JP Anderson Posted November 21, 2011 Report Share Posted November 21, 2011 This is based on a hardy weed that was flowering in the middle of our gravel driveway mid-August one year. It was my first project in sterling silver and it was a carving pleasure. The bracelet is push graved and cleaned up with a small scraper and burnisher followed by hand polishing. It's 16 gauge Sterling Silver, 6" bracelet that was formed over a shaped hardwood block with a soft plastic mallet. Critique is welcome. John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Don Barnhill Posted November 22, 2011 Report Share Posted November 22, 2011 Beautiful work, thanks for sharing the photo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sharry t Posted November 22, 2011 Report Share Posted November 22, 2011 Looks beautiful, how long did it take? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robert Palmer Posted November 23, 2011 Report Share Posted November 23, 2011 very nice design, and considering how much harder developing such skill with a single arm all the more amazing. Thank you for sharing your work. Robert Palmer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JP Anderson Posted November 23, 2011 Author Report Share Posted November 23, 2011 Sharry, It took longer than anything I've carved to date. I quit counting at 60 hours but estimate between 80-100 hours. Not very many compared to how long Janel spends on a wood carving. It was a study piece and the design wasn't meant to be fast carving. It was a real eye opener for me when I discovered how long someone like Janel Jacobson or Phil Coggan spend executing a project. I was raised by a farmer to build things fast and crude with the primary goal being function. I still fight the urge to do everything in a hurry. It's probably my biggest handicap. Thank you all for the comments and especially for sharing your skills and techniques. Janel, thank you for this website. John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Janel Posted November 23, 2011 Report Share Posted November 23, 2011 Thank you John. It is folks like you who contribute and are helpful to others that make this forum work. It is good to see the progress that you have made since you joined the forum. The blend of smooth and textured surfaces makes me think that this piece would feel good to touch. As far as working on a piece, I just scrape away until it is done. (Well maybe there is a little more to it...) Janel Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dennis Hoshield Posted November 27, 2011 Report Share Posted November 27, 2011 Hi, John ... Critique?? ... sure .... WOW! :-) Nice job! I haven't tried working with metal yet. When I do .. I hope I would have the patience for it. I am intrigued by your gravers. Yours looks more like what I would expect ... large, rounded, textured, and somewhat form fitted. I see few like that .. most are some form of a stick. Thanks for the post! Dennis Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JP Anderson Posted November 30, 2011 Author Report Share Posted November 30, 2011 Dennis, I like graver questions. My first tool was made with ignorance and ambition and had a puck of wood for a handle. I made a few normal handles that look like a wooden mushroom but found I preferred the puck shape or something like the three on the left. I sometimes hold my graver like pencil and use them like a scraper and like the wood to run down the shank a bit for something to grip. 90% of my carving is with the two tools on the left. I have some other handles that are much nicer but they don't get used much. The burnisher on the left the handle is all wrong for the job but I use it anyway. The handle on the tool under the bracelet is a scraper and it works well. I use all sides on the burnisher and scraper and the handle needs to be symmetrical, unlike the blond handle. Mostly any thing that gives me a firm grip works fine. By far the biggest feature is they all are unique which makes it easy to pick the one you want out of a pile of a dozen tools. Thanks for the comments, John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.