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  1. #1
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    Default Carving or Model making?

    G'day all,

    I got a request last week from a chap who collects and rally races antique and classic cars. He has a 1949 Bristol that he has entered in a Queensland rally in Sept. Anyway, part of the conditions of enty is to make a model of the car you're entering and enter it (the model) in a pre-rally race down an incline. The proceeds go to charity.

    The rally organisers send all competitors four plastic wheels and two wire axels... that's it. Most model entries are pretty basic I'm told. Anyway this guy wants something special this year so he asked me to carve a model of his Bristol.

    All I had to work with were the wheels and a small metal cast model of the car in question. I measured the small car wheels and the ones the organisers supplied to work our a ratio and then took about a squillion measurements off the small model and extrapolated them to get dimentions for the carving.

    From that I developed a pattern. I didn't have a solid block of wood big enough so I glued two pine blocks together and cut the blank out on a bandsaw. From there it was chisles, files and rotory cutters for the shape. Finally sanding and a straight blade for the detail cutting.

    I fitted the axels provided into brass tubing I got at a model craft store and glued the assembely into slots I cut in the underside with a back saw, making sure the wheels turned freely.

    One final hitch... the car had to weigh less than 250 grams! I used a router and then a rotary burr to painstakingly hollow out the inside from underneath. In places the walls are so thin you can see light through them, but eventually I got it down to 242 grams. This took far longer to do than the carving of the car itself.

    The client wanted to paint it himself as he has just the right colour to match the real car. With only 8 grams to play with, lets hope he doesn't use lead paint!

    I've never done anything like this before. After having done it once, I can see where I could have done things a bit better, but I am fairly please with it as a first try. But is it carving or is it model making? Is there a difference? Does anybody give a damn?

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  3. #2
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    Default

    In my book , if it's carved from wood , it's a a carving. If you like , it's a carved model
    Good work , btw - shame about the wheels , wooden ones would' ve been so much better
    It's a slow and painful process...the secret is, dont mind the pain.(Ian Norbury)
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    Ivan Chonov

  4. #3
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    Quote Originally Posted by Whittling View Post
    But is it carving or is it model making? Is there a difference? Does anybody give a damn?
    No, not about the semantics anyway,
    the car however is great lots of tricky hollowing,

    what if the hokey pokey is really what it's all about?

  5. #4
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    Default

    Nice work, it looks great, well done.
    Reality is no background music.
    Cheers John

  6. #5
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    Quote Originally Posted by Artesano View Post
    In my book , if it's carved from wood , it's a a carving. If you like , it's a carved model
    Good work , btw - shame about the wheels , wooden ones would' ve been so much better
    Agreed, but unfortunately its part of the entry conditions that everyone starts with the same wheels and axels. After that, as long as it comes in under 250 gms in weight, anything goes.

  7. #6
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    My posrt was not a critic at you , Whittling- I ' new it was a condition "sine qua non" - it's just the way that wheels look like ..what was that expression about the sore thumb
    It's a slow and painful process...the secret is, dont mind the pain.(Ian Norbury)
    ________________________
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    Ivan Chonov

  8. #7
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    No worries Arte. Didn't take your comment as a critisism. Happen to agree with you, but as you say... conditions of entry etc.

    It does bring up another point though, that I'm beginning to experience a bit more often these days. What happens when you are doing a commission and you know it would look much better one way but your client wants it another way.

    Do you argue for your artisitic integrity or do you shut up, do it their way and take the money?

  9. #8
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    Just a footnote to the 'carving or model' thread. The fellow picked up his model Bristol this morning. He was very happy so I guess all my worry over the flaws I saw in it was unnecessary. Beauty in the eye of the beholder and all that.

    So now we have another happy camper and I've got one more new experience.

  10. #9
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    Quote Originally Posted by Whittling View Post
    It does bring up another point though, that I'm beginning to experience a bit more often these days. What happens when you are doing a commission and you know it would look much better one way but your client wants it another way.

    Do you argue for your artisitic integrity or do you shut up, do it their way and take the money?
    This one is a bit tricky - I' ve done quite a number of comissions , and usually prepare more than one drawing - different degrees of detail and hours of work , so the client can choose the one he/she likes more...and is more prepared to pay for. Anyway , if you can't convince the client your way is better , even with the "it would be FAR more expensive the orher way" argument , no hard feelings , do it as they ask and take the money (just don't forget to charge them a bit more for not listen to the pro ) .Artistic integrity is for the works you do 'cause you want to-IMO , the comissions are different.
    It's a slow and painful process...the secret is, dont mind the pain.(Ian Norbury)
    ________________________
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    Ivan Chonov

  11. #10
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    Quote Originally Posted by Artesano View Post
    (just don't forget to charge them a bit more for not listen to the pro ) .Artistic integrity is for the works you do 'cause you want to-IMO .
    Yep, what Artesano said.
    I've found that I learn more from commissions that are in a style that I would'nt normally do.
    Anyways, eventually they'll come to you because they like your work,

    what if the hokey pokey is really what it's all about?

  12. #11
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    It would be nice to be wealthy enough to be pedantic, the rest of us take the money. As I said to one client the other day, regarding some possible unusual additions to a bookshelf, if you want handlebars and peddles on it, it's ok with me!
    Instagram: mark_aylward
    www.solidwoodfurniture.com.au


    A good edge takes a little sweat!!

  13. #12
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    Thumbs up

    Well done Whittling.:2tsup.

    The question of artistic integrity is interesting. I wonder how many of the old masters' paintings that have been examined and shown to have been changed as work progressed were the result of such conflict,

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