After The Glue Sets Again
Again I am waiting
for the glue to set as again I am filling cracks, some old some new. Some just
a smear of glue will do until you have a smooth finish. It is possible to
eliminate most cracks on a sculpture but it is time consuming, and will not
guarantee that when you invest all this time into something like this you are
determined to make it last.
So at this point
you decide to change where it sits or treat it special, by the meaning of keeping it in a dry place or changing its
environment. Care must be taken to not drastically change that environment by
bringing a carving inside. This may make it crack more. Instead try to modify
its original placement. The carving I am working on has been around 7 +years I
have been carving. That is a long time and will last longer since I am in the
process of refinishing. This carving may well last many years more. I gave this
carving to mom for some reason her birthday whatever, as I tend to forget.
Anyhow sometimes it is because she makes a fuss over it and then I couldn’t
sell it if i wanted to.
If you look in
the pics I am showing you, you will see the cracks being filled again and also
a pic of the base. I am using my new air brush from Harbor Freight. It is ok
but may end up going with my double action air brush. I started painting the
blue on the base indicating the water. I found the new air brush to be hard to
get the right mix of paint and thinnner to get a consistent covering. And some places
I want it thin as in a wash to let the grain show through and other places
heavy. Multiple coats will do the same thing. The trouble is I am always in a
hurry to get something like a carving done just want it over with after I finish
carving. But the finish is half the sale of the carving, as it completely changes
the look of a bare carving. Finish is important as you want it to last for a
time. I would like to think it is a legacy of ones work, and would like to
think I do quality work. At the same time I am not afraid to stack my work up
against others and feel proud for my unique vision. I’m not the best but
hopefully representative of my fellow carvers. I also give to the people
information on how to do the work I am doing as I never had the benefit of any
training in what I do.
So in the
process of learning how to care for a carving you are also learning how to
carve. You are learning how to fix your mistakes. The old adage of you can take
it off but you can’t put it back on is in reality hogwash. Some will tell you a
lot of things but in the end it is hard to find a piece of wood large enough to
carve an elephant out of if you wanted to but you can glue enough pieces together
and carve a large full size elephant if you wanted to. Knowing how to fix your
mistakes is important. You will make many if you plan to chainsaw carve very
long.
But in the end
you can realize that the information I am offering can be used for a lot of
other purposes. As wood is all around us in our lives,in the cabinet doors that
can be fixed and reused like new, saving a tree somewhere. Wood can be forgiving. Re-sanded and smoothed
it can make the high end floors we admire so much. There is a big market in
tearing down century old barns and salvaging the wood to make flooring and
siding for one’s home. This process of stripping the land of old barns is forever
changing our landscape as barns once ruled the rural area as farmer’s took
pride in their barns . It is great to see the wood reused if the barn is down,
but in some cases these barns could have been salvaged.
Anyhow recycled
wood is always better. And preserving your carving will only make it last
longer so it is in your interest to make it last. Will start painting on the
fish itself today. Hope you enjoy the pics of Obama and his son Trouble.
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