New family crest for a friend

[t_ram08]

Im excited to get into this carving, my third attempt at carving anything. Im ecxited to try and capture all the detailing. Wish me luck!

[t_ram08]

Re: New family crest for a friend

Just a quick update on the carving!

[t_ram08]

Re: New family crest for a friend

Havent posted anything in a couple days but i finally finished. Take a look at the pictures.

[t_ram08]

Re: New family crest for a friend

And the finished product. Let me know what you think!

Thanks!

[whittles by whitt]

Re: New family crest for a friend

Well, all I can use to describe how I like it is an understatement....... OUTSTANDING!! Your 3rd attempt at carving??? REALLY???!!! AMAZING!!! Keep up the great work!!

[t_ram08]

Re: New family crest for a friend

Well, all I can use to describe how I like it is an understatement....... OUTSTANDING!! Your 3rd attempt at carving??? REALLY???!!! AMAZING!!! Keep up the great work!!

Yes really, my third attempt. Thank you for the encouraging words! Makes me want to keep going witht his to see where it takes me.

[mobjack68]

Re: New family crest for a friend

I would say that someone in that family will be well pleased...Looks GREAT!!

[Arthur C.]

Re: New family crest for a friend

Well done!

[pallin]

Re: New family crest for a friend

The carving is truly outstanding. There are some comments I would make about the wood and finish. When you glue-up a blank for a large relief like this, be careful about matching the grain, tone and direction. The separate boards should not be obvious in the final work. One way to lessen the effect is to seal the wood before final staining/finish. This would also limit the absorption of stain in end grain as on the lower frame.

In my WCI galley you'll see that I have struggled with these same issues - glued-up wood blanks, getting the stain to stay where I wanted it.

On the positive side, the crest itself is nicely carved. I like carving the frame from the wood blank. Many relief carvers only pay attention to the central object.

[t_ram08]

Re: New family crest for a friend

Pallin,

I wasnt actually the one who glued the wood, i bought it pre glued. I havent yet gotten into that aspect of it. I lack the tools and space as of right now.

As far as the staining goes, I use a pre-stain (says it will minnumize the splotchy look) before i applied the actual stain. If you have any other suggestions as far as that goes i would love to hear them. Like i said this is only my third carving, ive got a lot to learn. Thank you for the insite and any tips/tricks!

[Brian T]

Re: New family crest for a friend

Pallin's right, glue-ups take some serious thought. I've upscrewed a big one that needs 2X the time now to carve.
Beyond that, your work is wonderful. Might be a tidy little business some day.

How big is it?
Can you explain the significance of the items of heraldry in it?
(There might be a snap quiz next week.)

[Josef]

Re: New family crest for a friend

That is a fine carving for anyone, let alone someone's third carving. Well done and keep going.

[t_ram08]

Re: New family crest for a friend

Pallin's right, glue-ups take some serious thought. I've upscrewed a big one that needs 2X the time now to carve.
Beyond that, your work is wonderful. Might be a tidy little business some day.

How big is it?
Can you explain the significance of the items of heraldry in it?
(There might be a snap quiz next week.)

The basswood plaque is 11"x14"x1". I did a little bit of research on the family name before i started and here is what i know about it:

Argent - a symbol for sincerity and nobility

Gules - a symbol for courage and creativity

Cross - a symbol of association with Christianity and,
possibly, an involvement in the Crusades

Lion Passant - a lion with paw raised in defense indicating that the family may have been knighted.

Martlet - a swallow-like bird; in Ireland, a symbol for perpetual movement the martlet was also used in heraldry to indicate that a family had been dispossessed; more generally, it is also the sign of a fourth son


Sword - a symbol for military virtue, the sword was the predominant weapon of the knight for most of the period from the 9th century to the end of the 15th century

Helmet - a symbol for wise defense

[pallin]

Re: New family crest for a friend

t_ram08 - I understand that this is your third relief carving and I'm glad you were not offended by my suggestions. When your reliefs get larger than available wood dimensions you may need to do your own glue-ups. I purchased some 4" boards for several glue-ups. I have done cabinetry in the past, so I had the big clamps, etc. I also have a jointer to be sure the edges are straight and square. The tough part is choosing the boards to glue together. There are several reliefs among those in my gallery that I can see the separate boards and glue lines.
On the topic of staining and finish, I use a water-based clear Polyacrylic, full strength, to seal my carvings before staining, especially on end grain. Many of my carvings are selectively stained, that is they are stained only for emphasis.

[t_ram08]

Re: New family crest for a friend

t_ram08 - I understand that this is your third relief carving and I'm glad you were not offended by my suggestions. When your reliefs get larger than available wood dimensions you may need to do your own glue-ups. I purchased some 4" boards for several glue-ups. I have done cabinetry in the past, so I had the big clamps, etc. I also have a jointer to be sure the edges are straight and square. The tough part is choosing the boards to glue together. There are several reliefs among those in my gallery that I can see the separate boards and glue lines.
On the topic of staining and finish, I use a water-based clear Polyacrylic, full strength, to seal my carvings before staining, especially on end grain. Many of my carvings are selectively stained, that is they are stained only for emphasis.

No offense taken. Im new to this and i will take any suggestions anyone has. Thank you! I am going to learn how to glue pieces together once i have the necessary tools and space to so. One question i have about it is how do you know which direction the grain is running just by looking at?

Doesnt the polycrylic seal the board so you cant stain it??

I really do appreciate the tips!