The Brainstorm

I can't remember whether I've posted this one before but even if I did I think he deserves a second look. I have no idea of what came to him after he pulled the light chain but it must be something he approves of. I did this one back in 2003 and for the life of me I can't find a record of what the nameplate says. "What I've Lost On Top........." is the only part of the phrase I can locate. I know it has something to do with his being bald but he just as well could be having that "Brainstorm". Whatever, I think the expression is a great one.
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There are a few more photos in the Gallery and as always, comments are welcome.
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Oh....and thanks for sticking your pin location in that map. I'm still trying to figure out how my buddy John up in Alaska ended up in the middle of the Atlantic!

Stretching His Rope-Part 3

I was finally able to get back into the shop today so I finished the base and the main part of the figures body.
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Before mounting the body I suggest you do a little experiment in front of a mirror, standing in a similar manner as this figure. If you look closely you'll note that you lean in the direction of the supporting leg. If you try to straighten that leg up you'll lose your balance. Remember this little detail when you mount the figure. If you look at the photo you can see I placed him just a little off-center. Don't want him to fall off the bookshelf!
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In the photos I also suggest a good reference book: Cowboys & The Trappings Of The Old West. I use that book on a constant basis to find new ways to do things. Naturally, there are others out there but this is one of the best.
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In the next part we'll do the arms. Lots of photos in the Gallery.

A Few Notes of Interest

You've probably noted that my posts have been a little slow lately. The reason for this is that things have necessitated our spending half of each day travelling back and forth to Joplin, Missouri for medical appointments. Nothing serious, just preventative. This, along with taking care of Boomer's pnemonia problem keeps us petty busy with not much time left over for woodcarving. Rest assured that I will get the new posts up as quickly as possible and within the next several weeks things should get back to where they should be.
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If you look over to the right you'll see a new Icon titled "Out West Blog Guest Locator". This is different than the "World Hits Map" in that it allows you to place a pushpin at your location and make a comment if you want. Also, unlike the other, entries will not be deleted after so many are received. So please take a moment and stick a pin in the map. Thanks!
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Lastly, I just want to again mention how much I appreciate your comments and your continuing interest in my carvings and my methods of carving When I look at those maps and see the number of visits that accumulate each day it makes it all the more worthwhile.
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Again, thanks!!

Stretching His Rope-Part 2

To the left is the template I used to make the base for this project. I used a piece of 1" Oak for the larger base, a piece of 1/2" Basswood for the second level and finally a piece of 1/8" panel for the top. The wide area between the Oak and Basswood pieces is large enough for a nice routed edge incorporating an attached Brass nameplate. It's little details like these that make your carvings really look sharp. If you want to use a nameplate you can find one online at www.signsbygwynn.com. I used their A-30 size brass plate for this one. The title of the piece will be in Double-line Block and my name in Script. You can just fill out the order on line or give them a call. They'll get it to you cheaper and a lot quicker than you can get it locally. Tell them I sent you.
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The attached photos show the whole process of making the base and locking in the wheel. In the next part we'll start working on the figure.
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Good luck! Lots of photos in the Gallery.

Stretching His Rope

The wheel is finished so now we start the figure. The drawing to the left has all the pieces along with the measurement of the body which will give you the sizes of the other parts. As his arms will be stretched while to make his loop we'll attach them. But don't worry about that now we're only concentrating on the body blank.
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You'll note that the wheel he's leaning against is tilted back a bit. I did this to give a more pleasing appearance to the piece. Having it stand straight up would make the whole piece look stiff. Also, as how he comes into contact with the wheel is very important we will do the base before we actually carve the body. This might sound kind of odd but you'll see the logic as we move along.
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So, let's get started! Lots of photos in the Gallery.

Pedro

Okay....I know I promised....No more Mexicans....but I thought you might like to see one with a complete body attached. This little guy only stands about 8" tall but he's a pretty neat little figure. I know I always smile when I see him....maybe it's the size of that hog-leg hanging on his cumberbun . I did this one several years back, based on a figure I saw down in Santiago, Chile of all places. There is a carver there named Rudolfo Gutierrez who is, I think, the best caricature carver in the world. A good friend of mine was fortunate enough to purchase several of his pieces and allowed me to make some quick sketches and this well-armed campesino is a result of that. To me he illustrates the requirements of just what all good caricatures should have:
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- A good pose. While he is pretty well straight legged, the bent arm and the cocked angle of his head gives him a relaxed, life-like look. The last thing you want when doing a figure is for it to look like it came from a block of wood. To me that's "corner-carving"!
- A facial expression that transfers to the viewer. You just can't help but smile when you look at this guy. You just know he's been up to something.
- A good costume. It's clearly Mexican in this case but even if he were fitted out in a suit it should be done in such a way that it compliments the figure.
- Lots of color and a few little details that show you really enjoyed creating the piece. Collectors love pieces that stand out from what they normally see.
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I looked through my files to see if I had more views of this piece but couldn't find any. Maybe someday I'll do another and invite you along for the ride.

Wagon Wheels-Part 3-Wheel Rims

This part might present a problem for some of you in that you don't have the materials, equipment or the expertise to accomplish it.

Well, don't worry....I'll tell you how to do it in a way I know you can manage. However, let's get the more difficult method behind us first.

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Years ago, when I was in a model wagon building phase, I went to a local metal shop and had them cut me a bunch of metal strips that I could use for wheel rims. With their metal shear they clipped them off in just a few minutes while it would have been impossible for me to accomplish on my own. While you may not want to go this far with your wheel I thought you might like to see how I managed this detail with mine. It is all explained in the attached photos so I won't repeat it here. If you do want to try it this way you'll at least know whats involved. Personally, I like metal rims as the real wagons had just this type of rim and the metal ... well, it looks like metal.

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As for other ways to make the rims I'll give you two different methods. The first is the most simple in that it only requires some poster board. Just cut some strips 1/4" wide and about 24" long. Lay them flat on some newspaper and paint them silver. I'd leave the back side of the strip unpainted so you will have a good surface for some glue. Using the same methods as described in the photos for the metal rim cut your strips so they match tight against the wheel. Apply a little carpenters glue around the rim and clamp the rims in place to dry. You should have a little overhang on each side of the wooden wheel.

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Another way is to use some 1/16" thick leather. This material would also would work the same as the other two methods. If you've been to the Charles M. Russell Museum in Great Falls, Montana you probably saw a fantastic display of model wagons made by Dale Ford using leather as the rims. Here is a link to his website showing some of them: http://www.westernfineart.com/more_dale.html

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So there you have my methods for making wagon wheels. Like I said earlier, nothing fancy but good enough to get the job done. In the next part we'll start on the figure that leans against wheel.

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Lots of photos in the Gallery. Comments welcome too.

Wagon Wheels-Part 2-Spokes & Hubs

This part of the Wheel project will take some time and effort so just relax and take your time. Here's a list of things you'll need:
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1. Small, Wooden Barrel Spools - (Available at Hobby Lobby-Item #211110) 1-3/16" X 7/8"; 5/16" hole.
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2. Flat Washers-5/16" (Lowes)
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3. Package of 1/8" Bamboo Skewers (Walmart)
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4. Super Glue & Accelerator (Hobby Shop).
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5. Elmers Wood Filler (Lowes).
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If you can't find the Bamboo Skewers you can use 1/8" dowel it's just that the Skewers are a schoosh smaller and makes the insertions a little easier. If you can't find them in Walmart try Ace Hardware...they had them too.
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The most difficult part of these steps is the drilling of the holes. You want to make sure you get them centered as much as possible. Using the smaller drills first will help do this. To make the spoke jig just get a compass and start drawing circles about every 1/2" and then divide the circle so you have 14 spokes. Having all those extra circles will let you make smaller wheels.
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There are lots of photos showing how I did this part of the project so you shouldn't have any problems. Just remember, this wheel is only the backdrop for our figure so we have some wiggle room as far as accuracy goes. In the next post we'll paint the wheel and do the rims.
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Have fun and if you have a problem just send me a comment.

Who Is That Masked Man?

No...this isn't a Native American mummy, just the painted Winter Horses piece all masked up to keep the white paint off his face. I do it with a toothbrush dipped in white paint and while it is possible to control it a little I just wanted to make sure he didn't end up with a bunch of white freckles.
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This piece turned out pretty nice. All that painting really make the piece even if some of it does get covered a little with snow. Standing in that deep snow also really adds to the scene.
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Lots of photos in the Gallery and comments are always welcome.
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Happy Thanksgiving!!!!

Wagon Wheels - Part 1

First let me start by saying that we are not going to be making a technically accurate wagon wheel. This is a simple wheel you can quickly make that will work and look almost just as good the more fancy ones.
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Like my wheel, my circle cutting jig is a real simple one that gets the job done. You can buy a commercial one or find some more plans for this type of jig by Googling but I doubt if they will do the job any better. Besides, you probably have most of the materials already laying around your shop. If you follow my plans you might have to make some adjustment for the jig to match your saw. I have a 12" Craftsman. One thing you will probably have to buy is the 1/4" Birch plywood to use for the blanks. I checked at Lowes and while they do have this material it is 5-ply where the best stuff is the 3-ply variety. Either will work okay it's just easier to drill the spoke holes in the 3-ply.
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You will need some Super Glue....the real thin stuff. My recommendation is to go to a Hobby shop that sells model train supplies and also buy a small spray bottle of Super Glue Accelerator. While the glue sets pretty quick on it's own that accelerator will set it off instantly so you won't have to stand there holding it for what seems like forever.
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We will only make the Circle Cutting Jig and cut the wheel rim with this post. In the next one we'll work on the spokes and hub then move on to the painting and the installation of the outer rim.
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I guess that's it for the first part of this project. If you have some questions just fire away. Lots of photos in the Gallery.
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Oh.....One more thing. When leaving a comment they have now changed that area to where you can sigh on with your name instead of doing it with "Anonymous". Where it says "Comment as" just click the arrow and pick "Name/URL" and type in your name.
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Another little gadget is the "World Hits Map". Click on that icon and you can see where all the Blog hits are coming from. You can also become an "Out West Addict" by clicking on the "Follow" button. Once you register with Google you might even want to create your own Blog.

A New Project?

Who's up for a new tutorial? I'm stuck at the moment with my Winter Horse carving

until I get myself a Rapidograph pen to do some of the designs on his robe so I thought I would sound you all out on a new project.

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Some of you have been after me to do some sort of wagon so what better place to start than doing a wheel? They're actually quite simple to make if you're willing to give up a little accuracy. I saw no sense in carving the individual wheel spokes of this piece being as it was only a backdrop for the figure. The wheel does have a metal rim that might present a problem but I'll show you a couple of other ways you can do that part that will work almost as good. This will be a much smaller figure than I normally carve and it's size will be determined by the size of the wheel.

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So, let me know what you think and I start looking for my wheel jigs!!!

Sorry, no additional photos with this one.

Winter Horses

I did the head for this piece setting at my booth at the Dayton show. A number of attendees stood and watched and Old Reliable did his magic. I love it when they say "You actually carve with that?" I sure do!
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We had a great time at the Dayton show...the best yet. We were lucky enough to sell all our Native Americans which is why this fella showed up. I was fortunate enough to have included an Indian head blank in my kit so as soon as the others left the reservation I started this one.
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I did a similar top hat on a piece earlier but thought I would do it again in a snow scene. I really tried to get him to look like he's really clutching that robe close as it must be down in the single digits out there on the res. I have him temporarily standingin a unfinished base but that one will be replaced just as soon as I can truck home a new sheet of MDF (medium density fiberboard) to make a new one. As you can see by this one I glue two thicknesses together then carve it to shape and lastly sand the living hell out of it to give it a nice smooth surface. Once thats done I'll fill in any low spots with some body putty and then several coats of filler primer before the final spray of flat white.
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I named this piece Winter Horses and I couldn't think of anything else so it might change. But the robe will be covered with painting of horses which should really make it a colorful carving.
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There are a few more photos in the Gallery and comments are welcome.

Pancho-Part 8-The Paint Job!

As you can see this is not the Bottlestopper we've been working on. However, it will make a good subsitute as it has a lot more detail than just the head and hat.

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There is a real load of photos in the gallery...some 80 or so. They show the painting process completely or as complete as I can show you. There are a couple of things I'll mention that the photos don't explain and one of the most important of these is learning to load your brush with wash or paint. When painting anything, from your house to this carving, get in the habit of really loading your brush with paint right up the the metal ferrel. The more paint you have the longer you'll be able to paint and the smoother your strokes will be. Naturally, when painting extremely small areas like the whites of the eyes you can only use the tip of the brush but as you will find the more you practice a loaded brush is really the way to go. And squeeze out enough paint from the tube or bottle so you can see the color. Don't be a dabber!!

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If you've used a burning pen to outline the color seperations of your carving you'll quickly see just how this helps in painting. Paint will just not craw or bleed across that burnt line. If you think it does then you've crossed the line! It also makes your carving "Pop" once it's varnished. Your colors are clean and crisp.

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Another tip is to get up every so often and go wash your hands. The carving is wet when you paint it and your hands are oily so it will get dirty if you're not careful. And buy a little tub of brush cleaner and soap up your brushes every once in a while. It keeps them soft and flexible and helps them retain their point. If your brushes get flared out on the ends then toss them...there is nothing that will ruin a project more than a worn out brush.

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One more thing....before you varnish your piece spray a very light coat of Deft or Testors Dulcoat onto those areas on the hat where you used the Sharpie pen and on the collar where you used the Gold pen. When it dries hit it again with another light coat and let it get good and dry. This will keep those colors from liquidfying again when you brush on the varnish. Even then be careful when you varnish those areas.

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So, thats wraps up this project! I hope you've enjoyed it and that it helps you in your carving. If you have any additional questions just drop me a comment and I'll try and answer them.

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One more thing....if you click on the above photo it's large enough to show everything. Like I said, tons of photos in the Gallery.

Pancho Gets Busted!

I swear....if I do one more Mexican the INS will be showing up at my front gate! This is it! No more Mexicans! At least for a while.
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This one started out to be another Bottlestopper but the head turned out so well that I thought it warrented either a complete figure or at least a bust treatment. Considering that the Dayton show is just a few days away I thought I would try and get something done before I left so a bust it's going to be.
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I did a similar one a long time ago which won a 1st place ribbon at the big show in Davenport. This ones a little simpler but should be a lot more colorful with the serape, the neckerchief, his shirt which will receive some special treatment and a fancy sombrero. It's an impressive size of about 10" tall with the walnut base and I plan on offering it at a very reasonable price so it should go pretty quick. At least I hope so otherwise it ketchup and crackers for the wife and me on our trip to Ohio! Only kidding. As just about all I've been turning out lately speaks spanish I did this one pretty quick. I carved the head and hat in about 2 hours down at our weekly carving session and whipped out the lowerpart and the base yesterday afternoon.
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I will use this figure to demonstrate the wet-on-wet painting technique as the last post on the Pancho Bottlestopper series. That way you will be able to see how I do some of the more intricate brushwork. While I'll do this painting before the Dayton show I might not have the time to get the Blog post up.
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There are a few more photos in the Gallery and your comments are always welcome.

Pancho-Part 7-A Little Smoke!

A few of you have been asking me to explain how I burn my figures so this post should answer some of those questions. While we won't be doing a lot of burning I think you can get the general idea of whats involved.

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I use a Burnmaster system as I can use any type of pen with it. I used to have a Detail Master but found that replacing the tips got quite expensive over time. With the Burnmaster you can take advantage of the replaceable tips which are fairly cheap and you only need one handle. I wrap the end of the pen with a little extra heat protection as it gets hot if you use it a lot. The important thing is to make sure your tip is sharp to get the best result. Again, the Burnmaster tips seem to take a lot of sharpening before they wear out.

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The last step prior to painting is to run your carving through the Sand-O-Flex brushed back sander. This is one of the most important pieces of equipment in my shop. I use it constantly for a variety of things. I actually have two sanders, one for the carving and one with a heavier grit paper for all the other times I need to sand something. If you have a few extra bucks I'd suggest seriously consider buying one of these. Mine are installed on a couple of old electric motors and permanently mounted on my work counter. Here is the website where you can find them along with all sorts of interesting sanding supplies: www.key-abrasive.presys.com. For the carving I use the 320 Grit Slashed Glue Insert Part No. 12060. For normal use the 180 Grit Slashed Glue Insert Part no. 12058 works fine. Make sure you specify the "Slashed" insert as this give you the contour sanding that you're after. I think the unit comes with an adaptor for your drill but if you want to mount it to a motor you'll have to buy an additional adaptor depending on the size of the motors shaft. Tell them Lynn Doughty sent you!!!

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There are more photos in the Gallery and comments are welcome.

Goin' Courtin'! - Painted!

After a quick trip to the Florist for a new bouquet this figure is ready for the display table. I had originally had only Daisies but as the white of those flowers along with the white of his shirt were just too close together I thought a little variety would look better. So, after a quick Google image search I decided that Texas Bluebells would fit in quite nicely and would be a flower he might find along the roadside on his ride over.

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I really like the relaxed yet somewhat tense feel of this character. While he might have an overabundance of confidence herding a bunch of longhorns or riding an unruly bronc, that quickly melted away when he stepped on the front porch of that cute little filley who lives at the ranch over on the next section. Now he's feeling what a lot of us felt back when we faced a similar situation. That knot in your stomach or lump in your throat can get pretty uncomfortable.

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Another thing I really like about this one is his haircut. I'm going to have to play with that just a little more especially to see how it would look under a hat. The days of my long-haired wranglers might just be coming to an end.

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Anyway, I hope you like him. He'll be on display at Dayton in a week or so and if you're there you can give him a real once-over to see if he measures up for that buxom lass who's got her hand on the door handle at this very moment. Good luck cowpoke...I'm pulling for you!

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Lots of photos in the Gallery and comments are always welcome.

Goin' Courtin'!

After seeing the movie "Appaloosa" I was really taken by Vigo Morganson's haircut and just had to try a version of it. As it looked like he just walked out of the Barber shop I thought doing a figure getting ready to see his sweetie from the ranch just down the road. He's standing on the front porch waiting for her to answer the door. On his ride over he paused by the roadside to pick some local flowers. Maybe with those, that box of candy under his arm and that scented concoction the Barber splashed on his neck he'll get lucky.
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This was a fun character to create and should really look neat once painted. I made the flowers out of copper sheeting soldered to some cooper coated welding rod. I also used copper sheet to make the belt tips and will use it to make the spurs. At the moment there's nothing holding his hat but his hand but I'll have to figure out some way to dowel it to his leg so it will be firmly held in place. With the base he stands about 16" tall. Alone he's about 13" tall.
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Anyway, I hope you like him. More photos are in the galley and comments are always welcome.

Pancho-Part 6-Off With His Head!

Well, part of it anyway. With this post we'll carve the sombrero and position it on his head. This will complete the carving portion of this project.
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When cutting off the top of his head the best advice I can give is to make sure your mark is where you want it and high enough to where you won't cut off his ears, get a good hold of the head, keeping your fingers away from the saw blade then very carefully run it through the blade. I left the neckerchief in place to give me something extra to hold on to.
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When carving the hat brim make sure you use the gouge across the grain not with it. If your tool is sharp it will just slide right across and the job will be very easy. So, while this part of the project might seem intimidating it's really the easiest part of the whole thing.
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So, sharpen your gouge, check out all the photos attached and go make a sombrero!

Oldtimer Shows His Colors

Finished this fella up today. For a Bottlestopper I think he looks pretty snappy. With the base he stands about 9 inches tall. Several have commented on how difficult the hat brim must have been to carve considering it's so thin looking. Well, in the next installment of the Pancho tutorial you will see how it was carved and just how easy it is to get that thin look.

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One thing I would like to mention is the importance of applying the proper finish to a piece. I'm sure you all know my feelings about Boiled Linseed Oil so I won't go into that here. However, in the instance of the hat brim it's easy to see how BLO would not measure up to something else that dries hard. I have used Polyurethane every since I started carving. When applying it to the brim I brushed it on liberally and allowed it to soak reapplying if necessary. Once the wood would absorb no more I let it set a bit and then wiped off the excess with a paper towel. When dry the poly creates quite a bit of strength in the piece which is what I want. I could have used Super Glue out on the edges but once you apply that it takes on a different appearance when paint or varnish is applied.

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There are more photos in the Gallery and you can click on the photo above to get the BIG picture. Comments are welcome as always.

The Oldtimer and "Appaloosa"

I'm still turning out Bottle Stoppers with the hopes that they can pay for our trip to Dayton in November. Planning on pricing them low so we can get back home!
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The wife and I went to see "Appaloosa" last night. It was a pretty good film. I really liked the character Viggo Mortensen played and especially his haircut. Also, in one scene he's tieing his neckerchief in a way that I've never seen before...an overhand knot on one side with the other side just stuck through it. Interesting. Another thing I noticed was at the end of the movie when Hitch faces off with Bragg he stands sideways to lessen his profile. That little detail probably reflects what a professional gunfighter would actually do but I can't remember ever seeing it before either. One thing that I didn't like was Rene Zellweger in the role of Ally. She just couldn't carry it off. Maybe it was those beady eyes. And wouldn't you know it....her one nude scene in the movie I missed by the result of overindulging on Dr. Pepper. Oh well...the wife said I didn't miss much. Anyway, watch out for that haircut....I think it's going to appear in a carving real soon!!
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More photos in the gallery.

The Dude Gets A Haircut!

Okay.....if he's getting a haircut why is he wearing his glasses? Well, if he's anything like me he's blind as a bat without those spectacles so to look in the Barbers mirror to review the results of having his ears lowered he had to put them on. Sounds good to me!

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This was fun to do and mostly happend by accident. I had originally wanted to do an old lady with beer can curlers in her hair but while whittling a neckerchief for another stopper and seeing that head laying on the workbench things just "clicked"! I think it's pretty neat! I used an old brush to clip off some bristles for the hair and locked them in place with some ModPodge. Someday I might try and do a complete figure...that would really be a winner.

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More photos in the Gallery and comments welcome. You can click on the photo to see a monster-sized photo of the piece.

Helllllloooooo......Is Anybody Out There?

Could you folks who read this Blog do me a big favor and send me a comment to let me know just how many of you consider this effort worthwhile? I hear from a few of you on a constant basis and I really appreciate that. However, sometimes after I punch the "Publish Post" button I wonder just how many carvers take a moment to read what I write. I have a counter attached but I'm more interested in actual people than counter numbers. So, if possible, take a moment and send me a note. Also, if you'd like, give me some suggestion on what you're interested in that I might be able to helpyou with.

If you're unfamiliar with making a "Comment" just type in what you'd like to say and check the "anonymous" spot. A name and where your located would also be appreciated. Thanks.

Pancho-Part 5-The Neckerchief

This will be easy for you after Part 4. Here's some good advice prior to picking up your knife....go find some photos of Cowboys wearing neckerchiefs so you can see how the cloth hangs. I've said this before but as it's one of the most important things to remember when carving I'll said it again.....you have to take into consideration the "WEIGHT" of the object you're carving. That neckerchief, while just a piece of cloth, still has weight and that weight will determine how it hangs from the neck. In a back-issue of Cowboys & Indians magazine there was an article on the TV movie Monte Walsh, starring Tom Selleck. The photos in the article were some of the best to show the various parts of a working cowboys attire, especially the neckerchiefs. I've included one of them in the Gallery but if you can locate that issue I'd sure suggest latching on to it as it's one of the best for reference matter. Also, if you haven't seen that movie.....well....let's just say you'd better start looking for the DVD before you're banned from this blog!! Along with Lonesome Dove watching that movie is a Blog requirement!
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If you plan on carving more cowboys I'd also suggest going out and buying a one yard square of satin or a commercial neckerchief to use as reference. You just can't beat the real thing and you'll look cool wearing it!
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Now, go have fun.

Note: For those of you who might want to pick up that Issue of Cowboys & Indians that featured Tom Selleck as Monte Wash it was the January 2003 issue. C&I is one of the best magazines out there that covers all aspects of the Western culture from art to movies to really interesting articles on just about everything.

The Bullfighter - Painted

Here he is all painted and ready to face that horny hunk of bovine coming out of the chutes heading straight for the barrell. If you look close you can really tell that his guy is sweating the encounter.
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I had a lot of fun with this piece. I guess the hardest part of it was all the painting but that's the part I really enjoy. While it doesn't show up too much in the photos he's wearing overalls, a yello polka dot shirt and a dark blue polka dot tie. I stuck that arrow through his hat just for fun and if you could read the hat band it would say "Eat More Chicken!"
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Lots of photos in the Gallery and as always, comments are welcome and appreciated.

Pancho-Part 4-Facial & Head Details

Now we're getting down to the nitty-gritty part of this carving. DETAILS! We're going to finish the head by carving the eyes, the mustache, the hair and a couple of other nicks here and there that make the carving snap. The most important thing you need for these steps will be a very sharp knife. As you go through the photos you'll come across one that shows me stropping Old Reliable. While you might not prefer this tool take a moment every once in a while to do the same with whatever you use. If you use a utility knife that blade needs to be stroped to really get the full benefit of the factory edge. I first run a new blade over the polishing wheel, in my case a hard cloth wheel with osme ZAM compound applied. Then the leather strop. It will stay sharp a long time until I bang it into something then I reverse it and if that's already been done I toss it and chuck in a new one. The cuts we will make here are, if at all possible, made with one pass so a sharp edge is essential.

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There are loads of photos in the Gallery, showing just about every cut I made to detail the face and other areas so I didn't bother adding any text to the photos. I think the pictures show clearly just what I'm doing and the result of it. If you need the captions just let me know and I'll go back and add some.

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I received several comments about photo size and how larger photos would be better. I agree, but this Gallery software is limited in size and if I used fullsized pictures it's storage would quickly be used up. I've cropped this bunch down and think it will work okay.

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So, sharpen your knife, take your time and have some fun making Pancho come to life.

The Bullfighter

Had the opportunity to spend the whole day in the shop so was able to get this one off the craving table and onto the photo stand. This will be a real colorful one and I'm looking forward to painting it.
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To do the barrel I first turned the basic shape on the lathe and then used my largest forstner bit to drill a hole about 1" deep to accommodate the head and hands. After that I whittled the surface and added the details. It looks kind of plain now but there will be lots of lettering and color to busy it up.
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I'm still kicking around whether or not to have it stand alone or to use a background. I have a Rodeo Gate left over from a previous scene that I could put behind him so maybe I'll do that. We'll see.
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More photos in the Gallery and comments welcome.

Rodeo Clowns

I'm working on a new Rodeo Clown and as this was laying on the worktable for reference I thought I would take a few photos so you can see part of a scene that I did several years ago. There are a number of other photos of him in the Gallery along with the head of the new piece I'm working on.
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Comments always welcome.

Derby Dingus & Cowboy Bob

Here are those two scallywags all painted up and ready to head to town. Both turned out pretty well and should move off the display table pretty quick....at least I hope so. I have to pay off that new air compressor I just bought.
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There are a bunch of photos in the Gallery section and comments are always welcome.

Pancho-Part 3, Detail Platforms

We've roughed out the shape of the head and with this post we'll create the platforms for the final details. To me this is the most important step in the process of creating a nice looking carving. Like most carvers I love to do the details. However, I've learned over time that you have to have a good foundation in place or things will just not work out the way they should.
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So, take your time, plan your steps and check your reflection in the mirror occasionally to see that the shapes you're carving actually reflect the shapes of a face.
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Lots of photos in the Gallery.

Chuckwagon Biscuits

With our wagon trip to Coffeyville, Kansas coming up next weekend I thought it might be a good idea to make sure I haven't forgotten how to make some good looking and great tasting biscuits. Also, I wanted to try out my latest invention to keep from burning holes into the sponsor's yard. Years ago I took an old scrap tractor discus disk and a real nifty Fahita pan. Being iron it really conducts the heat evenly. Having some other disks on hand I thought if I welded some old horseshoes on the bottom for legs and a handle I could put my coals there so they'd be above ground. As you can see it worked out great.
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Well, I can hear the Chicken Fried Steak sizzling in the skillet and the gravy is hot and tasty so its time to set down for Sunday dinner.....Cowboy style!!!

Pancho-Part 2, Roughing Out The Head

With this post we will rough out the head. We're going to take our time on this one as we want a positive result. Old Reliable is my "Main Man" here as that sharp and thin blade can really remove the wood cleanly which is just what I want. A carvers main goal when removing wood is to get the chip off without having to go back a second time. The more you have to go back the more roughed up your carving becomes and multiple cuts in the same areas really weakens the wood.
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So take your time and have some fun.

Derby Dingus McGee & Cowboy Bob

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Continuing to clear off my carving table of excess heads, I put these two yahoo's together today. As these are a little larger than the normal Bottle Stopper they should make really nice looking pieces once painted. Someone said the other day "Why do you always stick cigarettes or cigars in your figures mouths?" Well.....I think it rounds out the figure, gives an otherwise static display a little action, and no doubt most cowboys partook of a little tobacco when they had the money or opportunity.

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In other news, Cowboy Coffee has packed up and left for his new home in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Boy! He sure didn't hang around long! He won't be lonely though, one of his Bottle Stopper buddies went along with him.

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I've started a new snow scene which should really be a winner if it turns out the way I hope. If I can find the thumbnail sketch I made a couple years ago of the idea I'll post it so you can see what I'm up to.

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I guess that's it for the moment, hope you like these two wranglers ... there are more photos in the Gallery and comments are welcome.

Pancho - Carving The Bottle Stopper

How about a Mexican Bottle Stopper? This project was originally scheduled to be a magazine article but after thinking it over I've decided to do it here. This way you'll be able to see many more photos than would have been available otherwise.
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I used a piece of 2" Basswood for all the parts. While you might think doing the hat will be difficult don't worry. If you follow along I'm sure you'll find it is quite easy. It will be a good lesson on how you can use the grain to make the job simple and easy.
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This first post will just give you the pattern and show how the various parts are cut. I didn't give any measurements. Just take full advantage of the 2" thick piece of wood. The hat brim will take a pretty large piece to cut the side profile but that piece of waste can be used for other things. I've left the photo on this page quite large so if you click on it you can really get a good view of the carving.
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So, let's get started. Lots of photos in the Gallery.

Carvings In The Raw

I was doing a little Computer file maintenance this morning...going through a lot of the photos of my carvings and I thought it would make a good post to show a few as they looked before they were painted. Individually they look fine but as a group they look really impressive.....at least I think so. It's too bad we can't keep them both ways, painted and unpainted, so we can handle and judge them both ways.

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I take a ton of photos of each carving I do...a lot of them are posted on this blog. The reason I do this is.....well, just take a moment and check out old Charlie Red Hawk over here. Charlie's setting on a display shelf somewhere in someones collection, I'll probably never be able to see him or pick him up again and admire his good looks and sly smile. However, because I took so many photos of him from just about every angle possible as he materialized from a raw block of wood, I can still reflect back on how much fun it was to bring him to life and send him on his way. So, take a tip from me, don't wait till you finish a piece before snapping a few photos....keep that camera handly on the workbench so you can photograph the entire experience of producing your carvings. You won't regret it. And just like I did this morning, you'll be able to go back and relive that experience.

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Anyway, in the Gallery are photos of a number of carvings I've produced over the past several years before the paint was applied. I hope you enjoy looking them over. And as always comments are always welcome.

Making A Bottle Cutter

I was asked to do this as a magazine article but I just don't have the time at the moment so I'll do it this way so my Blog readers get the first crack at it.
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This little rig is easy to build and works quite well. A commercial one will cost you around $50 while the only real expense I had was the bottle cutter which is just a couple bucks if you have to buy one. The other parts were just made from scraps around the shop. I didn't give any measurements as the bottle you use might be different than mine just as your taste in the beer inside might be different than mine. I don't think you'll have any problem figuring out the sizes.
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There are lots of photos and explanations in the Gallery to help you build it. Good luck. Comments welcome.

Cowboy Coffee - All Done!

Have you ever had Cowboy Coffee? By that I mean poured into a tin cup from an enameled pot taken directly from the Chuckwagon's cooking fire. If you have you'll probably admit that it was a cup you will long remember whether it was drinkable or not. The saying goes that the coffee is ready when, after dropping the horseshoe into the pot it floats to the surface. Now I've tasted some pretty strong java but never that strong.
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The biggest problem I had with this crusty fella was picking the design to paint on the flour sack apron. I like to paint a design that is unique to each figure but I also have to take into account that the person purchasing him will want something that's recognizable. As this one will probably be sold at the Dayton Show vs. a Cowboy event I went with the latter. If you want designs for flour sacks just go to Google and type "Flour Sack Art" and you'll get all kinds to choose from.
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Back a moment to Cowboy Coffee, here's how I fix it we we cook from our wagon. I have a 2 gallon pot that I fill almost full with water. I bring that to a rolling boil and then put in a heaping cup of ground coffee and give it a good stir. After the water is back to a good boil I give it a minute or two before I slowly pour in a cup of cold water and then set it back from the fire. That cold water will take the grounds to the bottom. Sure, you'll still get some grounds in your cup when it's poured but they'll settle to the bottom and besides...that's part of the experience. And that experience is something you'll never find at Starbucks no matter how much they charge you for that cup of joe.
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Anyway, I hope you like this piece and if you're in the neighborhood of Coffeyville, Kansas on October 4 you can drop by our Chuckwagon and I'll pour you a steaming cup of real Cowboy Coffee! Might even throw in a Dutch Oven biscuit!
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More photos in the Gallery.

Cowboy Coffee

As I haven't carved a Cook for quite sometime and as the wife and I will be heading up to Coffeeville, Kansas with our Chuckwagon the first of October for Dalton Defender Days, I thought I'd whip out another little piece to set on the Chuck Box lid. Maybe I'll be lucky enough to sell it!
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Not much new with this one as I've pretty well explained the process of making him. The cup is made from tin roof flashing which I polished up after soldering and gave a coat of clear laquer. I decided to just use the horseshoe mount to keep the cost of the piece down. I haven't decided on what type of design to use on the apron but will try and come up with something unique to make him different from the others.
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Anyway, hope you like him. A few more photos in the Gallery and comments welcome as always.

From Wood to Bronze

Several years ago I thought I'd have one of my pieces cast in bronze to see whether the wood medium would transfer over to bronze. For those of you unfamiliar with the bronze process here is a link that will fully explain just what is involved. One of the most important things to consider and remember before you start is that dealing with bronze is not an inexpensive process. Normally the foundry you choose will want it's money up front. They will give you a cost for the molds and for another for each casting. Have you ever wondered why the artist always offers a "precast" price on a piece before it's cast? Well, this is why......he doesn't have the money to do it on his own. Anyway, here is that link:
www.artworksfoundry.com/process/casting.htm
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Here is how this process worked for me: I paid a visit to the Bronze Horse Foundry in Pawhuska, Oklahoma to talk over my project and to get an idea of just how much this was going to cost. I wanted to have 20 castings made to keep the edition small enough so I could afford it. They gave me the figure for the molds and the first casting, after that each new casting would be made on demand. I then completed the set of boots and turned them over to the foundry along with the money for the molds and the first copy.
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When the first wax casting was complete I checked it over, found it okay and gave the go ahead again for the first bronze. You can just imagine how I was feeling at the time.....Wow! My own bronze!
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A month later I got a call from the foundry saying that the cast was complete and ready for my okay and the final step....the patina. I would have loved to have been able to watch them pour the metal into the mold but Pawhuska is a ways from Jay so I missed that step. Anyway, on arrival I found my little pair of boots a bright and shiny piece of metal with a few weld marks where they were permanently fixed to the base. The foundry owner, an artist himself, placed the piece on a platform and with a torch started applying chemicals to get the look I specified. In short order the process was complete and I was on my way home with my little piece of artistic immortality. Someday I hope to have one of my Cowboys reproduced in bronze but that's a ways down the road yet.
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Oh......and those twenty copies? I have two left! If you think you might be interested they're $450.00 each.
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More photos in the Gallery and I've left them big so you can really see how the detail was reproduced.

Billy The Kid

This is a little carving I did off of that famous photo of Billy. The only change I made was to place his rifle in his hand instead of having him holding by the tip of the barrel with the butt on the ground. I like the way it turned out.
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Here's an interesting piece of information on Billy that I always found amusing...it's from Wikipedia:
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"While Billy the Kid was right-handed, it was widely assumed in the 20th century that he was left handed. This belief stemmed from the fact that the only known photograph of Bonney, an undated ferrotype, shows him with a Model 1873 Winchester rifle in his right hand and a gun belt with a holster on his left side, where a left-handed person would typically wear a pistol. The belief became so entrenched that in 1958, a biographical film was made about Billy the Kid called The Left Handed Gun starring Paul Newman. Late in the 20th century, it was discovered that the familiar ferrotype was actually a reverse image. This version shows his Model 1873 Winchester with the loading port on the left side. All Model 1873s had the loading port on the right side, proving the image was reversed, and that he was, in fact, wearing his pistol on his right hip. Even though the image has been proven to be reversed, the idea of a left-handed Billy the Kid continues to widely circulate. Perhaps because many people heard both of these arguments and confused them, many hold the belief that Billy the Kid was ambidextrous. Many Billy the Kid sites describe him as such, and the idea of him being ambidextrous is still widely isdisputed."
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I think it's fun to try and render a carving from old photos of real people.

Bound For Rendezvous!

Here is a really nice piece I did quite a few years ago. It was the first one where I experimented with making water so it was really a lot of fun figuring out just how to do it. The technique is really quite simple, especially in this case as the canoe is resting flat on the water. After the water base was cut and the canoe completed and painted and the edges of the blank whittled to look like rippling water I used a hot glue gun to build up the waves against the prowl and down along the sides of the canoe. Next I radiated strings of glue out from the front of the boat to look like waves would look if the boat was traveling forward. Next came the paint which was just acrylics. The last step was to brush on clear acrylic resin. It took a couple coats to get a really smooth surface free of bubbles.
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A collector out in California has this one and I'm sure it's one of his favorites as it continues to be one of mine.

A Piece From The Past

Here is a carving I did back in 1974 that I've always been proud of. You might recognize the pose if you're familiar with Frederic Remington's work. It's from an oil painting titled "Stampede by Lightening" which hangs at the Gilcrease Museum in Tulsa. I did a copy of the painting back in 1974 and once I became interested in carving thought it would look great in 3D.
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As you can see when comparing it to the actual painting I changed a few

things.....did away with the rain and added a lasso. He's mounted on a piece of redwood with a 1/4" steel rod. The figure is nothing to be real proud of but the horse and it's paint job is quite good, at least I think so.
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There are no other photos in the Gallery section. Comments always welcome.

Tequila Sunrise - Finished

With the Grandkids back safely in Bahrain I was able to wrap this piece up this morning. I think he turned out pretty good. I was having a problem trying to settle on a name for the village sign until I looked up Tequila and saw that it is a village in Mexico. Just by chance we had a bottle of Jose Cuervo in the liquor cabinet so I spirited it off to the shop, taking a sip on the way to get the true feel of this fella's situation. If you're familiar with the Cuervo label you'll recognize it. Once the sign was painted I thought it wouldn't really look complete without a few bullet holes so I drill a few random shots and then used the burner to lightly outline each hole. Makes a nice little touch.
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More photos in the Gallery and I left them large so you can really zoom in on that poor fella. As always, comments welcome.

Tequila Sunrise - Now For Some Paint!

Just how that poor fella can sleep with those two around is beyond me!!! You might remember these two smiling faces from my post some time back on making a paper manikin. Well....they're back! That's Hannah with an "H" on the left and Miriam with an "M" on the right.
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I've posted some photos of the piece from all angles in the Gallery section. If you compare them to those in the first post you will note some subtle changes. His sombrero has been lowered a bit as I thought it was setting too high on his noggin. I've added the right arm and as it's hidden from view when looking at the carving from the front I didn't bother having the hand do anything but just relaxing on the stone. I made the base out of a piece of 2" red oak with gives the piece a little more authority than a thinner one. To me the base is what makes the carving....any carving into something above what you normally see. The stone is mounted by three 1/4" bolts epoxied into holes drilled into the stone and bolted on from beneath. I've also added spurs. The name of the town on the sign is still up in the air.
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There are a few more photos in the Gallery and as always comments are welcome.

Tequila Sunrise

I've been having so much fun with the Mexican theme I thought I'd do one more but try a complete figure this time. I have done this little scene a couple times before but have always used a Cowboy as the character. While it's basically the same thing the addition of the sombrero completely changes the overall look. Also, instead of making the normal scenic base I thought the use of a material more closely associated with the southwest would be neat. Scrounging through my collection of rocks I fould the one he's setting on. It's a piece of Caprock from the Palo Duro canyon we picked up a few years ago while horseback riding in that beautiful place. The pole he's leaning against will be the sign on the outskirts of the town he just blew his months pay in. The hardwood base is just a scrap one I had laying around so it might change before the scene is finished.

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There are a few more photos in the Gallery some of which show that I have yet to attach his right arm. This will give you another look at how I go about this part of constructing the figure. The area where the arm will attach has been sanded completely flat and as you can see there is a lot of gluing surfact to hold the piece coming.

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I hope you like him and as always comments are welcome.

Santiago...Up For Auction!!!

I just knew it was going to happen. Santiago was picked up by the Border Patrol just west of El Paso while trying to

smuggle over another dozen undocumented aliens. The Judge says if he can round up some dinero by next Friday he'll release him under house arrest so here's your chance to help this poor unfortunate and at the same time add a nice little carving to your collection.

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The Auction is over with a winning bid of $200.00. I appreciate all the interest this little experiment generated and down the line just might do it again.

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Since I posted the photo above I added a little more value to the piece by giving the fella a gold earring and a nameplate.

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Thanks again.

Photographing Your Carvings

I've been asked on a number of occasions what type of set-up I use when photographing my carvings so here are my secrets and what you'll need to do something similar.

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As you can see by the photo I use three lights which I can move around for the best effects. These lights are just the common clip-on reflectors you can pick up at WalMart for a few bucks. I mounted them on 1-1/2" PVC pipe stuck in some flat plywood squares. You'll note if you enlarge the photo the two front lights are labeled "Warm" and "Cool" This helps me balance the lighting. That third light in the back is also a "Warm" light and is used to give the piece being photographed some backlighting. The backgrounds I use are usually just a piece of colored Posterboard, in this case Forest Green. There is a roll of Studio Paper behind the posterboard in case I have to photograph something too large for the smaller board. Another thing that is critical is the tripod. You just have to have one of these to get good clear photos.

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In this photo is the 10" cloth diffuser I put over each reflector. These are available at a photo shop for around $10. They break up the light so most of the shadows are eliminated. To keep them away from the bulb I made a 3" extension ring out of some aluminum flashing. The large light is also available at a photo shop. It costs about $25 and is really worth the cost as it's your main light. It's the one labeled "Cool" as it gives a nice cold light. The smaller one is just a 60 watt bulb I picked up from WalMart. This is also the bulb used in the third light.

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Here's a photo of the extension ring. I just cut a strip of flashing about 4" wide, folded over the edges, bent it around the light and then use some screws to hold it together.

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Finally, I made some stands to set the piece on when it's being photographed. The large one is just a piece of paneling with a 1-1/2" wooden dowel painted flat black and a small circle of paneling with a piece of inner-tube glued on to keep the piece from slipping. The coffee can just raised this platform up to where the table is hidden. The little ring is a piece of PVC pipe painted flat black that I use for my Bottle Stoppers. I set it on top of the larger platform.

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When taking a photo make sure you position your carving at least a couple of feet from the background. This makes the background out of focus when you take your picture. I turn off my flash as it's not needed with the lights. Move your front lights far enough back from your carving so you don't get too much light. After you take a few you'll figure out just where to put the lights for the best effects. Once the photo is taken you can photoshop the stand out of the picture and you carving will look like it's floating in space.

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My camera is a Nikon D70 with a 18-70mm lens. I've used my wife's Canon Powershot A80 with good results so you should get some nice photos no matter what camera you use.

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I hope this answers your questions. If not just drop me a note.