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My first pieces . . . and pekapeka updates |
kiwishaman
Tiki Socialite
Joined: May 31, 2007
Posts: 212
From: Aotearoa
|  Posted: 2007-06-21 8:08 pm Permalink
Got myself some Aussie jade to try and practice on. Decided practicing on something that was not destined to become anything was a waste of time.
So here goes.
The jade
The piece I had cut off - then cracked while trying to slab it. I then bought a diamond blade to put on the drop saw, and did it properly.
Then I tried this
I put it away in my box of one  untill I know how to remedy my errors.
I learnt that I need to draw something that comes through me, not from my head
Then I started working on a new piece, guided by my spirit guides. first I drew the image onto the stone, then I cut loose with the cut off wheel to remove excess jade. Next, out with the dremel tool. I ended with this after about 5 hours
Another 3 hours, and using the dremel tool at a slower speed
YOu can see that I have a bit of a tool ripple still. Do I just need to continue with the slow tooling to get rid of this? Can anyone tell me how I can now get rid of it?
That aussie jade doesnt seem to have any translucence  .And MAN that stuff is hard!
Also, a question for Tama and Paipo, do you know what it is I have here?
I know it is pounamu - but can you tell what type?
and this
I think it is serpentine - Tangiwai?
Cheers - and thanks for looking
KS
[ This Message was edited by: kiwishaman 2007-07-16 16:00 ]
[ This Message was edited by: kiwishaman 2007-07-16 23:40 ]
[ This Message was edited by: kiwishaman 2007-07-21 22:54 ]
[ This Message was edited by: kiwishaman 2007-07-28 15:46 ]
[ This Message was edited by: kiwishaman 2008-08-04 15:09 ]
[ This Message was edited by: kiwishaman 2008-08-12 16:03 ]
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pdrake
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Jan 13, 2006
Posts: 1764
From: las vegas
| Posted: 2007-06-21 8:12 pm Permalink
it's crap. send it to me for proper disposal.
that dragon is pretty sweet. you're doing a great job. the tool ripple is very common in the beginning. bigger bits will help. they cover more area. holding them with the long edge against the media helps as well. it just takes time to learn how to make it better. i'm learning as well and dealing with that problem.
i can't believe how well you're doing. keep it up.
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kiwishaman
Tiki Socialite
Joined: May 31, 2007
Posts: 212
From: Aotearoa
| Posted: 2007-06-22 02:26 am Permalink
Thanks PD.
It is very scary to put my art out there and come out of the closet so to speak. I have charcoal drawings, clay masks and other clay pieces, and mandalla's that I have made in the past. Some are on display in my home, others are hidden away. To post here where so many may view is a HUGE step for me. Just trusting in my guides.
Thanks again for your kind words, I will try larger bits.
KS
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Benzart
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Jan 09, 2004
Posts: 10306
From: Port Saint Lucie, Florida
| Posted: 2007-06-22 07:19 am Permalink
WOW KS, Mighty fine stuff there. This is an Awesome dragon for your second piece? Great hunk of Jade too. What tools are you using and are you running water on them while grinding away? You are definitely doing Something right to have come so far in so short a time. The ripples need to be gone over with Larger tools and try going from different directions, against the ripple so to speak.
These diamond bands may help in your case. Use them on the rubber mandrels usually used for sanding?
Somewhere I posted a Link for those.
Keep up the great work, you are doing Very Well!
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Tamapoutini
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Aug 30, 2006
Posts: 1529
From: Aotearoa (New Zealand)
| Posted: 2007-06-23 02:54 am Permalink
Gidday mate; sorry Ive taken so long to get back to you.
I really like your sea-dragon design. A good adventurous project to start with (Ive always been an advocate of jumping in over your head; its the best way to learn - total immersion  ) and it looks at though you are off to a great start.
Pdrake is onto it: larger burrs should help to iron out some of those ripples although you should try to get as even a surface as possible (in the areas it can reach) with your grinding wheel - the largest burr of all.
If your handpiece will allow it, run at a very slow speed (5-10,000rpm - experiment), DRY!! Yes thats right, dry! Srcubbing around at slower speeds wont overheat your burrs and allows you to see whats happening to a greater degree. Those wee ripples can be dealt with one by one and the whole form slowly smoothed and details crispened. Make sure you wear a dust mask! Wipe or wash the dust away from time to time and you will still be able to see where you've been. Sometimes it is necessary to go over the whole carving several times in this manner.
The pounamu you have appears (in the cleaner right side) to be an inanga or kokopu. Id avoid trying to work the black areas as they are probably patches of iron and soft horrible buggers to work! At least half of it looks ok though; slab 'er up..?
The 'tangiwai' at the end seems kind of blue in colour - possibly aotea..?? A bit hard to tell from the pic. Do you know where it was found?
Hope this helps. You're doing just fine for a newbie; keep it up!
Tama
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kiwishaman
Tiki Socialite
Joined: May 31, 2007
Posts: 212
From: Aotearoa
| Posted: 2007-06-23 07:54 am Permalink
Quote:
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On 2007-06-23 02:54, Tamapoutini wrote:
Pdrake is onto it: larger burrs should help to iron out some of those ripples although you should try to get as even a surface as possible (in the areas it can reach) with your grinding wheel - the largest burr of all. |
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I wondered about trying the wheel - Im on to it
Quote:
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If your handpiece will allow it, run at a very slow speed (5-10,000rpm - experiment), DRY!! Yes thats right, dry! Srcubbing around at slower speeds wont overheat your burrs and allows you to see whats happening to a greater degree. Those wee ripples can be dealt with one by one and the whole form slowly smoothed and details crispened. Make sure you wear a dust mask! Wipe or wash the dust away from time to time and you will still be able to see where you've been. Sometimes it is necessary to go over the whole carving several times in this manner. |
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Alright - Thanks Tama. Have been doing that a bit (about 2-3hours) using rubber disks and diamond burrs, but with water. What difference does dry make?
Quote:
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The pounamu you have appears (in the cleaner right side) to be an inanga or kokopu. Id avoid trying to work the black areas as they are probably patches of iron and soft horrible buggers to work! At least half of it looks ok though; slab 'er up..? |
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Not sure yet whether I will slab it up or not, still tossing that one around. Thought I might try a sculpture from it. Kinda saving it till I know what I am doing! Even in a big chunk, that stuff looks absolutely beautiful. Have even entertained the idea of putting it on the kitchen table as is!
Quote:
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The 'tangiwai' at the end seems kind of blue in colour - possibly aotea..?? A bit hard to tell from the pic. Do you know where it was found? |
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No idea at all. The guy down the road who cut my aussie jade peice in half so I could slab it, had it. It does have a blue/green cast to it. Is it serpentine then, rather than jade?
Quote:
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Hope this helps. You're doing just fine for a newbie; keep it up! Tama |
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Thanks Tama. It helps alot, and I really appreciate the help you have given me up to this point, without it I probably would not have been brave enough to start. Kiaora.
I find that once I have the dremel tool in one hand and the dragon in the other, time just slips away! I just dont want to stop. This stone carving is very addictive. I ... have ... to ... pace ... myself.
The rock keeps calling to me - especially that pounamu. . .
Well, racing over, time for some zd's. We lost to Alingi - but it was close nearly down to the finish line. See what tomorrow night brings . . . Go ETNZ!
KS
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Benzart
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Jan 09, 2004
Posts: 10306
From: Port Saint Lucie, Florida
| Posted: 2007-06-23 1:55 pm Permalink
I'm Rooting for the Kiwis too!
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kiwishaman
Tiki Socialite
Joined: May 31, 2007
Posts: 212
From: Aotearoa
| Posted: 2007-07-16 12:17 am Permalink
I asked the daughter of one of the ladies at work to pick up any interesting stones she found while on holiday on the east cape.
She arrived at work the other day with a dozen stones in a bag.
I had a good look at them, and one called out to be worked straight away . . .
when I started working with the stone - this is what happened . . .
Just have to get some sandpaper and make him a bit shiney. Thought about adding some extra design to his face, but decided to stick with simplicity.
What do you think?
(Still working on the seadragon - more pics soon).
KS
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kiwishaman
Tiki Socialite
Joined: May 31, 2007
Posts: 212
From: Aotearoa
| Posted: 2007-07-16 10:30 pm Permalink
Well, he is finished.
A few different views.
Critique welcome.
KS
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kiwishaman
Tiki Socialite
Joined: May 31, 2007
Posts: 212
From: Aotearoa
| Posted: 2007-07-16 11:46 pm Permalink
updated images of the 'seadragon' - he's not finished yet!
I have been using the grinder (bench) alot - Thanks Tama
again - critique welcome - even encouraged.
Cheers
KS
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T_birdman
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Jun 19, 2007
Posts: 269
From: San Gabriel Valley-SoCal
| Posted: 2007-07-17 01:20 am Permalink
Damned nice dude! All you NZ stone cutters are making me look at some of the tools I have to see if I might cut me a few, it's been a while! You going to do any inlays?
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The Birdman
Same as it ever was! (But what looms on the horizon, hmm?)
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Paipo
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Jun 22, 2006
Posts: 1886
From: Aotearoa / NZ
| Posted: 2007-07-17 01:21 am Permalink
Looking good shaman...just be careful with that tail!
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Tamapoutini
Tiki Socialite
Joined: Aug 30, 2006
Posts: 1529
From: Aotearoa (New Zealand)
| Posted: 2007-07-17 03:28 am Permalink
Kia ora KiwiShaman. Good to see you've found some time at the bench. The sea-dragon is looking much better, smoother/crisper. Its amazing just what/how much you can achieve on the main grinding wheel eh? Just a matter of gaining a bit of confidence & experience on them. I remember just how alien it felt when I first started; the tendancy is to think they are too large/brutal to produce anything fine and to spend far too long doodling around with the handpiece, trying to achieve tasks that could be done very quickly on a wheel.
I like the new fella, especially the little bug-eye. The stone looks like an argillite(?), very fined grained anyway, as proved by the nice polish. He almost has a Marquesan look to him; definately TIKI!
You're doing it! 
Tama
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kiwishaman
Tiki Socialite
Joined: May 31, 2007
Posts: 212
From: Aotearoa
| Posted: 2007-07-17 03:55 am Permalink
Birdman - thanks - inlays are still a foreign language to me . The sandman will stay as he is, and the dragon, well, we will see - tho I dont think inlays would suit him. I do have some nice MOP and Paua here tho, so one day it may be an option.
Paipo - it is an honour to receive praise from such a master as you. As I was working away at the dragon, I could see that if I were to go too much further - he may loose his tail. I think the tail is about done, except for some polishing, and some engraving. More detail to be added to the neck, abdomen and head.
Tama - I like that - "doodling around with the handpiece" - exactly what I was doing! Mind you, I think I was impatient to get started with my new mini grinder . The new fella - sandman as I called him - is soft like a sandstone - scratchable with almost anything - not quite soft enough for my nail to scratch tho. I had fun with him, he was rather fast to do - 5-6 hours? I intend to give him to the woman who spent her holidays combing east cape beaches for stones for me .
And - btw Tama - it is also an honour to have positive feedback and praise from you. If only one day I could be as good as either you or Paipo (or Both! - I'm not fussy ). I guess if I went to Jade school for two years, I might have a chance?
Looking forward to getting into some more carving soon.
Watch this space. . .
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kiwishaman
Tiki Socialite
Joined: May 31, 2007
Posts: 212
From: Aotearoa
| Posted: 2007-07-21 10:53 pm Permalink
Got started on a new piece - my first tiki - from the NZ jade chunk I showed earlier in this topic, I bought myself a cold chisel and broke it up, then cut a couple of slabs - then started to remove excess jade with my new diamond grinding wheel - man that thing is fast!
This is what I have so far:
Next I need to make a few holes to remove excess jade from the pendant - hopefully will get another chance at it before too much time elapses . Raining now, so it may be difficult as I work outside.
Do you know what sort of pounamu it is Tama? (rather pretty!).
KS
[ This Message was edited by: kiwishaman 2007-07-28 15:45 ]
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