Carving from Belgorod

[HAIIAPHNK]

16 hours ago, druxey said:

Coming along well! As for oxidation(?) I wonder whether the color change is due to air or exposure to light. Skin oils will mark wood, for sure

 

I've been having these exact same questions. I even did some experiments to see what effect light and air have on the paduk. I will tell you about that too.

 

16 hours ago, druxey said:

If a piece gets 'dirty', I clean it using isopropanol.

 

Good advice. Thank you. I never thought of using chemistry. I'll have to give it a try.

[HAIIAPHNK]

4 hours ago, mtaylor said:

The carving issue of differences is interesting.   Would it have been intentional?   Perhaps two different carvers with one on each side?  Or maybe the same carver does one side, flips it over and does the other?   I can that no matter it was done back then that there would be some differences between the sides. either by design or inadvertently during carving.

 

The subject of asymmetry in sculpture is a broad one. And each individual case may have different causes. For example, if we consider the sculptures on the Vasa ship, the difference could also be as an initial curvature. Or maybe it is the traces of time and destructive influence of the environment.
In some other sculptures it may be evidence that the sculpture was cut first from one side and then from the other. In general, they tried to make symmetrical parts, but it did not turn out to be 100% coincidental.

If we consider this particular lion figurine from the museum, then there are completely different conclusions. It is not a full-size sculpture. The master calmly held the sculpture in one hand, could easily rotate it and try to compare the details with each other. Here you cannot say for sure that several carvers could have worked. So the asymmetry in this small sculpture shows other conclusions.

I can look at myself and already see the answers. When I try to make the same elements, I have to try very seriously. I have to constantly make marks, measure lines because the eye without rulers or molds just doesn't notice the mismatch. I am sure that each of us can remember such stories. 

 

So here most likely the reason was because the master or had not yet reached a high level of skill. Or that at that period of time people didn't even think about the fact that it was necessary. Well there's a slight difference. So what? It's not that big of a difference. What difference does it make that the characters on the two sides of the sculpture have differences? 
After all, I, as a viewer, only saw these differences when I looked closely and compared them. It wouldn't have occurred to me to compare whether all the curls were the same.

It's a paradox. People used to try to make their work look like exact copies, as if it were made by a machine. And it took effort to achieve that effect.
And now, when CNC, computers, 3D printers and other technologies become more and more common, it is just that perfect symmetry is much easier to achieve. Just make a mirror copy in the computer and that's it. Do each zone by hand without copying? No, I wouldn't, it would take too long. 

Although this is a separate topic. We can talk about the influence of new technologies on our shipboard creativity for a long time. Maybe even fight over different opinions. 

[HAIIAPHNK]

It's time for the head. The curls on the forehead were worked on, as well as the crown. I was worried at this point, as the crown is primarily a wreath pattern. And it is quite small details. If the wood crumbles somewhere on the hair, it can be easily corrected. Change the locks of hair a little and in five minutes you forget that it should not have been quite like this. And with a clear ornament this will not be the case. If the small details on the crown are cracked, the problem will be immediately noticeable. 
But everything went without much trouble. Maybe it is the hands have already started to get used to this capricious material. Maybe there were quality pieces in the right places that would not break off. Or maybe I was just lucky.
In the end, I liked what I got in the end.

 

Well, once again you can see how well the places where the knives removed the darkened wood are visible. And the "fresh" areas are quite different in color and tone. By this point I was no longer worried about the lion figure looking like a burn victimized fireman. Unlike humans, over time the light areas of the wood will even out in color. Oh, and I'll clean the whole figure at the very end. But I've already written about that. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Keith Black]

 Beautiful work!

[HAIIAPHNK]

23 hours ago, Keith Black said:

Beautiful work!

 

Thank you for such high praise. I'm very glad you liked it.

[HAIIAPHNK]

After working on the top of the head there were some minor refinements and modifications. The largest of the interventions concerned the face of my Chewbacca. The carving of the face as a separate segment on the table, detached from the rest of the sculpture required correction. Not everything could be seen, and there was a fear of cutting off too much. And in the end the face turned out a bit flat. I wanted to add more gradients. Just a little bit. I left that question out on purpose. I was waiting until I could examine the whole figure. And now I waited for that moment.

 

 

I didn't take many intermediate photos. I took only the starting one, and then woke up when everything was already finished. It all happened so fast. 
And there's a paradox. You can't tell the difference from the finished photos.  It's as if I hadn't redone anything. But there is a difference. I "sunk" deeper lower eyelids, thus changing the vertical slope of the eyes, similar actions touched the cheekbones. And the rest of the small touches. It seems that in total the changes are not noticeable, but now my soul finally got what it wanted.

 

 

 

 

What's more noticeable is that now I've cleaned up the whole figure. And the fresh color looks completely different. You can also see in the last photos that the sculpture has become shiny, as if I polished it or rubbed it with oil. In this case I didn't even add a drop of oil. Since the work is not finished yet, oil can do some damage. The lion is assembled from segments that are held together with glue.

And there were already moments when we had to take the sculpture apart and glue it back together again. What if I have to take it apart again? Then the oiled wood could already be in trouble. So I didn't use oil. And I wasn't going to polish it to a high gloss on purpose. That's another difference with this kind of wood. It gets shiny very easily. This effect has been seen before, and then simple contact with a glove polished the surface in the same way. Now you can see the same effect, but without the darkening.

 

[HAIIAPHNK]

I have previously written many times about the peculiarities of paducah. The wood darkens very quickly. And that I was very interested in what causes this darkening. Does the wood get dirty so quickly from touch or is it a reaction to light or air? As long as I held the figurine in my hands, touched it, there was always a chance to say that the touching was the cause. In order to prove the effect of light or air, you have to let the sculpture lie in the light and have nothing and no one touch it. This is the only way to compare and see the difference. And so the moment came when I decided to do a little experiment. A very dangerous one! Just kidding.
It's really quite simple. I just decided to bring the lion into the light. and see if it changes.

 

 

 

 

 

So I took my lion out on the balcony for a couple of days, and put him in such a way that the sunlight falls on him freely.

The experiment lasted only two days. Just then the rains came and it was cloudy outside again. So I decided there was no point in continuing. So what can we say? What were the results of this very dangerous experiment? 
There were changes. During this time, the tree began to darken and became a deeper brown color. Which answers and confirms the theory that the wood is changing. Maybe it's oxidation, like an apple. I don't know the exact name of this process. 
Of course, the answers to such questions can probably be found on the internet. But I wanted to see for myself exactly how the changes happen. I was sure they would happen.

I vividly remember what the board I bought looked like before treatment. And that it even had different sides. Most likely it was from the fact that in the stacks in the warehouse one side was in the shade and the other side was a little more lighted. So I was expecting a change. And would have been much more surprised if I hadn't seen them. The other thing is that I didn't know how quickly the changes would start to appear? And that was something I was very interested to see.
After this experiment and the experience of working with a tree that is new to me, I can say that the tree also changes by touching it. It polishes very easily and acquires a kind of greasy sheen. It absorbs any dirt from your hands. And at the same time it changes very actively from simple light.
So if you have the task of preserving the bright color of this wood, then this is bad news. Most likely, the wood will have to be covered with varnish or some other composition. And you will need to look for information, whether some kind of coating will help to preserve the brightness, is it even possible? 
In my case I don't mind the lion getting darker and darker. On the contrary, a darker tone will look more like the old wood of an ancient sculpture. A bright color is not necessary for me. So I'm happy with what I've seen in this little experiment.

 

 

Of course, one could go on and complicate the experiment. For example, to check whether the paduk is affected by temperature, heating? For example, putting the wood in an oven. But I didn't do anything like that. Of course, I would never dare to bake a finished sculpture like a pie. For one thing, my sculpture is made up of glued segments, and heating it would destroy the entire bond between the segments. And secondly... perhaps the first is enough. I didn't stick the rest of the scraps in the oven either. Maybe I missed some unexpected discoveries. But I'll be honest, I wasn't that interested anymore to see if there would be any changes or not. Let at least some mysteries remain undiscovered. Maybe next time. But not now. Way and posterity will have room for their own experiments and discoveries. Or else we will know everything and they will have nothing left 🙂. 
   
Well, that's it. A little later I will describe the final conclusions again. And there is nothing more to tell within the scope of this post.

...to be continued...
 

 

[HAIIAPHNK]

The carving phase is complete.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[KenW]

Simply exquisite!

Excellent carving.

 

[Keith Black]

 Simply lovely. 

[mtaylor]

Takes the breath away..... WOW.

[CiscoH]

very nice!

[Thukydides]

Sometimes there are things I see on this site which inspire me because I think you know if I keep pushing myself and learning, maybe someday I will be able to do something like that.

 

Then there are posts like this which frankly depress me because they are so much better than anything I can even imagine doing. Awe inspiring work!

[druxey]

Well done - particularly with such a tricky specie of wood! Impressive work.

[HAIIAPHNK]

Thank you all so much for the kind words and appreciation. It's a pleasure.  

[HAIIAPHNK]

On 3/26/2024 at 1:31 PM, HAIIAPHNK said:

The carving phase is complete.

 

... But that's not to say the work is over. There's more to do. Good stories have unexpected twists, plot changes. Just when you were looking at a story with the same mood, suddenly everything changes. Something minor suddenly becomes major or vice versa.
And since we're writing this epic with a Star Wars tinge, it's a good time for:
"Luke, I'm your father!"
- "Noooooo!"

Agreed, a good twist in a narrative is then especially good when it didn't just fall out, but when there were some hints before. But at one time they were not noticed or given any importance. And only when the twist is realized, you suddenly realize that all this time the true state of affairs was under your nose all along. That's when it's not just a primitive Luke-I'm your father, that's when it's something more thoughtful, meaningful and interesting. I don't know what analogy to pin it on, but I hope for your imagination, choose the twist that tastes better to you. Some people are closer to the fact that the killer is a gardener, some people are closer to the fact that Jon Snow is a Targaryen or that DiCaprio is not a detective on the Island of the Damned (sorry for spoilers).

I won't say that my stories claim to be recognized as geniuses. But hobby stories could use a little twist, too.
Now it's time to get back to where it all began. The rubik's cube. After all, a lot of people have asked why did I bother so much? Why did I have to do so much? Just take a block and work. But for me, that was the whole point!

And in those moments, when I told how I cut out the face, that I repeatedly disassembled the blank, pulled out the segments from the very middle, I inadvertently opened the veil of the future twist. Now is a good time to remember these episodes. To ask the question, and indeed, how is it that the glued billet was so easily disassembled? Why? Doesn't that say something?
Yeah, yeah, I know no one thought so. Who needs to remember that? But as the author of the twist, I just have to blow the fog. "This is the way"  and all that.
Anyway, all of the above led to this particular stage in the work.

If the lion from Vassa was as close as possible to the state at the time of lifting from the bottom, a copy of his museum original, then Chewie I wanted to represent the sculpture at the time of installation on the bow. The actual dimensions of the sculpture piqued my interest at this particular stage. How was such a huge structure built? How was the blank prepared? How was it installed? In my opinion, this way the overall collection will be more multifaceted and interesting. When different figures will show different things, and not just a line of lions. I haven't decided yet what will happen with the next lions, but now we're talking about Cheubaka, so we'll come back to him.

 

 

 

 

I decided that just drawing the figure on the seams would not be enough. It is necessary to open some joints and show these divisions. In fact, this figure can be called an admiralty figure. To be able to see some technical elements that are usually hidden from the eye.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And if I'm showing the "insides", how can I leave out the carnations? I have to show them too. I decided right away that there will not be any "hedgehog" - when every single nail is present according to the staff schedules and places. Once in a while will be enough. More of a hint that they were.

 

 

 

 

So I didn't have a week-long nailing stage and tons of dowels. Everything, starting from estimating the size of the dowels themselves, wells for them and ending with the process of riveting, blackening and seating was done in a day and a half.

The nails themselves were made with the help of a small device. It had been in storage for a long time and I was sad that there was no reason to use it. So when I decided that this sculpture would feature nails, I was very happy to finally use this device.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[druxey]

Almost a Lego figure! Nice square-headed nails, Aleksandr. Who produces such a  punch set?

[HAIIAPHNK]

10 minutes ago, druxey said:

Almost a Lego figure! Nice square-headed nails, Aleksandr. Who produces such a  punch set?

 

It's impossible to buy such a set nowadays. The master has long since stopped producing them. At least I haven't seen any mention of them on the internet for a long time. I bought this set about ten years ago from a master from Sevastopol.

[Hubac's Historian]

Beautiful carving and a fascinating display!

[HAIIAPHNK]

32 minutes ago, Hubac's Historian said:

Beautiful carving and a fascinating display!

 

Thanks for the review. I am very glad that you liked the idea of showing the sculpture in a not quite standard way.

[wefalck]

It should be possible to find someone with EDM (Electrical Discharge Maschining) capability to make such dies from hardened steel in a small series ...

Edited April 3 by wefalck

[HAIIAPHNK]

 

7 hours ago, wefalck said:

It should be possible to find someone with EDM (Electrical Discharge Maschining) capability to make such dies from hardened steel in a small series ...

 

Of course, people who know how to work with machine tools, make unique tools or make some individual elements for ship models exist. The only problem is that it is sometimes not so easy to find them.
I know several specialists in Russia or Ukraine who cooperate or used to cooperate with other modelers. And sent orders to different countries of the world. But now many connections have broken down. And even if the person himself is still engaged in production, it is almost impossible or very problematic to send parcels. Finding contacts used to be easy. On forums, on special sections there were announcements where masters offered their services. You could buy or sell your tools if you didn't use them. Or books.
But I find it difficult to navigate in the current environment. I don't know if other sites or forums have similar sections? And in general, are there people who want to collaborate with others and make something to order?

 

[HAIIAPHNK]

Speaking of which, I'm just now trying to solve a difficult problem. I'm doing my carving with mini chisels. They're unique. Chisel sizes start from 0.5mm up to 3 or 4mm. The smallest one I have is a 0.3mm semi-circular chisel. I once had them made to order by a craftsman from Moscow. A very handy and high quality tool. However, it has its own peculiarities. Such a small tool is very difficult to sharpen. The slightest misalignment and the sharpening will be uneven. And now imagine, if the total size of the blade is 0.3 - 0.5 mm, what is the thickness of the metal? The tool is very thin and every rework of a wrong sharpening will wear the metal very quickly. Can you imagine what a challenge this is. This is where you need devices that will make the sharpening movements error free. In terms of precision, these are almost jewel-like tolerances and backlashes.
And I am now in a state where, after repeated sharpenings on my hands, the tool has accumulated so many errors that it will soon be possible to correct everything only with serious equipment. And I am trying to find a person who could help in this task. There are two options here. The first option is to make the device itself, so that I could sharpen my chisels with its help. Or the second option is to sharpen the tool on someone else's equipment, if the master works as a jeweler. Now I am asking everyone who theoretically can be useful. But so far without results. It's a complicated subject.

 

[Keith Black]

 Aleksandr, are these the tools you have? If so many folks here ordered sets and may be able to provide advise on sharpening.

 

 

 

[druxey]

I've been honing the chisel blades on very fine grit (1500) carborundum paper by rubbing the back of the blade. The gouges are more problematic. I made a small angled wood block to maintain correct angle and roll the gouge over the paper. It's not perfect, but acceptable.

[HAIIAPHNK]

Yes, I was talking specifically about Mikhail Kirsanov's instruments. I have 3 sets of his tools at the moment. One with thin handles, that's what I use. There is also a set with almost "adult" sizes. And this set has pear-shaped handles, sometimes they are also jokingly called enemas. It was once an experimental set, and Mikhail gave it to me as a gift. I have not met such a set on sale, although I may be wrong and he also makes such sets for sale. Not everyone shows their tools or publishes their hobby at all. I have one more set lying around as a spare. It has short and thick handles. And because of this, the chisels require more space in the box. That's why I have this set in two separate packages. I once ordered this set as a gift for my father. But he died and never got to use it once. So the set came back to me. And I keep it as a memory. So I have a rich experience with tools from this master.

The question of sharpening is quite complicated. First, it is important to realize that everyone uses such tools with different frequency. Someone takes it out occasionally and makes a couple of cuts where no other tool can get through. I, on the other hand, use chisels a lot when I'm working on carving. They literally get hot from the intensity of the work. Accordingly, everyone's need for sharpening is different. There are also different sharpening needs. Ideally, it's a little straightening, and a couple of strokes make the tool sharp again.

 

But even a couple light touches of the most delicate abrasive gradually imposes small inaccuracies. 
I've made a little cart for myself that helps with sharpening, but it doesn't produce perfect results either. There are complications. Straight chisels are easier to sharpen, but there are problems with them too. When the width of the tool is very small, the slightest misalignment causes the angle of the grind to go wrong. At first I was frustrated, everything seemed to be correctly pressed and measured, so how could the curvature appear? And I tried to correct it. But then I realized that every next attempt to correct erases the metal. It's easier to leave the sharp blade alone and work with it, and tolerate the fact that the edge is not at 90 degrees, but with a small slope. It will be more expensive to correct this disadvantage.
With round chisels it is much more complicated. Any theory of sharpening can be described by the following formula. For an ideal edge, the entire length of the blade must be in contact with the abrasive for the same amount of time and experience the same pressure force on any part of the blade. As soon as either of these two parameters are violated, the blade will be defective. Semi-circular chisels need to be run across the sharpening stone and rotated at the same time. It ends up being a lot of fun. Like I said, sharpening errors can accumulate, and in the initial stages you can't see them. But the further along you get, the more they affect you. At one point, the inevitable finale will come - the tool needs to be resharpened, not just corrected.

 

The beauty and power of Michael's instruments is precisely that they are made with jewel-like precision. On precise equipment. And of course the man himself has a steady hand. You can't get such perfection by hand.
If someone has experience in sharpening and can share methods, I will gladly accept any advice.
Now I am trying to make a different kind of sharpening device. And I see two possible ways to go about it. Since the more complicated issue is with the semi-circular tool, I will describe these methods with this particular type of chisel in mind.

[HAIIAPHNK]

1 way let's call conditionally simple method. It requires 2 components. 1 is a cart, which will firmly hold the tool and give the desired angle of the blade. 2 component - a shaped bar with abrasive. This is a fairly common method of sharpening such tools and usually such bars can be easily made from a block of wood. Then abrasive paper is placed in a groove on this bar. That's it. But with such a small tool, this method will not work. The groove is so small that no paper can be placed in it. I thought that instead of paper, I could use sanding stones. If you can make a ball mill of the right size in it, you can get the grooves you need. You could make a small bed into which the slats with the stones would be inserted. Each diameter has its own grinding bar. You can take several variants of stones with different grits, which will allow you to more accurately make sharpening or polishing.

 

In theory, such a method should work quite acceptably. However, I have a few buts. In order to do this I need at least a small milling machine, for example from Proxon. I even tried to buy one of these on private sale. But I fell for scammers and my money went into a dishonest pocket, I was not careful enough. So for now I can't realize this idea myself. Also, there are questions as to how much grinding stone grinding is even possible. They vary in hardness. I don't know how the cutters will behave, there is a possibility that they will wear themselves off against the abrasive and end up with nothing. In any case, the answers to such questions can only be solved by practical method. Try and see. Otherwise, nothing will work out.

[HAIIAPHNK]

The 2nd option is much more complicated. It is based on a different principle. If the first is purely mechanical sharpening by hand with the help of devices, the second option can be called machine sharpening. And this principle can also be divided into several variants. The basis is a general principle. You need a rotating abrasive. And you need a bed in which the tool is loaded. This bed also rotates. And as a result, the sharpening will take place with a precise radius. Then the options for achieving this can vary. For example, there is an option where the tool is loaded into a cart. But it does not hold the chisel rigidly, but can rotate around the axis. At the same time, the wheels on which this cart rides transmit the rotation to the tool mount. 

 

Which will add up to a proper radius sharpening. This method can be transformed into different shapes. For example, small motors can be used. One will rotate the disk with abrasive, and the second will rotate the chisel. Such a variant is even easier to make than an overly complicated rotating cart. There are too many different connections, and each element has to match perfectly with the others. Because any backlash will lead to poor quality work. And such a mechanism can only be made with precise equipment, which I don't have. Even two motors would be easier to connect. I looked at different spare parts on amazon and theoretically such a device can even be tried and built. However, I already know that in the process there are bound to be problems that I don't even know about now. And in the end, probably, it will be cheaper for me to buy a real machine than to build something from separate elements on my knees. I remember very well how I recently made a homemade sanding planer and what problems and questions arose in the process. 
I don't know, maybe I wasted my time for such an overly detailed description. I am not good at expressing my thoughts in a short form. But maybe this will make sense. Someone will suddenly suggest something useful. That would be great.

[druxey]

Aleksandr: I just rotate the gouge without moving it sideways at the same time. That is asking for trouble! Just rotating it in a groove the right size in the wood wedge does it. The wear is evenly distributed and the tool remains at right angles.

[wefalck]

Ideally, one should have something like the Deckel SO (or one of the various old or modern clones), perhaps with a diamond honing wheel, for sharpening:

Image from http://www.lathes.co.uk/deckel/page3.html

 

To make the gauges one probably needs something more complex, with knife-edge grinding wheel. Or one starts from silver-steel/drill rod, drills a hole on a lathe and then grinds away the rest. This then needs to be properly hardened and tempered. Not sure, how V-gauges are made.