black capped chickadee

[mysticpeterson]

hi everyone
hope everyone is having luck with their carving and health. ok my latest carving is on picturetrail the link is below its under the album birds.please let me know what you think.
* thank you
* tim
http://www.picturetrail.com/gallery/...mp;uid=1790560

Cool! I like the idea of the cattails.

Al

[Callynne]

Nice job Tim! Did you do the cattails yourself or are they real or purchased ones? I've been thinking about using some with a carving but didn't know how to go about it. Callynne

[mysticpeterson]

thanks all
the cattails i made from bass wood and skew for kabobs

Callynne.if you have access to a small lathe, do what I've done, and turned cattail heads from cherry, or better yet burl of some kind, if you can get it. Then stain the heads a dark color, like walnut or even a dark oak or pine. The grain and burl forms give the heads a real nice textured look! I put small sharpened dowels in the top for the spike, and uses the same dowels for the stems. Leaves were made by cutting thin strips of pine and cutting the ends to a point. They can then be soaked in hot water and bent to the shape you want.
By finishing them with a light green acrylic wash, they come out looking like real cattail leaves.

I like the idea of the bamboo skewers, too.....just the right size and strong, to boot!

Al

Al

[David_Aaron_Sercel]

Very nice Carving!

very nice bird,your really moving along.you might want to consider losing the rose wall paper in the back ground of your picture trail it detracts from your picture

[Callynne]

Thanks Al, I don't have a lathe though....hmmm, maybe yet another 'addition' to consider! Thanks for the leaf tip too, that one will definitely come in handy! Callynne

[mysticpeterson]

if your like me and dont have a lathe then you could do what i did. i am sure you have a rotary tool correct? if so then you can use the mandrel with the screw on top just cut a small piece of wood equal on all for sides round them off first then slowly and by hand screw it onto the mandrel not to tightly or you can break the wood . use it on low speed to fast and the next part can burn your fingers now take a piece of sand paper curl your fingers with the sandpaper in it and shape the cattail top the way you want it when done the hole from the mandrel is about the right size for the bamboo skew just glue it on.

I hate to see people use tools that way Mystic! I know many times we have to improvise but a person can sure get 'all wound up' doing things like that!! a cheapo drill press would be a little safer! (have seen as low as 39.00 at harborfreight) Not nitpicking, just hate to see someone get hurt! From experience, a drill press ripped a new glove off my hand while trying to hold a block of wood...I know, why gloves? because it was spinning in my hand! Not smart no matter what!! LOL (was being watched over that time, ripped the glove off and not a mark on me....scared the #$%&* out of me tho! lol) Oh...for info....now own a drill press vise ha ha!!!