Happy New Year

Want to take the time to thank all who check in here occasionally and the regular followers. Wishing everyone good luck, good health and happiness as we ring in the new year.

Randy

Paint Table

Here is a view of my painting area pre-holiday. I don't like to paint so this is where carvings tend to pile up. I was able to get all of them painted before Christmas, even had a couple days to spare.

Looks like I still had Halloween carvings on the table, I finished those in time too. It's good to be caught up. Time to start some new projects.

Christmas Ornament Exchange

This was my first year participating in the ornament exchange with Woodcarving Illustrated. . There were twenty-four woodcarvers involved from all over the country. I carved and sent twenty-four Santa ornaments, including one to the WCI magazine......................

Here are the ornaments I received...................

This was a great exchange I plan on joining in again next year.

The First Noel...........

.......................the Angels did sing.......
Every year I carve a special gift for my wife, this year she requested an angel. This is my first attempt at carving a female or child like face, I lost track of how many times I re-carved it. Carved from basswood it is 9 1/2" tall mounted on an 1 3/4" cherry base. Started out by cutting the side profile with a band-saw  then hand carved with various gouges and chisels. The finish is a 50/50 mixture of boiled linseed oil and mineral spirits. I then applied three light coats of Deft Satin and a coat of Howard's Feed-N-Wax.

Carvings From Christmas Past

I have been working on ornaments for this year, but don't want to post pics until after Christmas. Some of the recipients might be checking in here, and I don't want to spoil the surprise. So here are some carvings from last year. Comments welcome.......

Pirate Walking Stick

I received a special order from my three year old great-nephew, he wanted a pirate walking stick. This is what I came up with, carved from aspen. The color is diluted acrylic paint, sealed with three coats of Deft lacquer. It is 48" tall, a large staff for him now. But still a nice size as he grows older, if he still has it and wants to use it.

New Santa Knife

I haven't posted anything in a while. Been busy with remodeling around the house. But I finally found some time to finish my new detail knife. Painted this one with a thinner wash than the first one. Can't wait to put it to use.                                            

      

New Carving Knife Update

Well here is the first knife finished up and already in New York. Now I need to find time to carve mine.

New Carving Knives

A fellow woodcarver and knife maker in New York recently proposed a swap on the Woodcarving Illustrated Message Board. He would send two of his carving knives with basswood handles. I carve the handles into anything I want, and send him one back. I get  a great carving knife and he gets a carving for his collection. Well they arrived and now the wheels are turning. Check back and see what I find hidden in these wooden handles.

Santa #2 for 2012

Here is my second Santa for this year. He started out as half of a basswood log. Roughed out with mallet tools, finished with hand tools. He measures 13" long by 7 1/2" wide and 5" thick. He was painted using acrylic wash and sealed with a light coat of Deft lacquer.