swap piece update!!

writers have writer's block. i think i have the equivilent, carver's block. i haven't been able to carve. something happend in my life that got me down. just a girl, no big thing. (gotta keep telling myself that.)

i'm looking to the carving ohana to help me out. i have all these pictures in my head that i need to put into wood.

just a little encouragement might help.

thanks.

this is what i was able to do tonight. anyone have any advice?

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Throw yourself into your art whole hog for a while. Think of that as your girl. Even if you have to force yourself to carve a bit. Women will begin to find you. It's crazy that way...

Kia ora pdrake. **If youve got a headfull of pictures I suggest starting with pencil & paper... Get those ideas out -its much better to do the brainstorming/refining on paper first & then redraw full scale once you are happy with them.

Forget the girl! If she wasnt the one, she wasnt the one... Channel those emotions into something that will last!!

Chin up buddy! Tama

I think I would go through as much art here on TC as I can find and then use google to find more pictures of tiki. You are bound to run across something that will "Light your fire". God luck. We have all been thru this before and it hurts, but feels so good when you finally get out of that rut....
You can do it!

If you've got the ideas then it's not so bad, it's when the ideas don't come that I worry. If it's merely the physical process of transferring the ideas to the wood that's giving you grief I suggest just leaving it for a while. Go get drunk with some friends, go surfing, hiking, walking on a remote beach (preferably not all in the same afternoon, at least not in that order!) - whatever gets you amped. I always walk away for a while to clear my head when I get frustrated with my work.

thanks. please don't stop. if at least one person post to this per day it will help me.

i've started to carve a little. i need to do at least some every night. i've been dealing with this for awhile and trying to do it on my own. reading books, doing exercises and all the normal "self help" kind of things.

i'm going to try and post my progress with my current carvings here and no matter what, i will keep the pics coming. i'm totally open to constructive critisism.

here is my first try at stone carving. it was just started tonight and it's only been a couple of hours. the stuff gets hot. i need to look into the whole water cooling stuff.

Aha! We got one Paipo..!
What are you using to carve with pdrake? Im guessing a handheld angle-grinder or bench grinding wheel..? Larger work can be done this way using special 'dry' concrete-cutting diamond discs (or al.oxide wheels), but for smaller work youre certainly be better off using diamond lapidary wheels/burrs -with water!! Good on you for having a go mate! Is there a local rock-hound/lapidary club in your area? Im sure they could give a demo or a rundown on basics...
Once your rolling with suitable tools, she'll be gone from your head in no time! Good luck, Ill be following your progress! TTT

Just go gay and you'll never have women problems again.

There. Problem solved. Now get your ass carving! You've got too many tikis inside your head trying to get out to have some dame holding up the works.

thanks grog. if it weren't for the butt secks i'd join you.

i'm just using my dremel and the stone wheels. it's not a very big piece. dip in water, grind, dip in water, grind. it makes a mess.

i'll post another pic soon.

thanks again for the encouragement. it helps a great deal.

Pdrake

Dude your in Vegas, baby. Go downtown and get yourself some 'tookie' !!!!!

Just shout WOOOOOOHOOOOO! It will get you in the mode to carve again. I promise :)

woohooo!

after another while. 2 nights down. who knows how many more.

Is that jade? You need to get the water squirting onto your tool or onto the stone constantly if you can, you'll be amazed how much smoother the cutting action is. Looks like it's starting to come together now - how long have you spent on it?

GROG agrees with Paipo.

If you keep your tool well lubricated, it definitely helps with a smoother action.....with the carving as well.

GROG not gay, so GROG can't say from first-hand experience.

(Thanks Krb for the advice)

Grog not gay just terminally bald. Grog has stubble. Pdrake, nice going keep up the nice work and keep us posted.

That stone looks tough to do, it did look like you were using an angle grinder on it and it looked like it was barely scratching it, is it tough to work with?

When I get stressed from work or whatever, carving helps take my mind off of what ever is bother me. There is nothing like firing up the chainsaw or banging on some chisels to release some frustration and focus on something else.

Keep up the carving and post more.

JP

nice work, pd. i'm glad to see you jumped back on that horse. wher did you score that jade? i'm sorry to read of your relationship problem, but hang tough and sumpin better will be coming along. don't forget i'm still hoping for a maori pendant. mahalo braddah, bullet

thanks everyone. it really helps to hear all the good mana. i picked up a couple of pieces of stone from work from our floral dept. we use it in centerpieces. not sure if it's jade, if it is, it's a low quality stone. lots of inclusions. it's hard to work with because it takes time. stone doesn't come off like wood. takes a lot of patience. i'm using diamond bits and stone bits right now. it's just to test the water, so to say. wood is still my first love, just saw a couple of nice rocks sitting around.

mahalo nui loa

Hey pdrake.
Like Paipo says, you really have to have water running constantly on handpiece burrs (& diamond burrs are the only way to go with stone!)
A very simple solution is to hold your work in a shallow dish of water & kind of work underwater, but tends to be very splashy... The simplest 'system' is to fill a large bucket with water & have a thin hose/tube fitted at the bottom (via rubber grommet) which you suspend 5-10 inches over your workstation... Thanks to gravity & a small hole (say, 1/4 inch tubing) there is just a steady dribble which should last a few hours. You then just take handpiece & work to the water... I like to work on a small wooden block, which doesnt mark the stone. If you can set all this up over a sink/tub is the best way -youll probably need some sort of splash-guard too...

Good luck! T3

heh, i've got a tub i've been thinking of using. i have access to stuff at work and i think i'll go with a very small submersible pump. put a little hose on it and sit it inside the tub. things are coming along pretty well right now with the dip method for roughing it out. i'll post pics tomorrow night.

thanks again.

okay, here's tonight's work. tired now and have to get up early to shave off the 4 day stubble.

okay, no love today. oh, well.

i'm going to carve everyday if it kills me.

oh, advice is more than welcome. i do know about the bits and the water. working on that problem. no worries, mate.

and that's one of my fez's for the photo background. i think it sets off the green well.

Nice progress!!
Can you bring it to the carving seminar so I can see it in person??

The whole gay thing explains why GROG walks on all fours :wink:

I love you man !! :wink:

[ Edited by: Moki 2006-09-25 23:14 ]

yes, i was planning on bringing it and another piece of stone it was carved from. the stone i got was free from work, but i'm pretty sure that anyone could buy it. we buy it by the pound and i think it's around $18/lb. so if someone wanted stoned of this quality, would be very affordable for carving. i hope it finishes off well.

i think making things from rough material that is inexepensive is as improtant as making the rare, gem peices. it might cut the cost down a little. it still takes the same amount of time to carve (a lot i'm finding out), but the initial cost doesn't pass on and mistakes/learning are not as severe.

i'm learning more and more everytime i carve with this. i now understand the prices these pieces command, especially when they're done with a rare gemstone.

Alright Moki, don't make GROG come down there!
Oh wait, GROG coming down there for carving seminar.
Never mind.

Looking good Pdrake, keep it up.

GROG means the carving people!
Dammitall, GROG just can't win.

On 2006-09-25 22:53, pdrake wrote:

i'm going to carve everyday if it kills me.

It won't - believe me, I've tried. I'd estimate I carved all but 2 or 3 days in the last 4-5 weeks. I got dizzy a couple of times, but that was about it.
As for the stone, it must be something half decent if it's $18/lb, that's a semi-precious rough price...you could get near gem grade British Columbian jade for that (we can here anyway). Can you backlight your piece?

Hey pdrake - it looks great! Would you want to trade a walnut log for a chunk of that stuff? (I'm mailing the log on Thursday, hopefully). Keep carving - forget the girl for a while.

thanks gap. i owe you an email. i'll get to it tonight.

i picked up some more pieces out of the bucket at work today. i'll post a pic of them tomorrow. maybe some of you can help identify it. it was bought as "jade stone" and it was very cheap. less than $18/lb i think. probably more like $4-6.

here is the piece backlit:

Hey PDrake, how are you doing? I just made my way through this post. I hope you are feeling better? That jade piece is looking great, a very impressive start. The pic with the back lighting really shows off the stone. I imagine that type of shot will be awesome once you get it all sanded and oiled. Keep posting and keep your chin up...it's never really that bad (take my word for it - you can trust me, I'm a professional).

-Gman

thanks a lot gman, i really appreciate it.

it's coming along. a little more slower now that i've moved up to higher grits. my fingers are starting to prune up. does anyone wear latex gloves?

oh, and "oil". i guess i don't know how to finish stone. can someone fill me in on the process after i sand it all smooth? and what grit should i use for the final? i feel like i jumped into the deep end of the pool without knowing how to swim. at least my dive was decent.

[ Edited by: pdrake 2006-09-26 21:09 ]

Yep, the fingers must suffer... I imagine wearing latex gloves would kill a lot of the 'feel' of working your stone. (nice looking jade by the way! 'Nephrite jade' most likely, Wyoming? Californian? British Colombian?) After a while most jade carvers learn to 'feel' a shape through whatever tool is being used, as well as using visual clues (*watch how the light/reflections and/or shadows play over a surface as the piece is moved...)

If you sand up to about 1200grit you should have a decent pre-polish finish, at which point you can either polish with an electric buff & tin-oxide paste, or else call it finished & give it a light 'wipe on-wipe off' with baby-oil, leather wax or similar...

Im sure it will look great when done! Nice one! T3

here's some more progress tonight after about an hour and a half.

"nephrite jade"? i don't know squat about no rocks. like i said, our floral dept buys it in bulk. so, it is a real jade? can you tell me about the different types or should i just google it?

thanks.

Pdrake,

Rub a little baby oil or canola oil on it before you take the next set of pics...you'll be suprised! :D

PDrake, this guy is looking Really good, like he's coming to life. The moai inside is trying very hard to get out and you Almost have him freed. However you are doing it, continue on because it looks like you are Doing it right.
Here is some info I found about Jade:

Information about Jade from http://www.jadecarver.com

"There are two minerals legitimately called Jade: Nephrite and Jadeite

Nephrite was used in Ancient Chinese carvings through the 1780s.

In the 1780s a "new jade" was introduced into China from Burma.

This new jade was jadeite. Brilliant green jadeite is called Imperial Jade.

Nephrite Jade Properties:

Spot Refractive Index: 1.61 to 1.62

Specific Gravity: 2.95

Hardness: 6 to 6.5

Structure: Interwoven Fibrous

Chemical Composition: Ca2(MgFe)5(OH)2(Si4O11)2

Jadeite Jade Properties:

Spot Refractive Index: 1.66

Specific Gravity: 3.34

Hardness: 6.5 to 7

Structure: Interlocking Granular

Chemical Composition: NaAl(SiO3)2

Jade is found in many parts of the world:

In the United States jade is found in Alaska, California, Washington State, Oregon, North Carolina, and Wyoming.
Jade Terminology:

BC Jade: Jade mined from British Columbia.

Polar Jade: Jade mined from the Polar Mine in Canada.

Chrome Jade: Jade with brilliant green specks.

Chatoyant Jade: Jade that has a tiger eye effect in the stone.

Botryoidal Jade: Also known as bubble jade. Jade shaped like clumps of grapes.

Siberian Jade: Jade from Siberia.

Wyoming Jade: Jade from Wyoming.

Vulcan Jade: Jade from California with a golden brown skin.

There are many other terms that are used in describing jade.
Sculpting Jade:

Jade is harder than steel. Therefore jade is not carved, it is ground and polished. Jade is ground wet because it gives off an asbestos like fiber dust when worked that can be harmful to the lungs.

Jade is primarily worked with either diamond or silicone carbide tools, papers and abrasives. Jade is worked with successive finer grades of abrasives. Some of the grits available are 36, 80, 100, 120, 220, 400, 600, 1200.

After the 600 or 1200 grit the jade is ready to polish. Polishing can be achieved using very fine grades of diamond pastes on media like felt or with chrome oxide mixtures or other compounds on leather. Polishing techniques and compounds are closely guarded secrets by many jade sculptors.

Some jades polish with an orange peel look. These jades require a lot of work and "know how" in the final polishing process. The better jades, like Siberian jades, usually take an excellent polish even for novice sculptors. Since jade is very time consuming to sculpt and polish we recommend that you always start with a quality piece of jade rough."

Seems I heard someone looking for info about "Imperial" Jade recently, there you have it!

Looks like it could be the Chinese "New Jade" or bowenite, not a true nephrite jade but a metamorphosed serpentine and a much cheaper alternative. Very commonly used for factory made carvings in Hong Kong and mainland China these days. It's a bit softer than nephrite and will take a better polish.

thank you very much for the responses. no carving tonight on the jade. i did do a little on my maple, though. it was a rough day.

here's a pic of the jade i picked up at work and my piece oiled up. i've actually started sanding it.

Hey Pdrake,

You're piece looks good all oiled up.

Aw, dammitall! Not again.GROG just can't catch a break!

Now you've posted pics of the rough I can see it is indeed Chinese bowenite, which is always sold as "jade" but technically isn't - only nephrite and jadeite have that distinction. These are most likely factory offcuts that have been put through a tumbler.

well, i guess i should get some real jade then if i'm going to put in the time to carve it.

is this a good deal?

http://cgi.ebay.com/2-SIBERIAN-NEPHRITE-JADE-BARS-7-X1-1-2-BY-1-8-THICK-RAW_W0QQitemZ320032125908QQihZ011QQcategoryZ10231QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Gidday. Hard to tell the quality by that pic but the clean-ness of the slabs would suggest decent 'tight' stone. (youll probably find nephrite a bit harder/slower to carve than that Chinese bowenite...)
The price seems pretty reasonable. I have heard of NZ stone selling for $250 per pound or more, though more commonly $30-100lb. Your best bet would be to get some British Colombian stone. We can get it here in large amounts for as little as US$10lb. Great quality, perfect for learning with.

Hope this helps. T3

pdrake,

I can't speak to the value of the ebay auction, but I just wanted to chime in and tell you that I have enjoyed watching you work on the Moai. Wipe the oil off so you don't get a glare in the pics and give us some nice macro shots of it as you get it sanded and finished up. Nice job.

You doing ok?

thanks. i just want you to know how much this thread does help me. it goes beyond the carving.

i'm okay gman. obstacles have come up a little more the past couple of days, but it's going to work out.

thanks again on the jade. i feel kind of dopey carving the chines stuff, but it was just sitting around the shop. oh, well. i'll get some real stuff soon enough. i have some ideas and plenty of the cheapie, diamond bits. i guess i can affor a few dollars a month to buy the sets, hehe.

mahalo nui loa.

well, no stone tonight. i'm waiting for a delivery of sandpaper. i don't have anything finer than 600 grit. can you believe i can't find anything above that in town? in vegas? sheesh.

here's another piece i'm working on. it's ebony. hard stuff. smells funny, too.

thanks for looking. i'm not giving up on the stone. i hope to get some good jade soon.

oh, and in case anyone is interested, i thought this was a good deal:

http://woodenpost.com/products/Abrasives_Sanding.htm

the 4 pack with all the grits.

[ Edited by: pdrake 2006-09-29 20:49 ]

pdrake, nice carves with da Moai's...but I tell ya, the "Kilt & Conquistador" from a few days ago is freak'n me out dude! They almost look real! Are they to scale?

:D Flip-flOp-fLipPp...