Lapidaryforum.net
Off Topic Area => Other Hobbies => Topic started by: irockhound on April 12, 2018, 07:20:10 PM
-
Okay Okay, it isn't rock yet. I have never really tried carving but Kurt always produces such stunning pieces that I have been wanting to try my hand. On something easier than stone of course to start. I did the first carving of a sea turtle in Ironwood from Arizona. That turned out better than I thought i would do so I tried a second carving this time using cow bone. The cow bone hook isn't complete. I only have the bits from standard foredom/dremel kits and a few diamond bit I picked up but a lot of these aren't very good for the shapes I was trying. I still have to smooth out the hook and then look up the best way to polish Cow bone. I did a test piece of the bone in a coffee today to see about dying and it looked terrible and would really ruin to look of the hook so I think I and going to polish it the natural color. I know the tail is obvious and hopefully the leaves and shell for the top are legible. Funny when I look at it from certain angles the top also looks like a stylized parrot head too.
-
Holy cow, Steve! For your first attempts at carving, those are fabulous! You obviously have a talent for carving. The turtle is awesome and the hook really looks good, too. I would sand the bone with real fine sandpaper or diamond paper and then just hit it very lightly with some zam. The zam won't change the color of the bone I don't think (maybe do a test piece first).
-
Welcome to the club.
Thanks for the kudos, but credit needs to go round. I'm just a small peanut in a vast pool of incredible talent shown here on regular basis.
Looking good. You obviously have a gift for creating shapes.
Keep exploring materials and experiment with the tools you have got.
You will be surprised just how much you can get out of them. There will be enough time to stock up on tools as you go along and find out what you really need and which direction you would like to go.
-
I'm digging that Sea Turtle! :icon_sunny:
Keep carving! They both look awesome!
-
Awesome!
-
I'm impressed. The hook looks like Ivory or maybe Walrus Tooth.
-
Thanks everyone, the cow bone does give the look of ivory. It's a shame I still have Ivory that I bought over the years and a good amount (most of it) is fossil ivory from Alaska that being in California I now cannot use. Don't know of a Mammoth that was killed for it's tusks but still part of the ban. I also have about 6 Tagua Nuts I can use which is VERY similar to Ivory. Still trying to decide on the next project. I want to push further but not so far with my limited skills so far that it would be doomed, lol. I have really liked the idea of doing a horse head but concerned about the depth, we'll see.
ps: I also loved Kurt's snakes and would love to try something similar but don't want to just copy the idea.
-
We all copy nature, rather than each-other.
There is simply nothing trully new out there.
Somehow in some way, everything has been done before.
Seeing your post again, since the original post, I for one am thinking now of turtle in the near future.......
-
I can't wait to see what you can do with it.
-
I'm a cabinet maker by trade. Only really do very abstract carving (shaping on furniture), but those are amazing first attempts.
-
Wonderful job on both of those.
-
Fantastic carvings. Keep it up! Great talent!