Thread: Gargoyle-sticks

very nice....un grand bravo

Those are amazing faces. Your control of the left/right symmetry is still beyond me.
So much end grain work. How do you hold the stick for carving?

Good question ! It wasn't probably the best but was fast and easy. I put it on the bench, a piece of scrap soft woot onto, and a big clamp ! Almost efficient but it sometimes have a tendency to turn and slip out on the right. Next time I'll make a jig or something.
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Wonderful work Copeau. What did you fume with?

Great stuff. Marvelous expression.

And what is fuming?

Originally Posted by raav

Great stuff. Marvelous expression.

And what is fuming?

Sorry, i didn't explained....

Fuming usually works with tannic woods like oak, chestnut, walnut (but it would be a shame on walnut)... couldn't say for australian woods
It consist to enclose the piece of wood in a bag with a cup of ammonia. After a few hours/days (depending on the concentration of tannin in the wood), the ammonia steam darken the wood (kinda magic, you don't even have to put some on the wood !). you can stop when you're happy with the colour or let it, it will become brownish-almost black.
It is used like an ageing process (and would also work with an old jar of or by burying under a pile of manure for some time ).
It looks like the new wood on the branch doesn't have any tannin. It was a quite new branch on a tree wich fell down with the wind.

My first try was with this little head some time ago, a protuberence of chestnut burl, and i really liked the result.
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Very nice, very clever, Fuming... well you learn something everyday, I hope it was the ammonia technique you used and not one of the other two.

I answered this on another site, but I'll say it again.... brilliant work. I am curious about the technique you used to fume such long objects. Do you need to enclose them with the ammonia and if so what did you use?

Originally Posted by Whittling

I am curious about the technique you used to fume such long objects. Do you need to enclose them with the ammonia and if so what did you use?

I cut a 35 litres garbage bag in two all along in the middle and used adhesive tape to make a long "pipe" with the two parts.

..Fun pieces...love them

Just love Gargoyles, and what a great piece of carving.
Thanks for showing.

Great couple of carvings.

I think the way the fuming has gone makes for a more interesting finished stick. And on the first I particularly like the gaping mouth.

Gargoyles certainly have an attraction all of their own you either love them or hate them, I am in the first category.

Love 'em!!

I have been saving some birch planks with really nicely figured heart wood.
Don't know what I'll make of them so far.

Fuming: what does the moisture content of the wood need to be? Green wood could be 35%, air dried maybe 12-15% and house dried might be as low as 5%.

I have enough offcuts that the experiments will be fun to do. Will they smell much of ammonia for a long time afterwards?