I have tried several times to make a wood heart and each time I have gotten this far I got distracted and made something else. This time the end has been visualized and the techniques were well practiced. I have been wood working for 35 years or more so making a wood heart shape and carving round edges was easy. Anyone with a coping saw and a block of any wood can do it. Trace the shape from a cutout or pattern or even a cookie cutter.I rounded over the edges with a belt sander and smoothed the face of the wood to 320 grit with a series of sandpaper sheets.
All of you I think are familiar with Guilders Paste from
www.bsueboutiques.com . I applied some Pinotage then rubbed it in, applied Aztec Gold , then Silver, and rubbed it in and applied some more...well you get the idea. The holes were drilled after that through some metal I chose to apply over the wood.
In this case I took some scrap from a folded piece of aluminum and beat it to fit around the base of the heart.
Then a piece of beaten copper was drilled and tucked in next to the aluminum and the wood was drilled through the metal.
Bronze rivets were glued into the holes with E-6000 and a screw eye put into one lobe of the heart.
To finish off the piece I found a silverware plated bird at my favorite seller
www.bsueboutiques.com and glued it down with E-6000. A forged wire bail was formed from 16 gauge sterling wire . Next time I will show how to make a necklace to match and finish this up.
I have tried several times to make a wood heart and each time I have gotten this far I got distracted and made something else. This time the end has been visualized and the techniques were well practiced. I have been wood working for 35 years or more so making a wood heart shape and carving round edges was easy. Anyone with a coping saw and a block of any wood can do it. Trace the shape from a cutout or pattern or even a cookie cutter.I rounded over the edges with a belt sander and smoothed the face of the wood to 320 grit with a series of sandpaper sheets.
All of you I think are familiar with Guilders Paste from www.bsueboutiques.com . I applied some Pinotage then rubbed it in, applied Aztec Gold , then Silver, and rubbed it in and applied some more...well you get the idea. The holes were drilled after that through some metal I chose to apply over the wood.
In this case I took some scrap from a folded piece of aluminum and beat it to fit around the base of the heart.
Bronze rivets were glued into the holes with E-6000 and a screw eye put into one lobe of the heart.
To finish off the piece I found a silverware plated bird at my favorite seller www.bsueboutiques.com and glued it down with E-6000. A forged wire bail was formed from 16 gauge sterling wire . Next time I will show how to make a necklace to match and finish this up.
As always, I am thoroughly impressed! This is really beautiful. Well done, Harry!
ReplyDeleteI can do every one of those steps. How come nothing I do ever turns out to look like this? Oh yes I remember, your fantastic imagination, the most important part of the piece. Harry, it is absolutely fantastic. Can't wait to see the necklace.
ReplyDeleteRuth, I know exactly you you feel!!
ReplyDelete