Post #403221 by Paipo on Fri, Aug 22, 2008 3:19 PM

Hmm...food for thought! It never actually crossed my mind to drill all the way through, although I did it on the jade Lono I made.

Unfortunately it's a little late now, as I have taken out a lot of the depth I'd need if I were to drill through. I usually prefer to leave the plain "half shell" that preserves the natural integrity,strength and aesthetic appeal of the stone anyway, so from the back it still looks just like a beach pebble.

Something you can't see in those pics is that the hollows between the "ribs" are pretty deep, undercut at the bottom (which would show if I drilled right through) and also textured with that lava/rough rock texture used on the surface of the ribs. When they aren't filled with water and don't have a lamp shining directly into them the shadow effect is more pronounced. All will be revealed in the final shots...

I do appreciate the feedback, so don't stop - but in this case it's so close to the finish line it's too late to make any changes. Maybe next time! Today will be spent giving all areas a final tune-up and surface finish, but the carving part was all done before I posted those shots.

Resins? I thought about it, but there are way too many deep undercuts on this guy, especially the mouth (stay tuned for detail shots). Even if I got a mold out of it, it would be a nightmare to get clean castings from. I've pretty given up on moldmaking - sorry Jen! :(

Thanks Ben, timid, teaKs, Jen, Tfreak and Bullet!