Thread: Reynolds with Whale Scale

Originally Posted by Mastershake

Straight up awesome, I like the details you put on the whale inlay!!

Me too.

Could we get a closeup?

Yes but I can't do it right now. Work, you know how that goes. But I'll do what I can .

Your carving work is always topnotch. Love it.

My favorite personal razor is a humpback FR, but you have taken the design to another aesthetic dimension entirely-just beautiful!

BRILLIANT!!!!


Mark, you never cease to amaze me.

Keep amazing me, please.

Well guys, If I'm allowed to keep posting I'll keep trying to do what I can. I have lots more ideas.
Sorry for the delay but here is a shot of the Whale. It's not really all that small when you consider it.
As you'll see in the photos as I was playing you can get some scrimshaw quite small by comparison. Granted I don't have the optimal tools but I can see how this can go. Try it ,,see what you can do. It's fun. And if some drunken sailor can do it with a pin and some ink rocking on a whaling ship back in the late 1700's we can do it too.

I do think using the vintage Ivory vs. new pure white added something to the overall effect.
But the rose, crude as it is, nearly fits under a #0 washer. The little circles on Whale are obliterated by a .5mm pencil dot. That's getting pretty small. And as I said, if I make some decent tools this could be very cool. I imagine adding some color to it, doing entire scales etc. or as accents.
Just fun stuff to play with.
And remember, at this magnification , any little flaw is exaggerated. Normal viewing it all looks fine. Just consider with the humming bird type design, 3 feathers in less than 1/16 th inch.

LOVE IT!

Great concept and nice execution.

Originally Posted by ScoutHikerDad

My favorite personal razor is a humpback FR, but you have taken the design to another aesthetic dimension entirely-just beautiful!

Not an hour ago I shaved with this bad boy. Oh my what a treat. Instead of the normal bell ringers Quasimodo with his humped back showed up.
Such an unusual feel to the shave but man , it was nice!
Not like a wedgy type blade, not a half hollow, nothing close to most of the other blades I was anticipating it to act like. I'm really at a loss for words to describe how it went but it certainly did get the job done in grand style. One pass and i could have called it done after a two day growth. The second was just for clean up ATG which it did no problem.
I love it. Freaky as it may look.

I love that whale! What tool did you use to make the details? Also did you apply ink and rub it off the face of the ivory or did you have to lightly sand it off leaving the ink in the details?
I have a small block of faux ivory very much the same characteristics of real ivory and I would like to try this. Thanks, Scott.

I used a scribe. But pins/ needles can be used as well. Epoxy them into the end if a small dowel. Or grind a fine point in the end of a nail and do the same thing.

I didn't sand as I didn't want to have to contend with trying to polish out grit marks which would just obliterate any design i put on.
The piece I think has to be finished and polished before you do any scribing. If not the ink will settle in any sanding marks left smudging the design.
And you only have one chance at doing it right as you can't erase any stray line. Sanding and re polishing is the only option if you goof.

Best thing is to play first and see just what it needs.