wow really nice work there
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wow really nice work there
Painfully slow progression. because the surface is iridescent, it is very hard to see what I'm doing, the mistakes are mounting and so does the additional work trying to correct these. I gave up the idea of drawing the design (as there is no way it can be discern on this type of surface) so everything is pretty much done free-hand. A bit hard to explain but while the bone is opaque and the fresh water MOP has an even structure so i can draw and see what I'm carving, this MOP reflects the light at every single layer down to the its last molecule. Besides, the overall black shade doesn't make it any easier. It feels like driving at night with a full beam oncoming traffic...literally I'm trying to see the road.
But it started to get shape.
https://image.ibb.co/bTAUDk/IMG_0638.jpg
Most likely it will be the one and only project of carved black MOP.
I expect to meet the same problem with the other scales but the overall white-silver-ish shade should make the work easier
For the drawing portion or layout, have you tried mechanical pencils with different colours of leads. I know from my time doing tile work that black is not the best colour except on very light colours. Silver seemed best followed by blue or red.
A good idea, it didn't cross my mind.
nearly there, some finishing touches to try correcting further , a polish and the scale will be ready to "dress" the blade
https://image.ibb.co/fRSHBG/IMG_0639.jpg
I corrected as much as I could/knew, polished and buffed. Not too bad in the end
https://image.ibb.co/d8LGOw/IMG_0642.jpg
much easier work now, practically finished one side and started the work on the other
https://image.ibb.co/djQDvm/IMG_0643.jpg
https://image.ibb.co/fXrWgR/IMG_0644.jpg
After trying all these sorts of MOP, I can say that personally I very much prefer the freshwater MOP over the other types (porcelain-like appearance). In other words, after I finish this I'll make another using freshwater MOP, same design to have the full 7/8 fitting set / trio (the first scales are much smaller in size, to fit a 5/8).
This is fabulous work. Definitely a man after my own heart with all of the pearl and silver. I will be referring to this in future attempts at my own full pearl scales. Do you find you always have to metal back them? Would you ever try just a full pearl piece scale?
Thank you, glad you like the idea.
Some backing is essential as the panels are to be pinned onto, I prefer silver-nickel metal backing as this is similar in appearance with silver. I believe others use G10 for backing, if I'm not mistaken.
I would gladly try a full MOP scale but, so far, I found no means to source this. the scale's overall length is 15 cm and longest blank I could possibly found was 9 cm. From a car boot sale I got a damaged MOP fan (victorian style) from which I got the end panels. They appear to be like a single piece of MOP but in fact it turn out be made of 3 pieces of feather shaped parts, glued onto each other and sanded to appear like a single piece. In other words, it appears that even in 19th century it was problematic to find long enough panels/slabs but artisans had the means / knowledge to work things around. I do believe the 18th century MOP scales are most likely to be made of a single piece of MOP (and there are wonderful examples in various collections), but it appears that in the 19th century the artisans had already started to rely on metal backing to assemble the MOP panels - I presume it'd been getting difficult to source large slabs or it was the intention to keep the costs down. So, I think, in the present days of industrial farming, I doubt there is a chance to find a shell large enough to source a nearly 7" long piece of MOP.
As a compromise, what I intend to do in the future is to apply the same technique of gluing feather shaped slabs of MOP together and sand them to get a "single" piece. I'm still studying how to do it.
Yea, I see your issue now. I can only see pieces roughly 10cm long. I see the issue. You can get huge sheets of laminated pearl. But doubt it would work quite the same. They do take custom orders as well. But would still be tough to say if they could get a full length that long. I do believe you would need a shell, that much larger to cut it out of. Let alone what the price may be. None the less, may always be worth inquiring about. Sent you the link through PM.
appearance after polishing; several technical errors (bl xxx dy difficult to think of everything down to the last detail and integrate as a whole - those guys / carvers were really good)
https://image.ibb.co/e3TKd6/IMG_0646.jpg
This one turn out the best so far. the only problem was the MOP that turn out to be of rather poor quality - it kept chipping and flaking - but I managed to get something out of it
https://image.ibb.co/nR9mcw/IMG_0711.jpg
https://image.ibb.co/dnfEVG/IMG_0712.jpg
Very nice symmetry in your layout. It is quite a bit harder than one might expect.
It turned out very nice.
I’m impressed again.
I just found this thread. I am totally in awe of the skill and the "sticktoitiveness" required for learning to do such fine work.Thank you for raising the bar, and making it possible to learn such techniques as you used.
May you have a delightful Holiday Season!
Respectfully
~Richard
Work in progress - camel bone I bleached previously. I'll do a second round of bleaching after carving's finished
https://image.ibb.co/jCSONn/20180309_164844.jpg
https://image.ibb.co/bRPRa7/20180309_164859.jpg
https://image.ibb.co/doHwa7/20180309_164916.jpg
https://image.ibb.co/cC102n/20180309_164926.jpg
I really appreciate this thread.
Thank you gents.
Someone has some pretty mad skills!
Moutonrouge you are an artiste. I can’t imagine the time, patience and skill needed to create those scales regardless of the material. MOP has to be one of the most difficult media to carve. And you demonstrated an amazing level of creativity and precision. I am in awe!
Thank you but, the truth being told, it's not a big deal, only a fairly long trial and error path to follow. I thought about the same admiring various collection (I'm getting the inspiration from) and envying those willing to invest financially and buy such beauties. So, I gave it a try, without knowing anything about carving, and another and so on.
Anyhow, rainy day with all outdoors duties postponed for the next week-end, so I finished the scales, only some sanding and polishing left. I'll ornate them with some silver shield inlays.
https://image.ibb.co/epMSYS/20180310_173516.jpg
https://image.ibb.co/mkAX07/20180310_173450.jpg
https://image.ibb.co/j9VnYS/20180310_173501.jpg
Some better pictures, using natural light. Defects can be seen due to the nature of camel bone that tends to chip away. No surprise ivory was preferred over anything else for carved scales, as it is a much softer material, camel bone lacks plasticity
https://image.ibb.co/nfm4hn/20180311_071658.jpg
https://image.ibb.co/g7CMTS/20180311_071716.jpg
https://image.ibb.co/bGczF7/20180311_071736.jpg
I decided to finish them quickly and to not spend too much time - for me the scales are good enough
https://image.ibb.co/c54KF7/20180311_154410.jpg
Gorgeous.
Will you show the final assembled razor?
I haven't decided upon the blade. I made the scales out of boredom (two week-ends with miserable weather) and not really prepared for the blade. The size of scales fit well a 5/8 and the cigar box I intend to transform in razor box (with velvet lining, compartments etc), so , in general lines I would have a Joseph Elliot (the one with finial) and a Joseph Rodger (the carved straight scales) to make available (the straight scales do not suit them very well). because I have a pair of Joseph Rodger's, I think I'll fit the Joseph Elliot's and make other scales of a different layout for the pair of Joseph Rodger's.
https://image.ibb.co/evpWdS/20180311_172511.jpg
and this is the cigar box I intend to recycle (sorry I quit smoking some good years ago...and still miss it...is like loosing a friend, you can never get over with)
https://image.ibb.co/mqxv57/20180311_172747.jpg
It makes a perfect match with the razors
https://image.ibb.co/jVnjyS/20180311_172825.jpg
Beautiful. Looks like you will have a five day set people will admire.
Well, it didn't turn out quite the way I hoped for as the Joseph Elliot's blade is shorter in terms of distance from the nose to the pivot hole and fitting it to this scales would look disproportionate.
https://image.ibb.co/jp6z7x/20180316_161117.jpg
So, willingly or not I fitted the Joseph Rodger's blade instead, and it fitted in like a glove.
https://image.ibb.co/nk1XSx/20180316_161127.jpg
https://image.ibb.co/io9afH/20180316_161136.jpg
In other words I'll have to make identical scales to complete the set and for the Joseph Elliot's I'll make something else. In regards the straight carved scales, I'll refine the layout as it's way too chunky (these were among my fist attempts) and fit a French blade to them