Ellly first carving attempts

Hello to everybody here, after months of reading your posts.. and looking at the gorgeous creations you make, I found the courage to come in, starting from the very beginning..
so I'll post my first carvings, ready to work hard to improve.
Thank you for your comments..
I started just to see how do the 'mysterious (for me) burrs work... Still a mystery :D
and with non simmetrical subjects, working on little stones I bought in a local shop. The first one is a beach pebble from a beach here close to Catania.
We have here close to mount Etna where I live, lava stone, and I'd like to use that too, is it possible?
I like this jade that has a 'waxy aspect', I treated the pieces just with 400 grit, so I know that I have to continue with 600 800 and 1000.(no possibility to find diamond cloth here..)
Another question is I worked dry adding sometimes a drop of water with a brush, but I saw that you go wet.. so..maybe I should organize my working station better?



that's my working station..that I share with my micro surf factory

P.S. Paipo, the minimals are replicas of famous longboards of '50's and '60's, Bing, Hobie, Dewey Weber, Jacobs, Yater and so on, that I make for my personal collection, and sometimes I reproduce quivers of sufers that want their boards in a very reduced size :)

welcome ellly and nice carving. looking forward to seeing your "pebble" finished. i am always amazed at what the stone carvers can do. keep grinding.

bd
ps. you must be really, really tiny because those boards look awfully hard to ride. :wink:

Nice work!! Welcome to Tiki Central. I am inspired to try some small scale carving. Thanks for the pictures of your work. BUFFBAD

awesome welcome love stone carving ,great little designs too

thank you to everybody here, I need a lot of help to understand how everything works...

Starting from the very mysterious burrs... :D
that I post here, sure that you will easily explain to me what I don't understand yet...
I made some sketches for what is clear... but all the others mmm... especially n.1 bah, as you see I'm at the very beginning..

About the boards... ehehe, tiny enough to ride them would be nice for some reasons, in this moment I think I had the better historical quiver in the world, included, Alaia, Paipo, Tom Blake Hollow, and Hot Curl, and then all the others... thinking myself riding a wave on one of these boards... a big dream for who lives so far from all your beautiful lands.

I like small summer mediterranian waves with my longboard, but a travel would be nice..

So Sirs, go ahead with your comments..
And thank you a lot

Hey Elly, cool work, the Med definately has its days for surfing, my Parents live in Malta this is the break I surf when it works.

The last picture was 2 weeks ago 20ft plus faces, a rare occurence

Yes! this winter gave us very big sets... in Sicily too, never seen so big waves...if you are interested you find beautiful photos on http://www.sicilsurf.it that has the most beautiful reports on sicilian waves ever seen. Anyway I like warm water, I'll wait a bit more. Beautiful spot in Malta! Does it work in summer too?

Ellly, Welcome to TC with your fun works, Love the Little boards! Also love that you are jumping into the face carving head first and full bore.
With time and experience will come the knowledge of what each bur will do for you. Just remember each bur has a specific shape and that is the shape which it removes from the media you are carving. The wheel burs will cut lines into a face and shape eyes, lips and places which need a crisp line. All the different sizes and shapes will get you into specific areas which need to be cleaned up and deepened without losing its small lines. I would take a soft piece of stone and just use every bur you have on it, experimenting with the shapes they leave in the surface.
There are many people carving Lava rock so Go for it and if you like the results then use more. most any stone that seems solid can be carved. I'm no expert there but my experience is that some rocks are hard and some soft and the harder ones give you better detail but are more difficult to cut. Which brings us to the Watering thingie! You can probably carve some stone dry but it will shorten the life of your burs a Lot, depending on how hard the stone and how good the quality of the bur. It's fairly easy to set up a siphon with a mop bucket and a length of fish tank air tubing or something like that. With a water stream running over your stone you will be able to run the bur faster for quicker stock removal, SO When carving dry, you Must keep the bur speed LOW, AND WEAR A DUST MASK!!! That dust is deadly.
There may not be diamond cloth available where you live but with your computer there are hundreds of stores just a click away. In the "Stone carving" thread are links for many tools and supplies like that so don't give up on that just yet.

I hope this was not boring and that it helps with your questions, now lets see some More of those beautiful pieces! :o :D :lol

Benzart, first of all... thank you for your words it's a great honour for me to receive your suggestions, and I'll take care , especially for dust mask and everything can avoid iniury during working operations. It's beautiful to have joy while creating something :)
Ok for the burrs.. I understood better but I need experience.
So working wet I can set my dremel that goes from 5,000 to 35,000 and that I set now at 18,000 at a lower speed? Do you suggest a precise speed?
About lavastone, well, very hard, I've to find pebbles because it's nice to share work with nature, I'm looking forward !
Yes for on line shops for diamond cloth, I red part of the post about, when I'll be ready I'll ask for diamond and also for pounamu... I'd like to handle one piece...to see with my eyes how intense and deep and rich and different from what usually people call Jade is, but later... first I have to go ahead grinding :D
I'll do my best, in these days just sketching because of flu. 4 days of 40 C° temperature make me feel too tired. I'm in bed trying to find my lost energies...I think it's hard for me to carry one of my micro longboard too...
ciao and thank you

Welcome you have found the best place to start carving your stones.

The surfboard look so real i might have bought one online thinking is a full sized.

Hi Elly welcome! Nice stuff you do!
I specially love this one (it look like a far cousin of one of mine hoku) Very very nice love him :)!!


Keep them coming!

Elly, Your work is great. Carve anything you can get your hands on. Saw a lot of nice lava stone carvings at the Gem show here in Tucson, so go for it. Love your mini boards-great detail. I'm first generation born here in the USA, all my relatives live in Torino. My cousin, Gian Paolo visits your Island during his summer vacations and loves the food etc.
Ciao & Mahalo

Ellly, you will want to adjust the speed of the diamonds as you go as there is no "Set" speed for any media, just what feels good and removed the stuff without bogging down or over heating, You will Feel when it is cutting at the best rate. Every piece and bur is different as is each cut from different parts of the detail. You'll be feeling it soon.

Oh, what a warm hospitality here! Thanks a lot Clarita, and..drgoats, never forget your roots..deeper than you can imagine :)
So if you come down with Giampaolo sometimes I'll have a board for you to surf together (not of the small... :wink: )
Benzart, ok, everyhing clear and in some ways seen, because differences from the pebble and the two small jades were big
and the jade too one from the other was 'feeling' a bit different.
Thank you, experience and works will give me the sense.. ok
thanks for the keyword: feel
I hope from now on I'll do better..
a nice day or evening or night wherever you are :)

You'll develop your own toolset and techniques as you progress - no two carvers would ever use the same burrs to make the same piece.
For the early stages of roughing out, and also for getting crisp cuts and sharp detail, you need to keep the speed up high and the water flowing. Strong, continuous cuts will save you a ton of time in the cleanup stages (just make sure the burrs are well seated deep in the collet when using pressure). Sometimes holding the handpiece still and moving the stone will work better than vice-versa and give you the best control over your cuts. Slow the RPM down to gently grind the rough edges of the initial cuts and refine the form, then slower still with less (or no ) water for the sanding.

PS that bench looks WAY too clean for a stone carver! You should try and get it as far as possible from your amazing shaping bay so you can cut loose and get the spray flying!

Thank you Paipo...
Yes too clean, I agree. I'm looking forward to find the best working situation. Many new instruments and tecniques to test all togheter.
Today I tried with water...
I post some photos. It's really amazing... everything under the water disappear,lines, holes...invisible!
Until you read the lines of the sketch is ok, after... a mess.
I post this photos to know if is correct working in this way

So now I understand why it's better to make sure carves at the beginning.
Ok I post today's work : lovebird from Crete a very ancient bird on a spiral tree.

Ciao :D

Elly,
I will take you up on that invitation as soon as I can. We had to postpone a trip to Italy ( I have relatives in Udine, Boretto & Torino) this summer due to money problems. (projects are scarce at my place of work). But do not worry, I never forgotten my roots, my parents were very good at teaching my sister and I the importance of that.
Ciao & Mahalo
Peter
ps I really like that piece..very cool, I like the strange visage, almost
Tiki-Lovecraft, I'd wear it in a heartbeat.

[ Edited by: drgoat456 2009-02-13 06:51 ]

That is amazingly intricate work you do. You have an amazing eye for detail.

Aloha!

Marcus

oh thank you for appreciating my work...
I realize I started on very small stones, but I like the possibility to hold pebbles between fingers, I see that is very dangerous too..
The main problem for me is to have stones bigger and ready to carve because I cannot cut rough stones I don't have instruments. So I'm quite forced to adapt my ideas to this kind of support.

Today's work was difficult because I did holes in the back of the little jade I show you: the stone is thick and I tried to make the 'V' holes, the 'netsuke' tipe.
As I was very worried about because I was holding with fingers the jade, I didn't realize the hole weren't centred in the back, then I had the fear to hurt a finger because I was not sure about the burr I had to use.. I used a little cilidrical burr not too fast. I hope this is correct. So, I post photos ready to listen..
the subject is a very strange sicilian prehistoric pattern whose meaning still remain unknown.

sorry for quality of photos but cannot do better...
Ciao from Sicily

Thanks for posting all the photos Ellly. I would use the cylinder and a round bur as you are doing for the holes, with the round bur being able to go around the Corner so that instead of the hole being a V, it will be more like the Smile, a long continuous curve. Also don't worry too much about the diamond burs injuring a finger since they don't puncture skin veery easily like the heavy Carbide ones do. Also for protection you can wrap a bit of cloth tape around your thumb and forefinger, not too thick but enough to prevent damage Should something slip..
Your pieces are looking Very good, like you have been carving for a long time, keep up the good work.

Elly,

Great work! Your carvings are very impressive especially since they are your first ones. I am trying to get the courage up to try some in clay..we'll see.
I super LOVE those mini surfboards too! Do you sell those?
The detail is just amazing.

[ Edited by: Tikimommy 2009-02-15 19:40 ]

[ Edited by: Tikimommy 2009-02-15 19:41 ]

Oh Benzart, thank you, now I feel better, safety is important.
For the round burr I think I don't have the suitable, my doesn't fit in the hole, just the point,then the the diameter is bigger, I think I have to buy something different.
But I have another question now: wich is the correct method to make rounds for eyes, like the hei tiki eyes? at the moment I worked just making a little hole with a round burr,or free hand, but I don't think is correct.
Then, when you think I'm ready to buy some 'good burr set' please tell me wich, and where, and I'll make this step..
Tikimommy thank you for appreciating my work! Yes sometimes happens that I make my mini-boards for someone who wants, surfers friends mainly, if you have a particular board you like send me a photo, I'll try to make it for you! Go ahead with clay, is a wonderful and natural material I do love it very much! It's wonderful to put hands inside it...
Ciao to everybody

[ Edited by: Ellly 2009-02-16 23:41 ]

Ellly, it looks like you are using the 1/16" dental burs in your handpiece, is that correct? Can you use the 3/32 also? HERE is a link to en eBay store selling dental stuff and a lot of 60 burs for $30.

There are some Tint cylinders and inverted cones which will give you excellent sharp detail. Some Small round burs , well Lots of good stuffs you could probably use.
HERE Is another eBay store selling dental burs, diamond and carbide at good prices.

They also have the 3//32 diamond burs.

Ciao Benzart and ciao to everybody...
I think the numbers you say are diameter in inches ?? So I really don't know.. 3 weeks ago I tried to buy something on e-bay, I show you the photo, having no idea yet, I'm still waiting to receive these 60 burrs, I think these are just for starting, nothing more. It was a jewelry tools shop, not a dental one ehehehe! What a strange thing, now I'll go to the dentist looking around in another way ahahaha! Better not to go there anyway... :D

I need to realize if I can use bigger burrs, isn't it? sorry but you see I' m quite starting from the 'stone age' !!

P.S: still a mistery how to make rounds for eyes...

Ciao ! I post now my hard work of this afternoon...

an archaic Athenian owl...



kisses :D

Wow Kelly, this owl is great. Nice detail on such a tiny little piece! Keep it up. I still can't believe you've just started carving. These are all nice. Thanks

Wow, i really like the Owl!
~The whole piece in general, really cool work
Welcome to TC-Awsome progresss pics!

WOw More Nice stuff you have there, You just go with what you have and make it work and end up with Excellent works.
I think for the neat, clean and sharp V lines you need an "Inverted cone" fairly small and that will give you your sharp edges. And I Think (don't know for sure as Andy does his by hand) they use a drill bit to cut out for the eyes on the hei-tiki like this one. Of course you need the correct size, but it will cut out band with the center not drilled.

More good luck to 'ya.

elly, it looks great. sorry but can't give you advice or direction but benzart is one of the "ones" to help you. he is great help, learn all you can from him

bd

Oh Thank you to everybody ... I cannot explain how, but after a starting fear about the 'rotating instrument'now I feel absolutely new sensations..and I'm starting to have pleasure investigating stones..
So i think and think and an idea come out from the stone...
and with your help, Benzart, and with all the friends here ready to encourage my work, I can learn in the right direction. Ok for the inverse cone burr...
I'll look for, not easy for me orienteering in this burr's jungle yet.
kisses for all and really many many thanks. :D

[ Edited by: Ellly 2009-02-20 12:54 ]

Ciao to everybody...
I've been looking for stones and pebbles.
And I worked on some new little jades :)
Here I post my work
ready to hear your suggestions..

this is a minoan adoring a shrine with sacred antler
and this is a micenean shield

ciao!

Wow!

Just... wow! Your work is so intricate it is mind-blowing, to say the least.

Aloha!

Marcus

sometimes too much, Marcus... and making good photos is a mess too.
Anyway, I post another little carved jade. This is a turtle with a long story, lives since the VI century b.C. on a greek silver coin...

ciao!

Quite ready, but needs more details, and sanding... work in progress
:)
ciao

Hello to everybody!
Today I started my first Hei Tiki.. It has been very difficult but I'm happy because I did it :D, not ready yet but I post some photos..

ciao

congratulation!!! That's good work in progress! he look small. How it measure ? Maybe 1 inche(2.5 cm)?

Thank you! Yes it's exactly 2,5 cm :) and it's thick. I don't find jade slabs here and I don't have instruments to cut stones. So I have to adapt my subjects to the ready shapes.
But I'm learning a lot and I'm happy
Ciao!

cIao! I post my first 2,5cm hei tiki quite ready. I'll take other photos in day light.
I used for eyes two beads..
Ciao!

wow elly. really nice work. love the nipples (guess that's where the thong or string goes through). keep up the great work.

bd

ciao Big Daddy! Thank you
I'm not enough convinced.. I want to sand again but it's very small and it's not so easy to reach every part. I've not pahua shell or mother of pearl over here and the holes are so small.. I have still to fix the beads, so their position and angulation is not definitive.
A lot of work, but I'm very happy. I have to improve using the tools, and the main problem for me is that on so small parts when water flows on jade often I don't see where to put the burr..
this cause imperfections that I want to learn how to avoid..
ciao !

Hi Elly, what a nice continuation!! Sanding small part and angles is very long and difficult especially on stone, you need to show courage and patience...
For the mother of pearl you find it here:

http://www.dick.biz/dick/product/830827/detail.jsf

the conditions of this seller are correct and the service is perfect.

J.

Ciao! thank you for your words Laojia, yes, I'll sand with patience :). You suggested a nice place where to find a lot of materials, I saw they have bone too and other stuffs..
Interesting.
Ok I go back sanding :D
Ciao to everybody!

Elly, Really nice Hei-Tiki and he is SO Small! Too bad you can't slice the little rock in half. It would give you 2 pieces and help the piece look better. BUT, You are getting such fine detail an the sanding part is the hardest.
You are doing Really well wit all this, just keep plugging away :D :P

:lol

Ciao Benzart, so happy to read your words again! I feel better, so now I know I'm on the right way. Yes too bad but so it is, maybe I should ask to some jewellers but I don't think they like to do such favours..I'm looking forward to find some greenstone jade slices ready for carving and some pieces of paua shells..
Suggestions?
Ciao and thanks :))

Thanks Ellly the learning process seems to take SO Long, but you are Way ahead of the curve so just keep going. Check out eBay HERE for jade slabs. Some will be and some won't butlots of good carving slabs and tools too and even paua if you search.
HERE is a polished shell.
Have fun

Good to see you have The Master back to point you right.

Keep up the good work on your stones.

Oh, yes, it's a confort and a great help to have a Master helping you improuving. I thank you Benzart, and all the friends here always ready to give a hand :D
I'm still sanding the little hei tiki, and in the mean time I'm trying to understand ancient carvings on carnelian, especially in greek and roman age. I'm so excited by learning all this...
I post a photo of a rock cristal with some fishes of 'mycenean' age.
Ciao!

After sanding Here I'm, back with my little stones.
I think the hei tiki could be ready, what do you think about?
I added some details like two deeper holes at the tongue sides, and I drilled through the stone under the arms. It seems more detailed now, And maybe could be enough. I weared proudly it :D My friends liked..
Ciao :)