Creative Woodworks & crafts 2005-11, страница 72
Pattern Located in Full Size Pattern Section No. 1! mux j by Orchid Davis, photography by Wes Dcmarcst In prior issues we have had woodburning projects featuring fur and feathers, so it seemed logical that our next project should deal with fish scales! Several slabs of big leaf maple have been in my shop, waiting for me to sec "what the wood wanted to be," and I noticed that they reminded me of the coral heads I saw back in my scuba diving days. So, 1 researched marine tropical fish and finally chose a member of the Wrasse family to be the subject of my project. I pickcd Lachnolaimus max-imus because it was large and colorful, and with its long distinctive dorsal spines, I thought it would make a beautiful woodburning. Too bad it doesn't have a more elegant name to go with its exotic looks—it's known as a Hogiish, a Hog Snapper, and even a Hognosc Snapper. Oh well, a rose by any other name, etc. The first step in creating this piece is to select an interesting slab of burl. Sand the surface perfectly smooth before proceeding, especially in the areas you intend to bum. Clean off any line dust using a shop vacuum or blow it oft with compressed all', and then spray it with Krylon 1301. Usually I seal the wood after T burn but before I paint. However, in this ease I sealed it beforehand because the spray brought out the grain of the wood, making it easier for me to see what I had to work with. The key here is that I wanted to work with the wood. II' you let the design of the burl suggest that a coral head should go here or a sea fan over there, suddenly the whole scene will jump out at you. When this happens, make a quick sketch so you don't forget your inspiration. (You know how that happens. Just when the idea is clcar in your mind, the phone rings, and that idea is gone forever!) Burning on burls is tricky and sometimes you have to change designs in midstream because the wood has a mind of its own. If this happens, don't fight it. Some of my best work-has evolved because the wood decided to do something entirely different from what 1 had in mind, and I simply said, "O.K., we'll do it your way!" To begin, I'm going to amaze anyone who's ever taken a class from me or read one of my books by switching from my all-purpose, handy-dandy Colevvood "F pen to a special pen, the Colevvood FSS (Fish Scale Small), ft does exactly what its name implies—creates small half circles, approximately 1/8" in diameter, which look just like miniature fish scales when arranged in rows offset like shingles ou a roof. It also comes in 72 • Creative Woodworks fi Crafts November £005 |
