So Irresponsible

 My apologies. I have completely missed one of my weekly posts. Was there a lot going on? Yes. There always is a lot going on. But, more than likely I find it harder to get back to posting when I am not even turning on my computer every day. Also--to be honest--I don't know that I have a lot of interesting stuff to write about week-to-week. But, for what it's worth, here's some stuff you may have missed because you didn't know about it (or care about it, really. LOL)

As I may have reported previously, I am learning as I go when it comes to woodworking. Of course, that was part of the point when I chose it as a sabbatical concentration. However, it also means a lot-a lot of frustration. Like, I will decide that I want to try making something, and find out part way through that I need some special tool to make it happen. Or, I will start working on a thing, and I will find out (to my own frustration) that I should have "stabilized" the material before doing intricate carvings.

Is anyone else familiar with "stabilizing" wood? One of the most common ways  to do this(as I understand the process) is by using a vacuum chamber to displace the air pockets that naturally occur in a fibrous material, and replace it with a resin. Stabilized wood is super tough, and is what is generally used for things like carved tobacco pipes. For my usage, I want to be able to carve figures and cool designs for jewelry, etc. The trouble is that the equipment to stabilize wood is $200+, and it doesn't seem like the payoff would be worth the expense. At least, not until I get better at my craft--whatever my "craft" is.

I have considered reaching out to local businesses to see if they have any interesting wood scraps they might be willing to part from. I've seen a ton of really cool projects made from "scraps." What's more, the smaller figures and things I make do not require large pieces of material. 

All of the above said, I have had plenty of starts, restarts, failures and do-overs. Here are a couple pictures.

These pictures are of one such "do-over." This is a restart of the Mjolnir pendant. It features the head of the god Odin at the top. His beard is an inlay of holly. The image is carved with the negative space burned (this is a way to stabilize the wood). At the bottom are carved the heads of Thor's two goats, as well as a carved wolf's head in the bottom center. I have done some tidying-up of the images since I took these pictures, so it actually looks a bit cleaner now. I still have some work to do before it is "finished."

I have also started experimenting with engraving/etching metal. I have already been using a rotary tool for a while to carve, so it seemed like a natural enough transition to etching metal. It will take me some time to really clean-up my technique, but I'm getting excited about the potential.

This is an etching of a black bear footprint. I will add more pictures of the process later. However, the design includes some Celtic designs incorporated into the print itself. My plan is to compete the etched design, and rivet it to a piece of black leather to create a bracelet. I'm making it for a friend (my Boxing coach, Coach Kevin) who is known as "The Black Bear."

In other news, I am starting a really, really ambitious (read: foolish) endeavor. Recently the utility company came through and trimmed the trees along our road. The other day when I was coming home, I saw that they had left an oak log in our side yard. I was ecstatic.

I immediately dragged the log into our driveway and began hacking away the bark and "sketchy" wood. My intention (as I meekly explained to my wife) was to carve a viking beast head. I've always wanted to carve something like that, and since I am not into cultural appropriation, I wasn't comfortable with carving a totem pole, or something. Well, here is a bit about how it's going.

 

Finally, I continue to learn a ton in Boxing and Muay Thai. I am continuing to fine-tune technique, and learn some really fun combinations and strategies. I've dropped some unhelpful weight, and am now just trying to decide which aches and pains are "acceptable."

Well, that's probably plenty for now. I should have some project updates next time. I also hope to have some material to begin building some chairs. Until then, "Sawatdee krab!"