chapter on finishing. The book is out of print so look for it in a public library, in a used book store or on the internet. Have fun carving. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yloh Posted October 14, 2011 Report Share Posted October 14, 2011 Nicely done. Thanks for sharing. Yloh Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davidinedinburgh Posted October 31, 2011 Author Report Share Posted October 31, 2011 Nicely done. Thanks for sharing. Yloh Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davidinedinburgh Posted October 31, 2011 Author Report Share Posted October 31, 2011 Thank you Yloh. I am still carving; still trying to improve. My latest subject is a little bit twee – a boy reading on a pile of books based, I think, on Rodin’s Thinker masterpiece. I am using a photo of someone else’s work – an American (?) who does life size work. Whilst it is rather common subject matter, it is my first attempt at the human form. It is proving tricky to get the proportions correct – especially the head, particularly when you need to leave it “over-sized” initially so that you can leave room for the detail. I am using soft wood which makes for faster work – if it works out successfully, I may try Le Penseur himself in hard wood. Well, you have to set yourself challenges… Cheers, David. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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