(January 17, 2000 was my first carving day.)
03-07-10 Sunday
47 degrees in morning, 65 when I arrived at Mom's house at 10, 72 as the high. Blue skies until after noon when some dark puffs of clouds started slipping in from the west. It was not until around three that the clouds actually got in the way of the sun a few times. Light breeze, just heavy enough to allow fine saw dust to disappear. Sitting in the sun tended to be the right temperature. enough to warm you up, but not enough to make you feel hot.
This weather report was brought to you by the City Of Pompano Beach Department of Tourism.
I took ill Tuesday and did not want to be out in the cold of my porch to do sanding, so I am already a week behind on that preparation for the art show. By Thursday, the illness was almost gone. it was like a sinus thing, eyes acting up, runny nose. it was a very slight tickle Saturday and only a slight chest tickle is left on Sunday.
FRIDAY
Went to the antique shop to pick up my stuff for the show. I was surprised at how much stuff I had. they were kind of spread out. I ended up with a whole bin worth of stuff. With the swapping of a few items, this is all the turnings I need to bring to the art show.
While there, I took pictures of a few items in the store. I found there was these cats carved out of posts. The carving is really just light shaping. the painting is everything. I thought I would use them for Christmas ornaments next year. They would be easy to make. I would depend more on the carving than on the painting.
Post Cats to copy for ornaments
He sells costume jewelry there. the sales from them goes to a wine and cheese tasting party he has each month. I saw this pin and just had to have it. I have no idea why, but it looked like something I have to have so I purchased it for four bucks.
horn or winged pin I picked up
I stopped at a thrift store and picked up three books. The autobiography of Eddy Rickenbacker, who was the first American Ace in world war one. THE BASIC EVERYDAY ENCYCLOPEDIA (single book of highlights. and TIME LIFE BOOKS HOW THINGS WORK IN OUR HOME And What to do when they don't.
SATURDAY
We went yard sailing, hitting like eight yard sales, which included two rummage sales, I guess that is what you can call sales in condominiums. I picked up three more books. THE BEST OF HENNY YOUNGMAN, then RADIO SHACK BASIC ELECTRONICS, and GREAT 2x4 ACCESSORIES FOR YOUR HOME which is simple shelving, hat racks, decorations one can make.
At another yard sale, I picked up a salad bowl and two figurines (a whole seventy five cents for all three. I saw this stylized lion figurine and decided I had to have it. I was trying to find a dollar's worth of stuff. I got an elephant bank. Those two might become GO BY's where I can go by their design for one of my carvings.
Lion and elephant figurines.
I walked out back to consider wood working, digging out some of my stuff, and then decided it was not going to happen, especially when I found that I forgot the one thing I really wanted to work on.
SUNDAY
Woodworking!!!!
I brought the Sea Urchin shells with me, which was what I really wanted to work with yesterday. the beast in the back yard is acting so close to being a cat that I have to remind myself to pay attention to his moods.
I followed my decision to work on the sea urchin shells and to use the lathe. I needed to make finials for the shells to make them Christmas Ornaments. I had two I had added finials to and they got broke. I broke them apart to get the finials, rather than taking the time to figure out a way to repair or modify them for use. I needed the shells to measure what I needed for the mountings.
I took a piece of Black Walnut and made a finial, going really thin and long. I did not quite have the guts to go as thin as I should have. I used a really simple design too. I tend to make things able to take a little abuse as I am closer to Godzilla when it comes to handling things. Delicate does not survive long around me.
After the finial, I took another piece of Black Walnut and made little nobs for the top of the ornaments for the eye hook to hang them.
I decided to take some tissue paper and work it into the bodies of the ornaments to give them a little more support. When I glued the finials in place, I let the glue go onto the paper to help hold them in place. I will know later in the week as to how well I did. I will take them out, touch up a little, then give them good coats of varnish to finish them up.
I figured something out on these shells. Experience is how you learn what you did wrong. You do a project and then figure out how to do it right next time.
With the Sea urchin Shells, I needed to give them a good coat of varnish. the idea is to make them easier to clean when you mess up. One shell got all dirty from my messing with it. I will paint it with white spray paint to save it.
Sea Urchin Ornaments with the finials.
The plate I was sanding last week, needed more sanding. I did some hand sanding, then got an idea. I had the lathe out so I remounted it onto the lathe.
I am developing a mounting system for making plates. I found it works pretty good for this started plate. I have two wood face plates I made that fits into the bottom and base of the plate. when I make a plate. I use these face plates for measuring. One is held in the chuck, while the other is held in place with the tail stock. I cut into the wood next to the tail stock, then cut in the base, shaping and flattening it. I cut the back of the rim to shape. I put double sided tape on the tail stock face plate, then put it back into place and use the tail stock to clamp it in place. I run the lathe to get it settled into place.
I can now remove the plate, turn it around and get to work on the inside of the platter. this time the face plate measures the bottom of the platter where the food will be. Many times I will leave it in place until I have the rim pretty good, then remove the face plate and cut the center down to the depth it needs to be.
What I did with the platter I am sanding, was I mounted it as close to center as I could. it was not really center and I think the platter warped slightly over the years. I spun it slowly and ran sand paper on the rim and in the center until it was quite acceptable. I double sided taped the face plate onto my work surface and made sure it was stuck well, then flipped the platter around, did some sanding on the rim, then removed the face plate to work the back.
In the process, I went so far as to use my bowl gouge to fix an edge of the center a little.
The platter wobbled as it spun around, but I was able to get it fixed up pretty good.
I have some spots that still need some hand sanding with course grit, then I can turn my attention to sanding it with finer grits until it is ready to varnish. I saved myself a lot of effort and proved my mounting system a bit more.
I finished my day, packing stuff up and looking at books, talking about projects and stuff.
platter I am refinishing. Note the light stuff in the knot. that is filler. I will paint it to blend when I get the sanding the way I want it.
This week, I need to start sorting out my work, examining the finish, and re-finishing what is not up to my latest skills. Some will need to be sanded down to the wood and refinished, while others might only need fresh varnish to bring them to standard. There are pieces that I know will be in the show, and then there are pieces I need to compare to see what gets selected. I do want some cheap stuff, and some expensive stuff. A good mixture.
I need to dig out my carvings and see what they need to become finished. I have my small stuff at home, and need to look at the big carvings at Mom's house too.
I have a number of pieces in process and they need to be finished too. Some can be sanded until I get to Mom's house again to do more work.
I, of course, have some projects that must be done before the show. They do have priority.
I will see what I actually do next weekend.
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