kruginmi

Okay, I am not saying I am done.......for example I still need to gel coat some small areas....but....I am very happy with the figurehead as produced and the carving tools are now put away.
 

 

 
If you look real close on the starboard side of the Druid you will see some repaired battle damage I added, inflicted from the Raleigh.   (okay, knot in the wood that came loose but as I tell the kids, it is all in the story you tell).
 
I will take a day or two then go over the ship to see if there is anything out of place or missing.  At that time I will declare this complete.
 
It is a little hard to believe that I am finally at this stage.
 
Stay Building my Friends,
Mark
 

Okay, I am not saying I am done.......for example I still need to gel coat some small areas....but....I am very happy with the figurehead as produced and the carving tools are now put away.
 

 

 
If you look real close on the starboard side of the Druid you will see some repaired battle damage I added, inflicted from the Raleigh.   (okay, knot in the wood that came loose but as I tell the kids, it is all in the story you tell).
 
I will take a day or two then go over the ship to see if there is anything out of place or missing.  At that time I will declare this complete.
 
It is a little hard to believe that I am finally at this stage.
 
Stay Building my Friends,
Mark
 

Okay, I am not saying I am done.......for example I still need to gel coat some small areas....but....I am very happy with the figurehead as produced and the carving tools are now put away.
 

 

 
If you look real close on the starboard side of the Druid you will see some repaired battle damage I added, inflicted from the Raleigh.   (okay, knot in the wood that came loose but as I tell the kids, it is all in the story you tell).
 
I will take a day or two then go over the ship to see if there is anything out of place or missing.  At that time I will declare this complete.
 
It is a little hard to believe that I am finally at this stage.
 
Stay Building my Friends,
Mark
 

Sweet work!

Chuck - definitely some Reubens influence....
 
Another reason why I LOVE 1:48 scale (and didn't even realize this until two days ago).  The stem is 1/4 " wide and my smallest mortiser for the drill press is..... 1/4".  cutting the slot into the carving block was a piece of cake:
 

 
From there it was a matter of hacking off the bigger chunks prior to any actual carving.  The Sculpey model is INVALUABLE at this stage.  So far everything has clicked and no big mistakes:
 

 
The check of the blank on the actual ship showed perfect sizing.
 

 
I am now on the second level of hacking - those cuts that only affect a portion of the blank.  I am definitely thinking four times before actual cutting.  Maybe start carving tonight!
 
Stay Building my Friends,
Mark

Chuck - definitely some Reubens influence....
 
Another reason why I LOVE 1:48 scale (and didn't even realize this until two days ago).  The stem is 1/4 " wide and my smallest mortiser for the drill press is..... 1/4".  cutting the slot into the carving block was a piece of cake:
 

 
From there it was a matter of hacking off the bigger chunks prior to any actual carving.  The Sculpey model is INVALUABLE at this stage.  So far everything has clicked and no big mistakes:
 

 
The check of the blank on the actual ship showed perfect sizing.
 

 
I am now on the second level of hacking - those cuts that only affect a portion of the blank.  I am definitely thinking four times before actual cutting.  Maybe start carving tonight!
 
Stay Building my Friends,
Mark

Chuck - definitely some Reubens influence....
 
Another reason why I LOVE 1:48 scale (and didn't even realize this until two days ago).  The stem is 1/4 " wide and my smallest mortiser for the drill press is..... 1/4".  cutting the slot into the carving block was a piece of cake:
 

 
From there it was a matter of hacking off the bigger chunks prior to any actual carving.  The Sculpey model is INVALUABLE at this stage.  So far everything has clicked and no big mistakes:
 

 
The check of the blank on the actual ship showed perfect sizing.
 

 
I am now on the second level of hacking - those cuts that only affect a portion of the blank.  I am definitely thinking four times before actual cutting.  Maybe start carving tonight!
 
Stay Building my Friends,
Mark

Chuck - definitely some Reubens influence....
 
Another reason why I LOVE 1:48 scale (and didn't even realize this until two days ago).  The stem is 1/4 " wide and my smallest mortiser for the drill press is..... 1/4".  cutting the slot into the carving block was a piece of cake:
 

 
From there it was a matter of hacking off the bigger chunks prior to any actual carving.  The Sculpey model is INVALUABLE at this stage.  So far everything has clicked and no big mistakes:
 

 
The check of the blank on the actual ship showed perfect sizing.
 

 
I am now on the second level of hacking - those cuts that only affect a portion of the blank.  I am definitely thinking four times before actual cutting.  Maybe start carving tonight!
 
Stay Building my Friends,
Mark

Chuck - definitely some Reubens influence....
 
Another reason why I LOVE 1:48 scale (and didn't even realize this until two days ago).  The stem is 1/4 " wide and my smallest mortiser for the drill press is..... 1/4".  cutting the slot into the carving block was a piece of cake:
 

 
From there it was a matter of hacking off the bigger chunks prior to any actual carving.  The Sculpey model is INVALUABLE at this stage.  So far everything has clicked and no big mistakes:
 

 
The check of the blank on the actual ship showed perfect sizing.
 

 
I am now on the second level of hacking - those cuts that only affect a portion of the blank.  I am definitely thinking four times before actual cutting.  Maybe start carving tonight!
 
Stay Building my Friends,
Mark

Chuck - definitely some Reubens influence....
 
Another reason why I LOVE 1:48 scale (and didn't even realize this until two days ago).  The stem is 1/4 " wide and my smallest mortiser for the drill press is..... 1/4".  cutting the slot into the carving block was a piece of cake:
 

 
From there it was a matter of hacking off the bigger chunks prior to any actual carving.  The Sculpey model is INVALUABLE at this stage.  So far everything has clicked and no big mistakes:
 

 
The check of the blank on the actual ship showed perfect sizing.
 

 
I am now on the second level of hacking - those cuts that only affect a portion of the blank.  I am definitely thinking four times before actual cutting.  Maybe start carving tonight!
 
Stay Building my Friends,
Mark

Reubens?

My daughter opted to make more of a 17th century Dutch influenced figurehead, so it went back into the Playdoh jar.  I also do not believe it was a correct 1:48 scale representation.  She handled it well.
 
I have actually started another figurehead in clay since the other one was pretty fast as well as fun.
 
Mark

On to the figurehead!  Never having carved before, but having some skills in drawing and 3-D perspective I was actually looking forward to trying this.  The big thing was to understand the proportions of what I was doing, especially since I was doing a Krug original.
 
Instead of just hacking into a piece of wood and going prototype after prototype I decided to do a first attempt using Sculpey.  After a quick mockup of the stem, I prepared my supplies.  My daughter wanted in on the action so I also set her up for her example.
 

 
The Sculpey did not stick to the wood at all and was actually fun to work with.  The target was a robed figure, so I started with a bare figure and then wrapped the additional layers where appropriate to replicate the look I was aiming for.
 

 
I wasn't too concerned about the hands or face at this point, just that there was enough material present in the eventual wood blank.
 

 
I added a bit of whim with the fish.  This will be displayed for a time at a local seafood restaurant and they offer a fish chocolate after the meal so - why not?
 
My storyline is that the British, when converting this American built ship to a 16 gun sloop of war, had this figurehead gathering dust in the warehouse.  Someone wanted it out, so they put it on this ship, causing the eventual name of Druid  (prove me wrong - hah hah).
 
After another hour or two I will bake this solid and then proceed to measure off the wood blank for final carving.  I might have found a new hobby!!!  (like I need one)
 
Stay Building my Friends,
Mark
 
 

On to the figurehead!  Never having carved before, but having some skills in drawing and 3-D perspective I was actually looking forward to trying this.  The big thing was to understand the proportions of what I was doing, especially since I was doing a Krug original.
 
Instead of just hacking into a piece of wood and going prototype after prototype I decided to do a first attempt using Sculpey.  After a quick mockup of the stem, I prepared my supplies.  My daughter wanted in on the action so I also set her up for her example.
 

 
The Sculpey did not stick to the wood at all and was actually fun to work with.  The target was a robed figure, so I started with a bare figure and then wrapped the additional layers where appropriate to replicate the look I was aiming for.
 

 
I wasn't too concerned about the hands or face at this point, just that there was enough material present in the eventual wood blank.
 

 
I added a bit of whim with the fish.  This will be displayed for a time at a local seafood restaurant and they offer a fish chocolate after the meal so - why not?
 
My storyline is that the British, when converting this American built ship to a 16 gun sloop of war, had this figurehead gathering dust in the warehouse.  Someone wanted it out, so they put it on this ship, causing the eventual name of Druid  (prove me wrong - hah hah).
 
After another hour or two I will bake this solid and then proceed to measure off the wood blank for final carving.  I might have found a new hobby!!!  (like I need one)
 
Stay Building my Friends,
Mark
 
 

On to the figurehead!  Never having carved before, but having some skills in drawing and 3-D perspective I was actually looking forward to trying this.  The big thing was to understand the proportions of what I was doing, especially since I was doing a Krug original.
 
Instead of just hacking into a piece of wood and going prototype after prototype I decided to do a first attempt using Sculpey.  After a quick mockup of the stem, I prepared my supplies.  My daughter wanted in on the action so I also set her up for her example.
 

 
The Sculpey did not stick to the wood at all and was actually fun to work with.  The target was a robed figure, so I started with a bare figure and then wrapped the additional layers where appropriate to replicate the look I was aiming for.
 

 
I wasn't too concerned about the hands or face at this point, just that there was enough material present in the eventual wood blank.
 

 
I added a bit of whim with the fish.  This will be displayed for a time at a local seafood restaurant and they offer a fish chocolate after the meal so - why not?
 
My storyline is that the British, when converting this American built ship to a 16 gun sloop of war, had this figurehead gathering dust in the warehouse.  Someone wanted it out, so they put it on this ship, causing the eventual name of Druid  (prove me wrong - hah hah).
 
After another hour or two I will bake this solid and then proceed to measure off the wood blank for final carving.  I might have found a new hobby!!!  (like I need one)
 
Stay Building my Friends,
Mark
 
 

A very promising start to the figurehead Mark - looking forward to seeing the wood version.

Mistletoe, sickles and oak come to mind when I think of druids. Lovely bit of carving work there!
 
Andy

On to the figurehead!  Never having carved before, but having some skills in drawing and 3-D perspective I was actually looking forward to trying this.  The big thing was to understand the proportions of what I was doing, especially since I was doing a Krug original.
 
Instead of just hacking into a piece of wood and going prototype after prototype I decided to do a first attempt using Sculpey.  After a quick mockup of the stem, I prepared my supplies.  My daughter wanted in on the action so I also set her up for her example.
 

 
The Sculpey did not stick to the wood at all and was actually fun to work with.  The target was a robed figure, so I started with a bare figure and then wrapped the additional layers where appropriate to replicate the look I was aiming for.
 

 
I wasn't too concerned about the hands or face at this point, just that there was enough material present in the eventual wood blank.
 

 
I added a bit of whim with the fish.  This will be displayed for a time at a local seafood restaurant and they offer a fish chocolate after the meal so - why not?
 
My storyline is that the British, when converting this American built ship to a 16 gun sloop of war, had this figurehead gathering dust in the warehouse.  Someone wanted it out, so they put it on this ship, causing the eventual name of Druid  (prove me wrong - hah hah).
 
After another hour or two I will bake this solid and then proceed to measure off the wood blank for final carving.  I might have found a new hobby!!!  (like I need one)
 
Stay Building my Friends,
Mark
 
 

My daughter opted to make more of a 17th century Dutch influenced figurehead, so it went back into the Playdoh jar.  I also do not believe it was a correct 1:48 scale representation.  She handled it well.
 
I have actually started another figurehead in clay since the other one was pretty fast as well as fun.
 
Mark

On to the figurehead!  Never having carved before, but having some skills in drawing and 3-D perspective I was actually looking forward to trying this.  The big thing was to understand the proportions of what I was doing, especially since I was doing a Krug original.
 
Instead of just hacking into a piece of wood and going prototype after prototype I decided to do a first attempt using Sculpey.  After a quick mockup of the stem, I prepared my supplies.  My daughter wanted in on the action so I also set her up for her example.
 

 
The Sculpey did not stick to the wood at all and was actually fun to work with.  The target was a robed figure, so I started with a bare figure and then wrapped the additional layers where appropriate to replicate the look I was aiming for.
 

 
I wasn't too concerned about the hands or face at this point, just that there was enough material present in the eventual wood blank.
 

 
I added a bit of whim with the fish.  This will be displayed for a time at a local seafood restaurant and they offer a fish chocolate after the meal so - why not?
 
My storyline is that the British, when converting this American built ship to a 16 gun sloop of war, had this figurehead gathering dust in the warehouse.  Someone wanted it out, so they put it on this ship, causing the eventual name of Druid  (prove me wrong - hah hah).
 
After another hour or two I will bake this solid and then proceed to measure off the wood blank for final carving.  I might have found a new hobby!!!  (like I need one)
 
Stay Building my Friends,
Mark
 
 

The case.
 
Yes I know the figurehead still looms out there, but I wanted a measure of safety with not only because of the kids but also spectators that love to put their hands near, if not on, the hull.  So....I needed a bottom to go with that plexiglass top.  Step one was to get some 1/2" oak and some 1/2" poplar (filler) to construct the main base.  Everything was glued together using biscuits:
 

 
Then I added some 5/8" inch cove molding to provide half the slot for the plexiglass dome.  The outside edge was also routed to add some character and the whole thing stained and urethaned:
 

 
Then I cut a 1/2" MDF board down to size to create the slot (between it and the molding) for the plexiglass to slide.  The MDF was painted a flat/flat black along with the stand previously made.  I did not paint the connection point that slides over the keel and between the ribs so it wouldn't stand out.
 

 
I still need to paint the bolt heads that go through all three pieces and are affixed with a nut recessed in the very bottom.  I affixed the Druid and I had not done anything really dumb (which I hadn't discounted):
 

 
So I carried everything (bottom, top and Druid separately) to the family room and put it in its designated place.  I put the top on and stood back (thinking about that FIGUREHEAD).  Yea, that will begin come Monday.
 

 
I really appreciate all the likes / looks / comments.  This last stretch is truly a stretch.  I keep thinking just another week and I will be done but that started 5 months ago and I am still plugging away.  I am still having fun and truly only have one item on the list left (the figurehead - did you catch that?).
 
Stay Building My Friends,
Mark
 
 

Looking good so far Mark. How did the little one do?

Nice.. You are a talented man Mark !
 
Eamonn

On to the figurehead!  Never having carved before, but having some skills in drawing and 3-D perspective I was actually looking forward to trying this.  The big thing was to understand the proportions of what I was doing, especially since I was doing a Krug original.
 
Instead of just hacking into a piece of wood and going prototype after prototype I decided to do a first attempt using Sculpey.  After a quick mockup of the stem, I prepared my supplies.  My daughter wanted in on the action so I also set her up for her example.
 

 
The Sculpey did not stick to the wood at all and was actually fun to work with.  The target was a robed figure, so I started with a bare figure and then wrapped the additional layers where appropriate to replicate the look I was aiming for.
 

 
I wasn't too concerned about the hands or face at this point, just that there was enough material present in the eventual wood blank.
 

 
I added a bit of whim with the fish.  This will be displayed for a time at a local seafood restaurant and they offer a fish chocolate after the meal so - why not?
 
My storyline is that the British, when converting this American built ship to a 16 gun sloop of war, had this figurehead gathering dust in the warehouse.  Someone wanted it out, so they put it on this ship, causing the eventual name of Druid  (prove me wrong - hah hah).
 
After another hour or two I will bake this solid and then proceed to measure off the wood blank for final carving.  I might have found a new hobby!!!  (like I need one)
 
Stay Building my Friends,
Mark
 
 

On to the figurehead!  Never having carved before, but having some skills in drawing and 3-D perspective I was actually looking forward to trying this.  The big thing was to understand the proportions of what I was doing, especially since I was doing a Krug original.
 
Instead of just hacking into a piece of wood and going prototype after prototype I decided to do a first attempt using Sculpey.  After a quick mockup of the stem, I prepared my supplies.  My daughter wanted in on the action so I also set her up for her example.
 

 
The Sculpey did not stick to the wood at all and was actually fun to work with.  The target was a robed figure, so I started with a bare figure and then wrapped the additional layers where appropriate to replicate the look I was aiming for.
 

 
I wasn't too concerned about the hands or face at this point, just that there was enough material present in the eventual wood blank.
 

 
I added a bit of whim with the fish.  This will be displayed for a time at a local seafood restaurant and they offer a fish chocolate after the meal so - why not?
 
My storyline is that the British, when converting this American built ship to a 16 gun sloop of war, had this figurehead gathering dust in the warehouse.  Someone wanted it out, so they put it on this ship, causing the eventual name of Druid  (prove me wrong - hah hah).
 
After another hour or two I will bake this solid and then proceed to measure off the wood blank for final carving.  I might have found a new hobby!!!  (like I need one)
 
Stay Building my Friends,
Mark