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The Corroboree

First attempts at scrimshaw


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Lovely work!

Maybe I could commission a work off you at some point as my blood/scrimshaw level is dangerously low.

-edit-

I may be able to help you with bone. deer bone. perhaps antler too.

I will try and look into it. Feel free to remind me repeatedly as I am a little forgetful.

Edited by niggles
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Hey sounds great, i will have to hone my skills before i can sell anything but if you get any ideas of what image you would like do let me know!

As for materials, im unsure how feasible that would be, as i am in new zealand. Will check out the biosecurity laws regarding animal remains though and if its do-able i will hit you up.

Maybe even swap a scrim for some materials?

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Awesome bogfrog <___base_url___>/uploads/emoticons/default_smile.png.

Did you have to smooth or prepare the surface before carving into it? And what does the scrimshaw tool look like?

Its really satisfying creating something like that hey. It sounds like your well and truly hooked.

I am looking forward to seeing lots more of your art.

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Awesome bogfrog <___base_url___>/uploads/emoticons/default_smile.png.

Did you have to smooth or prepare the surface before carving into it? And what does the scrimshaw tool look like?

Its really satisfying creating something like that hey. It sounds like your well and truly hooked.

I am looking forward to seeing lots more of your art.

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Hey Amazonian, yes you have to sand the surface perfectly smooth before you can begin,

otherwise when you apply the ink, it will fill every little groove and cervice, leaving your piece of art looking crap no matter how much time and effort you put in.

sadly for me, i HATE sanding, i havent really tried that hard yet but what i have done was very slow and frustrating!!

i am on the look out for a machiene or toy boy who can do it for me, as my partner has already refused to be my sanding bitch <___base_url___>/uploads/emoticons/default_tongue.png

I was trying to upload a picture of the tool from my phone but it wasnt behaving,

its pretty much a sharpened compass point set into the end of a piece of wood like a fat pencil, which is comfortable enough to be holding onto tightly for a few hours.

the one i have was made by our mate who is a carver, so its made from really pretty wood with swirly grain, he's beeing using it for about 20 years! lots of built up creativity in there!

As for importing bone and antler, i think it is a bit of a no no, as bone can carry bugs and bacteria, so i'll have to be-friend some hunters (something i really cant imagin myself doing haha)

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wow, thank you Bogfrog. this makes an addidition to my jewelery tools and art. i have been looking to use bone and volcanic rock etc. along with the glass and silver i like to work with. I had not heard of Scrimshaw as i loaded this page, now i know =)

I'd think the foredom flex drill tool and it's attatchment's would be well suited to this work too. maybe even the sanding you dont yet enjoy =P it even has a hammer handpiece that changes the rotory action into hammer action. i have just got one of these tools (ebay, rather than paying 3-5 times for same unit in australia, it's made in USA) and tried out the hammer handpiece the other day as to it's use in flush-mount stone settings in sterling silver. it's frickin awesome! this tool would allow you to carve and sand the bone etc. into any shape at all plus there is an added option to use "powered scrimshaw" too. rather than just the graver tools you are using. just a thought.

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Sounds good Ghostly, i would love to see some of your jewelery too!

My partner is into his carving so i have access to a dremel and lots of attachments, but i'll certainly look into getting something like what you described.

I would like to make some bone pendants set into circles of wood.

I also wondered if you could scrimshaw on wood? Maybe only hardwood so the surface doesnt absorb the ink?

From what i have seen of others work, you want to work very delicately and carefully and a power tool could be extremely difficult to do fine detail work.

My mate who gave us the tool does some mind blowing work. You can barely see any defined lines, and i think thats what seperates a good piece from an amazing one.

He uses a magnifying glass to see exactly where each dot goes.

You shade with either dots or lines, the more you do the darker it gets.

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im not in production just yet, as im still making / buying the tools i need (too many). i see no reason why wood cant be done either. there is no doubt some chemicals and oils / dyes that could be used for wood scrimshaw work. id think pre-treatment of some sort might be in order to deal with how it takes up dye / ink. the problem with dremel (i just put one in the bin!) is that they spin so so fast, there is not allot you could do with one without totaly destroying you work / piece. i dont know how they even got a name for themselves to be honest. dremel = garbage. foredom flexshaft systems however ARE AWESOME! they have foot pedel to control the speed and are made to do VERY FINE WORK indeed. they cost over over $700.00 here (typical) but in USA where they are made, and every other country on earth they cost $2-300.00 DONT BUY HERE. if you create art you need a foredom! they rotate from like 500rpm or so if that, right up to 30,000rpm i think.

one thing's for sure, the day you buy a foredom, is the day your life changes for the better =) i dont sell them and dont have a vested interest in such, they are just that good i rave about them. come to think of it... i dont know how i ever lived without one.

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if you create art you need a foredom! they rotate from like 500rpm or so if that, right up to 30,000rpm i think.

one thing's for sure, the day you buy a foredom, is the day your life changes for the better =) i dont sell them and dont have a vested interest in such, they are just that good i rave about them. come to think of it... i dont know how i ever lived without one.

 

Hahaha im sure you don't work for them but you sure do an excellent job of convining others of their greatness, which they should be paying you for! Or atleast providing you with free foredoms for life.

I'll hint hint hint to my dad come christmas time about how a foredom will make my life so much better.

I look forward to seeing your creations in the future, if you ever need a girl in new zealand to show off your jewelery and sing its praises as you did for foredom, i'd be more than happy to help out :-P

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LOL. thank you =)

i think it will last a lifetime. longer than my liftetime anyhow. they are the standard workhorse of all jewelers and wood / bone carvers. i will look into how to post pics here and throw some up here for ya. still got to make my glass kiln to realy get going with this idea, so teaching myself old-skool silver smithing from youtube. is there anything you cant teach yourself from youtube? likewise, i will look forward to seeing more of your work as time progresses. your first attempts show the tallent you retain, allot. also i like very much and can relate to your inspiration to create. hope ya dad gets the hints!

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  • 2 months later...

Here's my latest piece, still lots of shading left to do, but i feel like i am slowly getting into the rhythm of it.

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Solomon's dad gave me some synthetic ivory to have a play with and my next attempt will be a lophophora :) :)

I'm going to take the plunge and try do it in colour.

Watch this space :)

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i feel like i am slowly getting into the rhythm of it.

 

Well and truly.

Where do you display your work in your home...on a mantelpiece or something?

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Hmm you couldnt really call it displaying, but they mostly sit on jumbled table tops full of crystals and my partners carvings. Our friends enjoy our house because there are always new treasures to look at.

The plants dominate most of the display stages though.

I would like to finish them nicely with ornate wooden stands like the pro's do.

Just bought myself three shades of green oil point in prep for the loph.

Also picked out a lovely bright red so i can try an amnita muscaria after that.

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If you can make some friends in organised crime, you might be able to find a reliable source of bone... they may even pay you to take it off their hands.

Edited by Rabaelthazar
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  • 2 weeks later...

Scrimshaw is a buzzy artform.

I have been working on one today and its quite exhilarating, my heart is pounding in my chest, i feel like ive been taking uppers and i couldnt stop to eat, drink or smoke for a few hours even if i felt like it, its all incompasing!

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  • 1 month later...

What happened here, did you lose interest Bogfrog? I enjoyed seejng your newest creations, and Amazonian stopped her posts in her creation thread????

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Lol no need to worry. I think summer lazy-ness just kicked in for a while. I have been hoarding resources and planning, although not much actual scrim work.

I tried a colour piece, and it went a bit murky, that kinda set me back i suppose.

I am going to start on some badges and pendants soon.

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  • 10 months later...

Woah so like 10 months no scrim.. Then in 8 minutes look what happens

Pretty shoddy workmanship, but I'm glad I bit the bullet and got back into it again.

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The symbol is a pelican, the legend goes that the pelican pierces her own breast to feed the chicks on her blood.

Not chosen for any special significance, i just really like the image.. although it does remind me of the downfalls of my own self-sacrificing tendencies.

The black borders will be where I'll trim off the edges to.

Still shading to do. I dunno how much to do tho.

Hope to have some tidier stuff to share in the near future.

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Cheers Upside its an extinct giant club moss, lepidodendron.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lepidodendron

Here's the birdie.. Ended up becoming a pendant, I think I'll leave it at this now cause the linework is a bit messy so I'll keep the shading pretty low key and move onto other stuff. Now that i'm back into it (dunno why i stopped for so long) I'll make a bunch of little broaches and pendants.

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I got out the hacksaw and the diamond wheel and tried out my new rotary tool for the first time.

Shaped up lots of little bits of bone for future work.

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Watch this space B)

(Edit) And.. Today I tackled a messy little basilisk..

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Edited by Ceres
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No bogfrog, you can't edit ^ and add new work, you have to make a new post or we might miss it !!! <___base_url___>/uploads/emoticons/default_tongue.png

Now your getting the creativity bug back huh?! <___base_url___>/uploads/emoticons/default_smile.png

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