*Dawn Hauter’s Killdeer

Dawn Hauter's Killdeer

Well, we recently participated in the Sauder Village Woodcarving Show in Archbold, OH. In several previous posts, we have lauded the wonderful time that we consistently have at this annual gathering of carvers and friends.

A primary reason for our satisfaction is how well the show is run. The one individual who sees to that is the  Marketing & Special Events Coordinator for Sauder, Dawn Hauter. This year, we gave her a token of our esteem and affection in the form of a stick decoy. She e-mailed this photo of the Killdeer decoy ensconced in her office-area. If you are a carver who has never visited or exhibited in this great show, contact Dawn at her office (below) she will fill-you-in. Maybe, we’ll see you there next year.

Dawn Hauter

Marketing & Special Events Coordinator

Sauder Village

22611 St. Rt. 2, PO Box 235

Archbold, OH 43502

419-446-2541 / 800-590-9755 ext. 3076

www.saudervillage.org

Happy birding and carving, Bill

Bald Eagle #3

*New Habitat Class is Scheduled!

Pink Dogwood on Base

Our truly final event this carving/teaching year (2011) is now officially on Saturday, November 19, 2011, from 9a.m. til noon (or maybe longer). This is by invitation only to six carvers max and is free-of-charge.  Our one-day-project is to fabricate a small Dogwood branch with leaves and blossoms.

This will entail cutting and soldering brass rods, leaf cut-outs and blossom-cut-outs. It will also involve some epoxy.  We made the pictured base with pink blossoms and no leaves. We’ve made previous bases with Dogwood leaves and buds without blossoms. This time, we’ll strive for both!

The object is to improve and develop our soldering skills as well as as bases for our future bird-carvings.

Happy birding and carving,   Bill

Bald Eagle #3

*Kenny Vermillion’s Habitat Workshop

K.Vermillion’s Chickadee

Kenny Vermillion

Sam Hudson and Bob Hewitt

A Section of the Work-Spaces

 

Carving Buddies Sam Hudson, Bob Hewitt and I left Dayton, OH at 6a.m. Wednesday to attend a “two-day-private” Habitat Workshop presided by World Class Carver Kenny Vermillion.  Kenny and I have discussed my visit to his home in Terre Haute, IN for several years. Finally, it was our opportunity to do it. I asked if I could bring two of my carving buddies along. We booked rooms nearby and arrived for day number one.  Kenny and I had previously discussed an out-line of topics. Well, he exceeded our out-line and kept the tips and techniques coming.  For two days, we covered techniques and tips on carving, painting, pattern-making, clay models, band-saw tips, power-bit selections, composition, leaf-and twig carving and painting, etc.  Firstly, his workshop is great for teaching. We each had a well-designed, comfortable work-space that any carver would love to have in their own home. Kenny’s Hoosier Hospitality took over and we all had a blast.  And to answer your unasked question, yes, I did “paint” a leaf.   And, yes, I’ll probably allow June to teach me to paint a bird!  Someday, maybe…Like the old sentimental travelogues of old, we finally reluctantly drove away from Kenny’s Winter Wonderland and into the cold, snow-covered expanses of the express-ways, headed home. Bob drove his SUV and we did very well; no mishaps.  A last word about the “paint”!  I’ll simply quote the “Man’s Prayer” from Possum Lodge’s Red & Green Show, “I’m a man and I can change if I have to, I guess”…

Happy birding and carving,  Bill

Bald Eagle #3

*Winter Hiatus, Again!

Al l of a sudden, this year’s Shows, Classes , Carve-Ins and carving-projects  are over! The Holidays have arrived with Thanksgiving and will finally be over too with the New year 2011! We are “officially” in our annual “Winter Hiatus”, a time for re-charging our batteries and reflecting over the year past with a view towards  doing even better (not more) next year.  It’s a time when you’re not on my calendar so much and I’m not on yours so much either. We’ll  enjoy re-engaging with the whole ball of works again in the Spring.  While on our down-time and not having to work  around class-schedules  on the calendar, I have a lengthy list of former class-projects to finish-up.  All of these are former class-projects that were set-aside so I could commence the next classes coming along.  I’ll just mention the one I’m currently working on is the Eastern Bluebird. I have the best intentions of taking some “world-class” instruction on habitat along the way. Our Carving Year always commences with the Miami Valley Wood-carver’s Show in Middletown, OH. ,on the first weekend of March each year. I’m honored to have again invited to be a judge at that show. Our first classes always commence on the second weekend of March. We expect to do five shows again next year.  I realize that more than a few of our Hamonhaus Carvers also have a few unfinished class-projects to complete. Please be sure to be in touch with me to set a mutually convenient time for you to come by.  That applies to any painting, as well. Please remember to keep those bird feeders filled.

Happy birding and carving,  Bill

Bald Eagle #3

*The Daily Grind

“The Daily Grind” (title of today’s blog) might be appropriate for an article for a Coffee House Blog or for a Woodcarving Blog; in this case, it’s sorta both!  Yes, it’s about carving (habitat) and I am, as you might expect, drinking coffee!  We take our meager exhibit to “Artistry in Wood” Friday afternoon (3 1/2 days from now) to set it up for the weekend show. To freshen-up our table, we want to have a new bird-carving there. It’s status is that the Red-headed Woodpecker is finished except for a little more paint; the base is finished except for some foliage and a lot of paint (from scratch).  So, June will tackle the paint and me, the foliage.

Yesterday, I brought some snippings of Boston Ivy in from the yard and color-copied them on my PC-Printer. Today, I plan to trace them onto mylar (clear-plastic) sheets with a black sharpie and cut-them out for traceable-patterns of several sizes of the leaves.  We’ve done this process before and at the Habitat Seminar I conducted earlier this year.  Using the black-sharpie again, I’ll trace several sizes of leaves on to a sheet of thin brass and cut them out with scissors. Gotta be careful of not getting finger-cuts from the sharp edges.  Using a finger-nail file or, a small sand-paper drum on my micro-motor, , I’ll sand-to-dull those sharp edges.  Using brass or copper wire, cut to stem-length,  I’ll use my upholstery-tack-hammer & small anvil to flatten about 1/2″ of both ends of each piece of wire-stems. Then, I’ll clean each stem by sanding lightly with swiss-paper.  My design for this particular base is to cut approximately 1/8″ copper or brass wire into 2 1′ long vines, grinding a taper onto one end of each vine. Without quite so much detail, I’ll just explain that the stems are to be silver-soldered onto the leaves and then, on to the vines. Veins will be scribed onto the leaves and the  solder-joints all to be ground/sanded smooth and epoxied & sanded again.   These are all still flat and as such, to be painted. Next, all leaves should be fashioned/curled-slightly to resemble the live leaves out in the yard. On the vines, I expect to solder 1″ posts to be glued into holes drilled in the sides of the base.  Hopefully, this can all be accomplished by Friday afternoon.  If successful, I hope a few of you will see the results at the show or later, on this blog’s photo page.

Happy birding and carving,  Bill

Bald Eagle #3

* Off to the Cincinnati Woodcarving Show

I expect I’ll soon be adding a photo at the beginning of this post.  It will be of our newest class project, the 1/2 sz Great Horned Owl. At this moment, it’s in June’s hands at the paint-table and “rounding third”.  In a few hours, I’ll be able to take the paint-finished bird from her and affix it to it’s base, using epoxy.  Allowing a few hours for the epoxy to set, I’ll then re-drill through the base-branch and into the bird.  A dowel will be glued and inserted to give permanent strength to the connection. I expect to enhance the base’s habitat by adding a few small branches including pine cones and needles,  soon after this show and prior to our next show which is at Sauder Village, Archbold, OH in a few weeks.  I just ran out of time for this show.   We’ll gather and pack our other carvings and exhibit gear into boxes and stow them carefully into the Nissan.  Late afternoon will find us setting-up our exhibit at the show-site and submitting a few carvings to the Judging Committee for the competition. That’s how it goes in our world.  This show is one of the five shows we have winnowed-down to doing each year.  This Great Horned Owl’s Walnut Base is only significant because it’s the very first one that I have personally turned on my wood-turning lathe. The lathe was gifted to me a few years ago by Carving-Buddy Jim Callahan. Please say hello if you see us at the show tomorrow (June’s birthday).

Happy birding and carving,  Bill

 

Bald Eagle #3

 

*Things Are Good!

40@14 in Turning Lathe on Stand

I was “gifted” this 10 year-old lathe a year or two ago by one of my carving-buddies, Jim Callahan. It came without the base but did include about a dozen turning tools in various conditions.  It’s by Central Machinery and is widely distributed by Harbor Freight. Jim also brought the used-2x4s and built the two work-benches in my shop.  Callahan is one of my favorite woodcarvers because of his personality, generosity and, oh yes, he’s extremely talented in many areas. Well, I happen to have a number of friends who fall into these same categories.  Larry Long (aka L3) is certainly another one.  Larry would have to plead “guilty” to having built our built-in curio-cabinet in our great-room, the oak-leaf in our antique oak pedestal table and my band-saw’s resaw-fence.  I asked Larry to examine my 12 Lathe turning tools and help me to get them sharpened as might be needed. Turns out that half of them are going into our up-coming garage sale and the other half are already sharp.  Larry came by to get me jump-started on my lathe. I’ve promised my current class of seven carvers to a walnut base each.  I’ve band-sawed 11 round  blanks  7 x 1.75″  Larry brought over a few of his own tools to demo for me. He showed me his new-style finisher tool which has a half-inch carbide disc screwed onto the tools tip. It can be rotated when a section dulls, to a sharp section. This could last for years before the disc might require replacing at a fairly modest cost.  Within a few days, I had my own Easy-Tool.  With Larry’s help, I turned my first Round Walnut Base while he was here. Last night I turned my second base in a short period of time.  Not a woodcarver (actually, more of a CPA), another good friend is Zane Haught.  A few years ago at lunch (we meet for lunch about weekly and have for many years), I must have mentioned something about wanting a table saw (I still do!).  Zane said “Have I got a deal for you”! Within an hour, following our lunch, we together schlepped his old Craftsman Radial-Arm Saw & Table from his shop to mine; whew! Callahan’s two work-benches were made to sit on either side of this saw and match it on height & depth of work surface.  A few weeks ago, Zane said that my shop (aka: detached garage) needed shelving.  He took measurements.  Maybe, a week later, he returned with his tools and all of the lumber and braces he had personally pre-made. Let me just say that a few days later, all of the braces and all of the lumber was in place without a brace or a board left over; shelves on three walls!  Don’t get me get started about Don Ward, Bruce Reese and a host of others. I could go on and on in this post about the kindness of others, but you get the idea.   It’s true, Ol’ Bill trys to get by on the cheap! It’s either that or, stay at home.

Happy birding and carving,  Bill

Bald Eagle #3

*Our Very First Bird’s Feet Construction Class at das Hamonhaus

Our recently held “*Very First Habitat Seminar at das Hamonhaus” was successful.  Time didn’t allow us to do more than several projects to completion. So, as a follow-up, we are reconvening tomorrow afternoon to share in *Our Very First Bird’s Feet Construction Seminar at das Hamonhaus.

In preparation for tomorrow, I spent about 5 hours yesterday making toe-charts, cutting leg & toe rods and soldering a pair of feet for my own Red headed Woodpecker. Since all of these same carvers recently attended our last seminar, they have already acquired their basic tools and have soldered their first leaves and twigs. I will include Custom Bird’s Feet Toe Charts in the Student’s Kits for all future Hamonhaus Wildfowl Carving Classes where wire feet are appropriate to the project.  I will also go over the other custom wire-bending tools which are useful in making habitat & bird’s feet.

These “Hamonhaus Carver’s” have been invited to these two “no-fee” ,  other than for materials, seminars as a perk for being either current or former enrollees in our schedule of classes.   For years, we have also offered the perk of  “weekly no-fee Carve-Ins” to our Hamonhaus Carvers. Bird carving isn’t for everyone, just as power-carving isn’t for everyone!  However, it you might be one of those of like mind to us, why aren’t you a Hamonhaus Carver? check-out our Schedule of Classes on this Blog from time to time and be in touch.

Happy birding and carving,  Bill

*Our Very first Habitat Seminar at das Hamonhaus

We Woodcarvers all experience the occasional “break-through”!  If we persevere, we improve when our techniques improve or are up-dated.  We take a “Class”,  acquire a new tool or, a new “How-to-Book” that takes us further and better.  We receive a valuable “tip” that we relate to and can utilize  from then on; etc.  Well, I feel that way about many aspects of my woodcarving.  Habitat is a major area of opportunity for these carvers who overcome their fear of trying something new.  Remember your initial apprehension of trying a power wood-carving tool?  Same thing!  Making your own bird’s feet instead of buying “cast feet” is a major break-through for sure.  I’ve agreed to Do our next Seminar on making Bird’s Feet for our current Red-headed Woodpecker Class plus a few others.   Well, consider putting a twig, branch or a few leaves on your bird-carving base.  How about an acorn, mushroom or even a bloom or two?  Getting a little nervous?  I can empathize.

For that reason, I conducted a seminar on several of these concepts here last Saturday for a room-full of Hamonhaus Carvers.  These are current and former students who have previously participated in one or more of our classes.  We started in the morning and worked on adding carved-to-fit styrofoam to a wooden base and covering it with “Sculptamold”, a plaster-like covering for the “ground-cover”.  Embellishments were added; i.e: fabricated pebbles, texturing, etc. Everyone took a brief bag-lunch break.  In the afternoon, everyone cut leaves out of brass and stems from brass rods. These were artfully soldered into  leafy-branches which could easily be affixed to the bases they had earlier modified with Sculptamold. When we adjourned at the end of our day, everyone left with their bases and leafy-branches.  They all had been asked to bring only their mini-torches, micro-motors and bag-lunches.I was very pleased to see that everyone had broken new ground and took home with them,  the fruits of their projects. Hopefully, we will do more on this topic in the future. Because of our limited “work-spaces”, I had only asked our  most recently active  carvers in our classes to join in.  We were pleased that all who were asked were here. Full House!

Happy birding and carving,  Bill

*Breaking New Ground!

Carving Birds and Constructing “anything” else are two different things; right?  Right! Carving Birds and Painting them are two different things; right?  Right! Well, maybe, not exactly.  I carve birds; June Paints them.  Now, it gets a little more tricky;   I construct bird’s feet and June paints them.  Even more trickier; I construct  my bases  with habitat and June paints them. Yes, I realize that those “Bird carvers” among you do not have the benefit of having (June) a trained Artist to divide your labors with;   I do!

In the “old days”, Carve a bird, stick it on a Manzanita burl and or a stick and you’re done.  Eventually, you might tackle a little “Forest-Floor” ground cover and even a few blades of grass. For feet, we were truly typical to use “cast feet” which were (are) a problem in their own right. I’ve made all of my bird’s feet for years.  I do use cast feet to copy from for the exact sizes, shape and other details.

As your carving skills develop, you should expect more from yourself.  Move in the direction of making your own bird’s feet and more elaborate habitat for you bird-bases.  Always take care to do everything in appropriate scale to your bird. It’s always the primary focus of your project.

Towards this end, I’m hosting a “Bonus Session” on April 10th for my current class (Red-headed Woodpecker).  I have  six students all day.  We’ll take a “Bag-lunch” break at noon and work on til  about 4p.m.  We’ll do some soldering, epoxying, ground-covers, leaves, twigs, feet, and who knows what all!

Since I only have six tables, we’re “full-up”! This is “for-free” except for a small fee for materials. Most will have their own Mini-=torches  and Butane fuel. Maybe, we’ll have a “paid-class” in the future for those interested.   Your comments are desired regarding who might interested in our next Habitat & Feet Class; you may respond below.

Happy birding and carving,  Bill