The Chronicles of Amber (Tree Progression Thread)

[Roan]

Please note that this is a repost of the tutorial I did back in 2008. I've updated it with the links from my new site. All the pix should work now

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Part I

The Baltic rough I ordered from Latvia is finally here. I've taken some pix:

First picture is of the rough, not wet:


Second picture is of the rough, wet:



Tomorrow the amber will be cut -- with wire cutters and tile nippers -- into leaf-sized bits and will start its week long journey in the vibe.

At the end of the week, and assuming I don't have to back up some tumbling steps, I'll start on the tree wire.

Eileen

[SteveHolmes]

Eileen,
Please post us a pic of the leaves before they go into the vibe. That sounds like an awful lot of work! Of course, the end result (of what I've already seen) are gorgeous works of art. Thanks for the progression tutorial. It will be fun watching all the steps.
Steve

[Roan]

I most definitely will, Steve, and thank you.

[colliel82]

Thanks for going to all this work. I love watching how things are made, and am looking forward to the tree progression

[Roan]

All cut up and ready to go in the vibe:



Most pieces were cut in half and some were cut into threes. I used small jewelry wire cutters for the operation.

I've added turquoise and some jasper and stuff to the mix as well. I've found that mixing harder rocks with the amber doesn't matter insofar as how it turns out.

The amber will stay in the vibe for 24 hours at 4 tsps 120-220g, then washed and re-tumbled in the same for another 24 hours.

Eileen

[Roan]

Amber should be out of the first stage today, but it's possible that I may have to cut some of the pieces again. You never know what kind of "shrinkage" you're going to get -- how much matrix will come off -- so some of the stones may be a little large and need to be cut.

Thinking about the tree and how it should look: decisions on base and wire color. Bronze, gold, copper or silver wire? The bronze wire is very close to the color of the amber, so I don't think that would be a good choice. The gold, IMO, works best with lighter, opaque stones. The copper is extremely bright, but will gain a nice greenish patina over time. Hrm. I think silver would be the best bet for a first tree. It's not as bright as any of the others, so it won't detract from the amber when the tree is new. And, although it's supposed to be non-tarnish, it does gain a nice patina and will "fade out" and let the amber take the stage as it ages.

Base. I don't think I have anything that screams "amber tree" that I can use as a base. I'm thinking that amber deserves a prehistoric base. So, dino bone or petrified wood slab.

And off I go to check out what stonesthatrock has in her flickr album

More later when I empty the vibe.

Eileen

[Roan]

I lied

Okay, so here's what I found at stonesthatrock:

Palm Wood:
www.flickr.com/photos/stonesthatrock/2785326027/

Pet Wood #R:
www.flickr.com/photos/stonesthatrock/2785322449/

Az Pet Wood:
www.flickr.com/photos/stonesthatrock/2700330414/

Pet Wood and Pet Algae:
www.flickr.com/photos/stonesthatrock/page6/

Dino Poo:
www.flickr.com/photos/stonesthatrock/2748026515/

I think I really like that Pet Wood #R and it's a good size, and I want some of that brecciated red jasper and sodalite

Next pay cheque!
Oooo clamshell would be cool, too.

[Roan]

Part II: Out of the Rough and Into 500g

After 5 days in 12/220 grit, the amber is now ready for stage 2, 500g:

[ejs]

Thanks, Eileen. I am following your progression with interest. What equipment did you use for the tumble/vibe?

[Roan]

I have a 4# Lot O vibe that I'm using for this and I've quite a bit of other rock thrown in as well. Most of it is soft, like turquoise, but there are some agates in there as well. I'm also using a *lot* of ceramic media to fluff it out and make up the # needed.

[nansaidh]

What a pretty range of colors you have in that batch too - I love amber, and am following your progress.

Nancy

[sitnwrap]

Have you decided on the slab yet? I really enjoy watching your tree in the making. Thanks.

Oh, the amber is just wonderful. Such rich color.

[nansaidh]

Yes, what's the plan for the slab and is there a title for the tree? Any "props"?

[Roan]

I'm ordering some (five? can't remember) pet rock slabs from Mary Ann (stonesthatrock) this week. Once they get here I'll choose from the lot and post a picture.

I've started the wire wrapping and have pix. Will post those later.

Name -- hrm, haven't given it too much thought. You guys have some suggestions?

Eileen

[Roan]

Wire Wrapping: Part I

Just an FYI that I'm not going to go into too great a detail on the wire wrapping process. I learned the basic wrapping process by buying Sal Valino's book and I don't feel that it's within my rights to invalidate all that he's accomplished.

Having said that:

This is my fancy-schmancy wire block. Block o'wood with nails hammered into it This is where it all starts, getting the proper length. The wire is 26 gauge silver non-tarnish (supposedly), 200 feet. Yep, that's 200 feet of wire wrapped around those nails, which will give me a wire length of 12":



Cut wire, roots wrapped with leftover length, and end split into 4 main roots:



Initial Wrap. You can't see it very well, but the top of the trunk has been divided into two and each main root into two secondary roots. I've stopped the wrap about an inch from the top of the trunk to take this picture:



Root Wrap. I've gone all the way down the trunk and wrapped the primary and secondary roots. This is just the first wrapping of the roots, but now you can see the general tree structure much better:



More tomorrow!
Eileen

[darrad]

The Amber Tree is taking on life! This is so cool. The name that jumps at is me is "Life's Beginning". Probably stupid but that is what came at me. Can't wait to see it finished!

[nansaidh]

Name - in contrast to stonewizard's suggestion of Life's Beginning, I thought of "Golden Years". lol

Nancy

[Roan]

Both of those are better than my "Jurassic Bark"

Just kidding. I don't usually come up with names until I start putting the leaves on.

[Roan]

I've made a lot of progress on the tree, but I only have time to post a couple of pix this eve. I'll get more up tomorrow.

The roots have been bent downward -- both to get them out of the way and allow easier wrapping of the area where they meet the trunk. I've also gone up and down the trunk twice and the roots once more:


Finished trunk and roots. There's no number of wraps that need to be made. You keep wrapping until it looks "right". I wanted a large root area so I concentrated on the bottom of the tree. The wires sticking out from between the roots are very large loops and the end piece of wire. These will help anchor the tree to the sand base:



The "X" area in the middle of the trunk won't be noticeable once I start twisting and shaping the tree.

[connrock]

You are amazing!
Your trees are beautiful and I guess one could say that you really get "wrapped up" in your work!

connrock