thibaultron

Matt, I appreciate your imput. I do use a leather stop that I charge with compound. I have seen some fancy sharpening systems out there, but am interestd in traditional ways. I really have always been very interested in hand tools, especially old ones and the proper use of them. My father drummed into me the proper care and way to use a particular tool. I have always been in awe of the apprenticeships that craftsmen underwent to learn their trades in the past. I used to rent a converted skiff house in the Thousand Islands on the St Lawrence River in upstate New York that was built around 1900 for vactation. The beams, etc. all had hand planed beading! The wood work was amazing in what was actually just a boat shed! I really didn't mean brands, but types like paring chisels, etc. I know amazing chisels have been made from old files by some people. That must be work.
 
Kurt

The painting is that of Rogatyn Roksolana who live during the 1500s during the reign of Suleiman I. Picking her as inspiration is pure preference however I would have to imagine that any colonial woodworkers intending to build a figurehead of a Sultans concubine would quite likely have gotten their inspiration from something historical and she was in her time an educated and powerful woman who achieve some fame. Plus the painting seems somewhat eurocentric and idealic which id assume some moderately educated colonial merchantman would have probably thought in terms of her looks rather than an accurate representation of a woman of that time in the Ottoman empire.

More progress. Made eyebrows and puffy lucious lips

Thanks for the Scupltris link! I'm going to check out the program. Looks interesting!

Thanks for the Scupltris link! I'm going to check out the program. Looks interesting!

Kurtrjohson,
 
I have to concur with druxey and Jaager... It is not so much the brand, but how sharp it is honed too.  Sure, some manufacturers use a better quality steel than others, and they hold a keen edge longer, but even a cheap Chinese chisel will hold a good edge for a while, if it is honed well to begin with.  The key is to get it sharp and keep it sharp.
 
I work with wood chisels on a daily basis, not just on model ships, but on other things as well.  I am not going to mention any brand names I prefer, since there are so many out there that are made of great steel.  I probably have close to 50 chisels of various makers, shapes, and sizes.  Of course, I also various stones on which I sharpen them.  I will say that I prefer a Norton water stone for my 4000 and 8000 grits, which I also use to sharpen the straight-razors I shave with.  Also as mentioned above, get yourself a strop.  About any old piece of leather will do.  For my razor, I have a regular razor strop.  For my chisels, I have old pieces of an old leather belt glued to a board, imbedded with stropping compound. 
 
If you have carved for 25 years, I am probably telling you nothing new.  But my preference is a sharp cheap Chinese tool well honed, to an expensive Sheffield tool that is dull.
 
Matt

So started the process of making a 3d figure via sculptris thanks to Igor for the guidance. Was my first attempt and nowhere near done yet but the program is amazing let me know what you all think.

My guess is that is a measuring tool. If you open it up and then touch one of the the openings to both sides of a material you can measure the thickness of that material by measuring the opening at the opposite end. Measuring the thickness of a ship's boat would be a good application for that tool.

I wonder for which use is this nice brass "glasses"? Some kind of gauge also?

Im going to try using a cnc program like igorcap did with Oliver Cromwell and Pegasus. The figure would be small 2 cm in size so might be an interesting experiement though i trust i will likely try a few different approaches to get the best effect.

For those of us who are not yet at the skill level of carving a full figure, I would suggest looking at available scale figures as a starting point. You could at a minimum use the head and torso, using some type of material to build up the clothing.
 
For the Sultana, 1/64th scale figures are available from the model railroad suppliers (a limited availability in this scale). If you wanted a smaller figure head 1/72nd figures are available on a more limited basis in the model airplane and military armor suppliers (you may have to buy a plane or vehicle kit just for the figures. For a larger than life figurehead, 1/48th scale model railroad figures are also available.

For those of us who are not yet at the skill level of carving a full figure, I would suggest looking at available scale figures as a starting point. You could at a minimum use the head and torso, using some type of material to build up the clothing.
 
For the Sultana, 1/64th scale figures are available from the model railroad suppliers (a limited availability in this scale). If you wanted a smaller figure head 1/72nd figures are available on a more limited basis in the model airplane and military armor suppliers (you may have to buy a plane or vehicle kit just for the figures. For a larger than life figurehead, 1/48th scale model railroad figures are also available.

Ok so daves most kindly posted some pics on the figurehead off of Hahn's model of Sultana and what I see is a figure placed in very similar arrangement to the replica in Delaware, the arm placement etc.  Don't want to reinvent the wheel just work off a model that seems logical so I think I will go in that direction and eventually would like to visit the diorama in Virginia and get some closer pics of Hahn's model. Here is what she looks like and as far as how detailed I can make her well that's going to take some researching as well but at least now I can put my mind at rest on a few questions and get back to widdling.

OK, if you all insist!
 
"USS Barbie hoped to blow him out of the water, settle the affair quickly, but after a long, hard engagement, it was she who got licked in the end."

On a more boring note, making an original figure head is a laudable goal, but I would recommend a couple of intermediate steps to greatly improve the learning curve--
 
First, do some rough sketches.  No Davinci stuff required here, if you can draw a hull plan or even mark planks for spiling, you have the required skills to draw schematic figures with the basic pose and proportions. Work with just a front and side view. Start larger than your final scale--5 or even 10x bigger.  Work on tracing paper so you can trace over what you have right and redo the parts you don't like yet.  When you have the basic proportions, use photo reference details of faces, hair, hands, props, etc.  (you can use a similar technique for your carving pattern, reduce your large drawing to scale and it will look awesome.) 
 
Second, get some Sculptey from a craft store, make a simple aluminum wire armature, and do some quick maquettes, still working in large scale.  Does it look right?  Scale it down to your final size and make another quick model.  Does it still look right? Why or why not?
 
At some point, the 'roughs' will turn into 'keepers' and you still haven't used up any boxwood.  
 
 Most figures I've seen aren't let down by carving technique or lack of detail, but by proportion and basic anatomy.  Eyes are in the middle of the head, nose bisects eye-line and chin, mouth halfway between...elbows end at bottom of ribcage, wrists aprox. at hips, etc...   Limbs bend only at certain angles, and only at joints. ("rubber arms" are a frequent sculpt error, especially in small scale)  
 
I hope this helps, I look forward to seeing this develop!

EDIT: Never mind. Too risque!

I remember reading somewhere that action was a particularly remarkable feat as HMS Ken was known to be seriously under gunned. 

You know your history well, Overdale. She was boarded and taken by HMS Ken.

Yeah a real work of art that one. Bet they spent years on the detailing

Charlie,
 
If I'm not much mistaken, that's the figurehead of the 1820 Frigate ' USS Barbie' ?
 

Haha I have a few friends who I'm sure would love doing that mr frolick! But yes learning to carve is going to be a lot of fun, though this tiny 2 centimeter figure is going to be a challenge. Still I'd love to seek out what history exists if any so I at least have an idea of what a period figurehead from the 18th century colonial era might have looked like. Perhaps ill contact the Sultana society and see what they know if anything

Hire a local art student to pose in costume, while you carve it from boxwood. And take your time.

I'm imagining that coming from colonial America she would have looked pretty but common, not a mythical figure or something royal. The arms would either be to the side or crossed not outstretched or they would break easily and I would assume clothed in something bard-like but maybe I'm totally off.  Something like a Jenny Lind except she hadn't been born yet!

Yes I agree and I expect at some point ill start to make a collection of such available alacart pieces and modify the detailing. The other option would be to try something via computer (3d printing perhaps?) but other than just use my imagination I am curious if a description of the original was ever documented (which I imagine unlikely) or at the very least some experts came up with some educated guesses like with Hahn's model. If not I will likely just follow the same route Chuck took as I really like that approach best but it's little things like placement of the hands or ornamental details that I am curious about. I have to assume something is known otherwise why would we know it was a woman? But if I can't find that description anywhere well then I'll just have to use my imagination which could be fun but even then I'd like a few historical similar figureheads off merchant type turned military vessels of the period with which to model off of.

Charlie, If I remember rightly, Corel make a couple of very attractive female figureheads that could be modified and used.