The right tools

It just amazes me what a difference the right tool can make.

I started making miniatures on a lathe around three years ago. I found out real quick I would have to make my own tools to get the really fine details I was after. The mini and micro tools offered for lathe work were just too large for what I had in mind. If the piece I'm working on is less than an 1" in height and only 1/2" wide then beads or coves need to be less than a 1/16" in radius. The smallest beading tool or gouge I could find was an 1/8", twice as big as needed, so I've ended up making most of the tools I use now. I'm a turner by choice but a miniaturist at heart.

I love trying new thing. Something out of my comfort range, but only slightly. I doubt I'll do any food or dolls, there's no wood involved. Unless I wrap polymer clay around a dowel and call it a cake. Nope, not going to happen.

I have had a little success with 1/12 scale miniature weapons IE: guns, knives, lances and a sword. The sword kinda sucked really. Maybe because there was no wood involved in it. My first gun, a Brown Bess, was great fun. It was just for me, to see if I could pull it off. The joy of trying to figure everything out is kinda like putting together a puzzle. It came out pretty good. The second was a British Baker rifle, it's about ten times better. Partly do to the experience from the first and partly do to the pressure of trying to please a customer. I honestly believe some of the new tools I acquired help as well. I recently inherited a master carvers work shop. All the knives any woodworker would need. He had some of the finest blades money could buy. There is a large assortment of mini and micro sculpting gouges and chisels as well. The difference they made in refining the stock definitely shows in the piece. The fact he was a master at his craft shows in the sharpness of the tools. I wish I had taken some of his time and have him teach me how to properly hone an edge. My edges are okay, but his are beyond razor sharp.

I found a new drug.

What is it about making miniatures that's so addictive?
I love turning, the hum of the motor when I fire up the lathe, the blur of the piece as it spins in front of me. It's kinda of hypnotic. There's a point when the vibration of the tool against the work disappears and the shaping starts. For me there's nothing quite like it, or so I thought.
Turning can also be monotonous, if you just keep turning out the same thing over and over. Sometimes I'll mix it up with some full size pieces and have done some really funky shapes. Turning different materials helps break it up as well. I don't really care for acrylics but love to do a little stone. I think I need some more alabaster or soapstone blocks.

Every now and then I like to tackle what I call a distraction project. These take me away from the lathe for a short time and keep me busy learning new materials and techniques. My latest was a 1/12 scale Baker rifle, the famous weapon the British used during the Napoleonic war. I had never heard of it and had to do a lot of research. The level of detail I was able to achieve even amazes me. It turned out really well. I enjoyed this project to no end and can't wait to work on more antique weapons.

Still don't like it.

I hate staining wood. I guess its better than painting it, even though I enjoy painting.

I don't normally stain my work, I like the wood to speak for it self. There is such character in wood grain and I try and select the most interesting I can find. My current project requires very dark aged walnut. I've had some success in the past with adding a painted patina and that would work this time as well. The trouble is, it needs to be as authentic as possible and a light wash of paint over the many different materials involved just wouldn't hold up and age properly.

I guess the real question is does it even matter? The tiny things I make just sit around and collect dust. In time your not going to be able to tell the difference. Unless it's handled a lot and rubbed, then the paint would peel and reveal the hidden little errors. The added time to do things right the first time can make all the difference. So I've taken the time to use filler and stain the wood. Then it's time for more sanding and a five stage finish. I hope this piece is looked at and held often....

This seems a little strange.....

I made a beautiful alabaster pedestal bowl a couple weeks ago. I used Italian white crystal alabaster for the bowl and manzanita root burl for the pedestal foot. Nice contrast between the two. I managed to thin the bowl down far enough to have it translucent.

I should have been pleased, but it lacked in execution. There is a small raised spot on the flat bottom. It shouldn't have a flat bottom and of course no raised spots either. I employed a mortise and tenon joint to attach the two together. the joint worked fine but I cut the bowl to shallow and left a collar of stone around the wood. The stone fractured around the collar and left tiny jagged fragments.

It's small, just not miniature. The bowl diameter is 1.5" that's too big for my current scale of work.
In 1/12 scale it would be 18" and just under a foot tall.

After it sat in the craft room for a couple weeks, I brought it out for a peer review. I pass everything by my wife and family first. Mostly for the ego boost they give me. I know their a little biased. Anyway, Elaine is at least honest and tells it to me straight and if she likes something really well she keeps it. The bowl was well received but with reserved praise. While holding it up to a light source to check the transparency of it, a light went on in my head......