12 hours with a scalpel !

Hi all,
After completing the carving work, my friend John spent 12 hours with a scalpel adding deep grain. Wood hardener will be added to some very fine sections but most of the deadwood will be left until next year when it will be burnt and wire brushed. Maybe then the rest will be hardened. Just got to grow some branches now!

Forgot to say it is an Elderberry (Sambucus Nigra)

Huge improvement! Thanks for sharing.

Hi,

Some of the most convincing detailed work in carving I have seen. The texture is entirely believable. Offer my hearty congrats!

Best wishes,
Peter Adams

It's an evidence that the carving work done by hand are much more beautiful than machine made

Thank you Dario, Peter and ‘abcd’, In a year or so after a burn and a brush I am hoping that it’ll look like we never touched it. Most of the credit should go to my friend John though as I only showed him the technique, while he put in the hours. The graining and blending is achieved by making thousands of tiny cuts using a scalpel at 90 and slowly moving down the tree whilst creating movement. Then going back over the same path at around 45. This leaves the wood very fuzzy but as this only works on dried out wood, it is removed easily with a wire brush. Not only does the artificial grain give the deadwood great movement but the deep cuts allow water in and help with the rotting process, which will be encouraged for the next year or so.
Thanks again Sam

Interesting technique there Sam. Looks like a good way of improving and removing power tool marks. What about going across the grain?

Nice detailed work Sam.

...But Just an observation with some matured old carving works. too much details sometimes tends to look unnatural eventually when the time comes that the dead wood developed the natural lines and cracks caused by the splitting of the natural grains of wood. and if not done wisely some of the lines will go across with the grains as Will said.

Still your detailed works looks nice, but IMHO the technique like this would be much useful if done when the time that the grains starts to split and the deadwood matures.

Just asking?

regards,
jun

i have been using the exact same scalpel on the slanting juniper - but i must admit now i let the wood start to crack by itself and use the scalpel tip to widen and open up random parts. (As a first attempt i did an area of smooth wood but it looked wrong because all the work was completely equal and even). The bits already done by nature had splits and cracks deep shallow, wide and very fine, so now i leave the scalpel poked in the pot and just work a few lines each time i go past.
letting nature make the first split gives so many curved and circular shapes and patterns from old branches and growth patterns within the trunk too - yet i think most of us doing a man made version end up with lots of straight lines. This is a great technique and beautifully done here - in time it will only need a minor re carve in areas that have gone against the natural grain.

the frosty days add so much to aging - you can really speed up the cracking in winter if the wood is wet / dry/ wet / dry etc - i spray deadwood with water so it turns to ice and expands in the cracks at night, then let it dry - the wood shrinks and the cracks open. Wet the trunk again and repeat as many times as you can remember. ...............you can do it in summer too - i'll take a few pictures

nice to see, thanks - interesting tree too, something a bit different


Marcus

Great work! Thanks for sharing. Maybe one day...

The problem is : dead wood on deciduous trees is not eternal, on elderberry ( soft wood) ?
If you do not perform a work to harden the dead wood ( with special resin ) , it will not last long .

Excellent work there guys.

Thanks for sharing and providing some inspiration to us beginners.

abcd wrote:The problem is : dead wood on deciduous trees is not eternal, on elderberry ( soft wood) ?
If you do not perform a work to harden the dead wood ( with special resin ) , it will not last long .

Nothing in this world is eternal. Just like flowers, we can enjoy it for a fleeting moment though. If we can prolong enjoying it, then by all means yes.

abcd wrote:The problem is : dead wood on deciduous trees is not eternal, on elderberry ( soft wood) ?
If you do not perform a work to harden the dead wood ( with special resin ) , it will not last long .

Resin or wood hardener always leaves an artificial appearance, often a noticeable sheen. Try using linseed, teak or walnut oil - this prevents deterioration of the wood while still allowing the natural 'breathing' which creates the splits and cracks that indicate true age. It also slightly darkens the wood which, again, is a natural event on deciduous deadwood under normal conditions.

What a great idea Marcus, wetting and let freeze water on deadwood to accelerate the process. Very well thought out!