Carving a head of Mongoloid

[Steef66]

Hi Stephan,

Agree and support you here. Seems you even checked it in a dictionairy.
Sometimes native English speakers have to think that a large part of our community is not a native English speaker and details get lost in translation. If you want I can change the title to Mongol.

Leave it, it's just native English and correct voor people from Mongolia.

 

[shota70]

ggreat carving work

I have a few pieces of apple wood (gift from @janzwart ) and I wanted to give it a try to use it to carve ornaments. See if it is useable for that.
It's a small head, but I think the wood is perfect to use, better then castello in my opinion. It is much harder and does not break so easily like castello.
Off course boxwood is still the best to use, but we all know how rare it is to get a good piece out of my region. (German/Netherlands).
I must say that the apple is very dry, Jan can tell how old it is, I guess at least 5 years old. And it is very hard, it almost destroyed my band saw. Sawing it to planks it took me a lot of time.
But enough talk, let me show the result of 4 days carving (total 9 hours)

View attachment 470837View attachment 470838View attachment 470839View attachment 470840View attachment 470841View attachment 470842
View attachment 470844

Does it look like a member Dzjengis Khan's clan? (I gave him horns)

I used Tung oil to give the wood more depth.

The tools I used are a few selfmade chisels, whittling knife, Corradi files and cuttters (Dental type) in combination with a nail polishing drill. (the one that is used in a nail studio for women's nails)
Most of the time I use the cutters, I really like to work with them. Especially the old cutters that are already a little blunt, they are perfect for finishing.

View attachment 470843
View attachment 470845

Conclusion:

Apple wood (if it is old and hard) is perfect to use for cutting your ornaments.

This was a fun project, I enjoyed it very much.

Dear Stephan
wonderful carving

 

[Steef66]

ggreat carving work

Dear Stephan
wonderful carving

Thanks my friend, kind words.

 

[Steef66]

Great job carving this Mongol\Mongoloid. I can affirm it looks like a Genghis Khan

View attachment 470991

I love that picture Jim, maybe more inspiration for my next carving.

 

[Stuart Little]

I have a few pieces of apple wood (gift from @janzwart ) and I wanted to give it a try to use it to carve ornaments. See if it is useable for that.
It's a small head, but I think the wood is perfect to use, better then castello in my opinion. It is much harder and does not break so easily like castello.
Off course boxwood is still the best to use, but we all know how rare it is to get a good piece out of my region. (German/Netherlands).
I must say that the apple is very dry, Jan can tell how old it is, I guess at least 5 years old. And it is very hard, it almost destroyed my band saw. Sawing it to planks it took me a lot of time.
But enough talk, let me show the result of 4 days carving (total 9 hours)

View attachment 470837View attachment 470838View attachment 470839View attachment 470840View attachment 470841View attachment 470842
View attachment 470844

Does it look like a member Dzjengis Khan's clan? (I gave him horns)

I used Tung oil to give the wood more depth.

The tools I used are a few selfmade chisels, whittling knife, Corradi files and cuttters (Dental type) in combination with a nail polishing drill. (the one that is used in a nail studio for women's nails)
Most of the time I use the cutters, I really like to work with them. Especially the old cutters that are already a little blunt, they are perfect for finishing.

View attachment 470843
View attachment 470845

Conclusion:

Apple wood (if it is old and hard) is perfect to use for cutting your ornaments.

This was a fun project, I enjoyed it very much. Thanks for the visit!

I buy boxwood from a company over here, who also have an ebay uk shop. Buying direct is cheaper. EXOTIC HARDWOODS LTD. Hope this is useful.

 

[Alan Smith]

Hi Stephan,

Agree and support you here. Seems you even checked it in a dictionairy.
Sometimes native English speakers have to think that a large part of our community is not a native English speaker and details get lost in translation. If you want I can change the title to Mongol.

Or 'Mongolian'. Both are good.

 

[Alan Smith]

I buy boxwood from a company over here, who also have an ebay uk shop. Buying direct is cheaper. EXOTIC HARDWOODS LTD. Hope this is useful.

I have also been buying boxwood offcuts from this company. Very happy with their service and the timber.

 

[Steef66]

We have Europeaan boxwood growing next door. So we just keep watching the second hand market or to neightbours that want rid of the bush. And sometimes we have friendly modelbuilders nearby who give you a big piece. (Thanks Maarten) For carving I have pretty enough in the house. Just wanted to try something else and this wood from an apple tree does the job too. Janos wrotes in a thread in this part of the forum that there are more options to use and apple can ad to that list when it is probably dried.

 

[Alan Smith]

Janos wrotes in a thread in this part of the forum that there are more options to use and apple can ad to that list when it is probably dried.

Harold Underhill, better known as a ship draughtsman and author (deep-water sail etc) published by Brown and Ferguson than as a modelmaker wrote very favourably about using apple for ship models.

 

[Steef66]

Material selection for miniature carving

For these small carvings (up to 100 mm) the generic requirements are: - it has to be hard wood - should have closed grain - should not split or splinter - should be able to be worked with knife blades as well as rotary tools - should accommodate different finishes There are quite a few types...

shipsofscale.com

Look there to see what to use.
And about boxwood there are difference in where it comes from. In the states it is mostly castello sold under the name boxwood. It's not the same like Europeaan boxwood. Janos gives the discription how or what.

 

[Steef66]

Harold Underhill, better known as a ship draughtsman and author (deep-water sail etc) published by Brown and Ferguson than as a modelmaker wrote very favourably about using apple for ship models.

For building a model there is a lot to use. For miniature carving that is another thing. Not everything you can use for that.
That's why I want to try other materials, I'm still learning and learning you do with wood where you can get enough of.

 

[glennb17]

Hi Stephan,

Agree and support you here. Seems you even checked it in a dictionairy.
Sometimes native English speakers have to think that a large part of our community is not a native English speaker and details get lost in translation. If you want I can change the title to Mongol.

The important part is that the name is spoken with respect; respectful of the past and respectful to the multinational nature of this site. Having been on this forum for a few years, I enjoy that there is very little governmental or cultural politics. Especially these days in the US.
Maybe “The Khan”? Ultimately, it’s a great carving

 

[Steef66]

I made a little video of the way to use the cutters in the nail drill.

You can see that no force is used, I just rub the drill over the wood with no pressure. In this way the cutter will not catch in the wood. This time consuming, yes, that's something you need when making ornaments by hand.
In the end of the video I show also that the cutters will not cut so easily in flesh, especially the small ones. It's pretty save to do, better then a whittling knife, that cuts flesh very easy.

Here also an old video I made a time back.

 

[AllanKP69]

Apple wood (if it is old and hard) is perfect to use for cutting your ornaments.

If you live near an apple orchard or pear orchard visit when they prune the trees in the spring. There was one of each a few miles from home when we still lived in the north and the folks with the orchards allowed me to take as much as I wanted as they just burned the cuttings later on anyway. Once I got it home I cut the larger pieces into thick battens so it would be thoroughly dry and ready to use by the middle of summer.
Allan

 

[Steef66]

If you live near an apple orchard or pear orchard visit when they prune the trees in the spring. There was one of each a few miles from home when we still lived in the north and the folks with the orchards allowed me to take as much as I wanted as they just burned the cuttings later on anyway. Once I got it home I cut the larger pieces into thick battens so it would be thoroughly dry and ready to use by the middle of summer.
Allan

A lot of apple and pear trees around here. But... I live in some kind of senior apartment. No room to store a lot of wood to dry. Just my small workshop in the second sleeping room.

 

[dockattner]

Nice videos. You demonstrate the reality that excellent results take time.

 

[Jimsky]

I agree with Paul, such a great video tutorial! Now... I have no doubt that Mongol was carved by you , perhaps I still didn't see your face

 

[Uwek]

Is it allowed to compare your new carving with your romans you made for your Prins Willem ?

VOC ship The Prins Willem (scale 1:75) Year 1651

I like it! Without paint, it looks more like a carving, though. But that's me, I don't have painting skills.

shipsofscale.com

only two years in between - but it seems centuries more experience - great to see the difference.

And: The romans were already very good work

 

[Steef66]

Thanks guys.

Nice videos. You demonstrate the reality that excellent results take time.

It does take time, but most it is the learning curve. For example the first leave on this part took almost 2 hours. But I just made the 4th one in just less then 1 hour.

I agree with Paul, such a great video tutorial! Now... I have no doubt that Mongol was carved by you , perhaps I still didn't see your face

Does the Mongol make you afraid Jim? Is he looking dangerous? Well......

Is it allowed to compare your new carving with your romans you made for your Prins Willem ?

VOC ship The Prins Willem (scale 1:75) Year 1651

I like it! Without paint, it looks more like a carving, though. But that's me, I don't have painting skills.

shipsofscale.com

only two years in between - but it seems centuries more experience - great to see the difference.

And: The romans were already very good work

Thanks Uwek for sharing the Romans of the Prins Willem. Yes it seems centuries ago. 4 years ago I made these for my Spanish Galeon



And it's good to start with an easy form like a cross for example. Don't start with a lion or human. On these simple objects you can learn how to handle your tools.
And to come back to time, I remember that one shield took me a day work 4 years ago. And I used a Dremel for it with flex shaft. My hand hurts after a day. The use of the nail drill is like holding a pencil.

 

[Steef66]

I'm working on a "how too" on the Dutch forum, and when that's ready I wil post it here too.
And hoping that carvers like Ivan, Janos, Maarten and more share their experience in that thread to. All to get more people in carving. Because it's fun to do and I believe that everyone can learn it.