|
|
Post by connrock on Oct 13, 2011 14:17:59 GMT -5
I haven't posted here very much in the past few months so I thought I would show you what I've been up to lately,,,,  Oddly enough I found the best quality "stuff" and dealer in Colorado!!!!!!  Colorado Alabaster,,,,what'd ya think it was?? LOL After a lot of filing,grinding,carving,sanding and polishing I ended up with this,,,,,,     Alabaster is easy and fun to carve with.It's just a tad harder then talc so it can be worked with any wood working tools you may have. It is a bit dusty to work with and for several days I looked like the Pillsbury Doughboy but it was fun and I learned a lot in doing it. I will give the piece as a gift to a very good friend from Vermont who is in her 70's and has been a Red Sox fan all her life. Almost forgot,,,, The white powder in the 1st photo is some of the filings,etc from working with the alabaster! ;D connrock |
|
|
|
Post by Donnie's Rocky Treasures on Oct 13, 2011 14:32:43 GMT -5
|
|
adrian65
Cave Dweller 
Arch to golden memories and to great friends.
Member since February 2007
Posts: 10,790
|
Post by adrian65 on Oct 13, 2011 14:44:49 GMT -5
... And I was about to think that white powder inspired you (while inspiring it ;D ) to create this beautiful baseball tribute.
Very creative and beautifully done. A lot of work hidden in this creation, I'm sure about that.
Adrian
|
|
|
|
Post by FrogAndBearCreations on Oct 13, 2011 14:54:09 GMT -5
Way cool!
|
|
|
|
Post by tntmom on Oct 13, 2011 15:36:53 GMT -5
Now that was a great laugh!!! Awesome display and AWESOME craftsmanship Tom!!!
|
|
|
|
Post by Toad on Oct 13, 2011 17:25:07 GMT -5
Be careful about carrying that dust with you.
Great work
|
|
JUDY
spending too much on rocks
Member since September 2011
Posts: 431
|
Post by JUDY on Oct 13, 2011 18:07:27 GMT -5
hahahaha!!!! too funny!!! I was like... wha?
Very awesome stand... love the bat & ball - great touch!
|
|
NDK
Cave Dweller
Member since January 2009
Posts: 9,440
|
Post by NDK on Oct 13, 2011 19:20:06 GMT -5
Tom, that's an amazing piece, and looks like it was crafted with a lot of love.
Nate
|
|
|
|
Post by Tony W on Oct 14, 2011 9:16:58 GMT -5
NIcely done, Tom. It looks real good!! Good to see you've discovered the cure to post nasal drip  T |
|
|
|
Post by jakesrocks on Oct 14, 2011 9:27:52 GMT -5
Love it. Where did you find the brass pins the ball sits on ?
|
|
|
|
Post by connrock on Oct 14, 2011 9:46:29 GMT -5
DRT,,
Thanks,,,
I love the Colorado pink alabaster and even though it's quite messy to work with,the end results are worth the effort and mess!
Adrian,,
Thanks,,,
I was mostly inspired in making this piece by my own experiences of what I normally do with something like a baseball,etc that someone has given me.
I try my best to display it but it eventually makes it's way into a drawer because it just keeps rolling around.
This baseball is a very special one and it is going to a very special person so why not have a very special base for it?
Having created some of the most beautiful pieces I've ever seen,,,I know that you can appreciate the "hidden work" that most don't even think about!
It's alllllllll that hidden work,frustration,failure and perseverance that helps us to finally meet the challenges we will face in our next project(s)!
I guess we call it "learning"!
FBC's,,
Thanks
Krystee,,,
Thanks,,,
Glad you got a kick out of the "white powder"!
Toad,,
Thanks,,,
I tried my best to not breath in the "white powder" but it did get to me at times! LOL
Judy,,,
Thanks,,,
I thought I had finished the base and kept looking at it KNOWING" it needed something else to finalize it but it just hadn't hit me yet.
As I was cleaning up scrap pieces of alabaster I picked up a square/tapered piece of it about 3" long and the dawn hit me!A baseball bat!
Well,,,what's a bat without a ball!
Nate,,
Thanks,,,
It's the 'gift of giving" that keeps me going on just about everything I do.
I KNOW that when my friend(Jinny) sees this piece she will cry tears of joy and that means the world to me!
What can be better then making someone that happy!
connrock
|
|
|
|
Post by Jack ( Yorkshire) on Oct 15, 2011 3:21:45 GMT -5
Hi Tom,
Thats come out realy well well worth all the frustration and hard work,
Jack
Yorkshire uk
|
|
|
|
Post by connrock on Oct 15, 2011 8:10:44 GMT -5
Jack,,,, Thanks,,, What would a project be without frustration and hard work?  If it was easy,,,,it wouldn't be fun! LOL connrock |
|
|
|
Post by gr on Oct 15, 2011 12:15:12 GMT -5
Very creative Tom! I was ready to roll up a twenty when I saw that first pic lol ;D
|
|
|
|
Post by connrock on Oct 16, 2011 8:56:24 GMT -5
Tony W,,,,, Thanks,,, Yeah my nose WAS dripping quite bit from all that dust! LOL Jake,,, Thanks,,, I made the brass pins out of 1/4" round brass stock I had laying around here.I cut them to length and then "formed" them i my drill press using a lathe file and emery cloth and fine steel wool. I used "line 24" leather snaps that I drilled to size to fut the brass pins as "escusions" for the pins 3rd piece from the top,,,,  I epoxied the pins in the drilled holes and then epoxied the escusions to the base itself. After heating the base over a 100 watt light bulb,I applied 3 coats of Butcher's Floor Wax and then buffed first by hand and then with a buffing wheel on a motor. I tried using clear acrylic and clear lacquer on test pieces of the pink alabaster but they looked "cheap" and unnatural to me. gr,,,, Thanks,,, Yeah I think that 1st pic drew some attention! LOL |
|
|
|
Post by susand24224 on Oct 16, 2011 19:28:40 GMT -5
Wow, Tom, I just found this thread. What a great job--for a great gift--from a great person. The breadth of your skills never fails to amaze me.
Susan
|
|
|
|
Post by connrock on Oct 17, 2011 7:10:40 GMT -5
Susan,,,
Thanks,,,
Now if I could only learn how to tumble a stinkin rock as good as you! LOL
connrock
|
|
|
|
Post by susand24224 on Oct 17, 2011 20:17:44 GMT -5
Next year, Tom, next year. Although I suspect that we'll both be eating Snuffy's dust when it comes to petrified wood.
Susan
|
|
|
|
Post by connrock on Oct 18, 2011 8:59:46 GMT -5
Susan,,,,,,You're right!!
I've been acquiring the taste of dust for a while now and may even be gettin to like it!
'Oh give me a home
Where the buffalo roam,
and I can eat dust alllll day!
Where seldom is seen
A #1 sheen
On toms rocks
On com-pe-ti-tion day!' ;D
and that's a wrap!!!!!!
connrock
|
|
T
