Stormcarver
 
 
I finished the black rosebud last night and did a preliminary finish. This was done completely freehand from a leftover piece of stone -- no plans, sketches, and no pattern drawn on the stone. I wanted to see how far I could go that way while testing some new tools, which I will show below.
Wednesday, November 22, 2006
Black Chlorite Rosebud ...and general update All images are the physical and intellectual property of Barbara Minnick, aka Stormcarver. Unauthorized use prohibited.
The most challenging part of this project was the depth and contours inside the outer petal. The curve of the body in this interior area was also difficult to match all the way around -- in part because of the close quarters. You can see how nicely this stone finishes, especially in contrast to the unfinished area inside the hole where the stem will be inserted. I do still have to carve the stem and decide what type of stone to create the thorn from. Will be doing that today. Now, for tools... I had a mishap. While working on the dragon, I actually snapped the 6mm knife blank I use more than any other tool. I quickly found out that Pfeil, the manufacturer of the blade, wasn’t making them anymore. Only Woodcraft had any in stock, and as luck would have it, it was the 6mm. I also looked for a blade that would be a replacement in the future; able to do what I need from the blank and available in the long-term. I decided to try out a blade made by Flexcut, the same company that made my larger gouges. Those have stayed sharp and work well, so...seemed like a good gamble.http://woodcraft.com/shapeimage_6_link_0
You see above the broken blade next to the replacement. The Flexcut pelican blade is also shown. Take a look at the handle. One of the things that really sold me on it was not only the blade shape, but the fact that the handle is designed to be held comfortably from many different positions. I have found that the Flexcut blade is very useful and easy to use, doing some things I hadn’t had access to previously. However, I still need to find a true replacement for the Pfeil blank. In the meantime, I will do my best to treat it gently! I was overjoyed to find that there is a Woodcraft store in town. One of the issues I have had ordering tools via internet has been that I’m not able to put my hands on the tool and estimate size and possibilities. Not anymore! Wahoo! While exploring the Woodcraft store (likely with a stupid grin on my face), I found the Butz blade above, a nice knife-roll that really gets me organized, and a set of picks that help immensely in small spaces. These, in addition to a diamond riffler set (blue background, below) have helped immeasurably with some carving tasks I have had to work out with a bit of problem in the past. The final addition of a fantastic self-sticking, textured safety tape, has really made my month!