# More Than Scrolling



## pixy (11 Jul 2008)

Hi I also make fell sticks and do some pyrography, I have inseted some picks of some of the things i do some not yes completed


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## jonbikebod (11 Jul 2008)

Hi Mal,
Very nice work. 
I don’t want to upset the mods and this is moving away from scroll sawing so I will PM you.
Jon.


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## Gill (11 Jul 2008)

This part of the forum was established for _all _aspects of non-structural woodworking to be discussed, including the carving of walking sticks and pyrography. We're not just limited to scrolling.

I'd love to see the conversation open up in another thread if it veers away from the AWFS18. Incidentally, I've learned a lot from reading this thread - thank you to everyone who contributed.

Gill


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## jonbikebod (11 Jul 2008)

That is most encouraging Gill. 
A new thread under a new subject heading would certainly help people search out areas of interest to them in the future. I lack the knowledge to how to start a new thread with Pixy’s pictures at the start and a new thread wouldn’t make mush sense without.  Would it be possible for you to do the honours?
Jon.


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## Gill (11 Jul 2008)

It's a pleasure to oblige, Jon  . If you'd like me to pick a different title for the thread, I'll see if my technical skills can stretch to that too!

For anyone who wonders what Jon and I are talking about, this thread has been split from another.

Gill


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## pixy (11 Jul 2008)

J hope I hav,nt messed the job up I just thought I would show you the other things a make wich I use the new tool I have bought to replase my proxxon mini drill ,it is an Axminster heavy duty fordom type flexy tool but at a fraction of the cost.I would like to apolergise if I have caused a problem, by the way the segmantation was only the second I have done. I started of with an insarsia of my border terrier puppy Tam but I found it very dificult to cut as I have a bad shake but diserbilerties are there to be got over so I now do segmentations in the same peice of MDF so they have to fit. Is there anyone uses airbrusing with there chosen crafts as I would love to learn how to dp it to complerment my MDF segmantation
Mal


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## jonbikebod (12 Jul 2008)

Thanks for that Gill and nice title.
Those fell sticks are very nice Pixy I don’t think I have seen pyrography on sticks before and it works so well because it is somehow in harmony with the wood. My favourite is the badgers head, not just because it is so effective but also because badgers somehow symbolise the countryside.
There is so much I love about the dogs head (boxer?); what a breadth of talent and mastery of crafts! It certainly has a big ‘wow’ factor. I do have a slight reservation and that is in the choice of material. I know MDF is consistent and fairly easy to carve but the dust is nasty. Some people are allergic to some exotic woods and that is no joke but the stuff used in the glue of MDF (formaldehyde) is a threat to your health. Have you tried this sort of thing using a wood like lime or jelutong? They are as easy to carve I am sure the end result will look and feel more ‘alive’ and probably sell for more if that is your aim. To put that another way, your obvious skill would be perceived as more valuable when executed in wood. There are quite a lot of lime trees growing in this country, it might we worth getting in touch with your local tree surgeon, so he has you in mind next time he need to lop a big branch off a lime tree.
Thanks for showing us your work,
Jon.


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## Gill (12 Jul 2008)

No apologies required, Mal. However, I would be interested in hearing more about your pyrography and stick making, even if in my ignorance I couldn't contribute much to any discussion.

I believe we briefly discussed segmentation elsewhere and I wasn't much help to you in your quest for airbrushing, primarily because it's a skill that has eluded me  . Whenever I spray my MDF segmentations, I tend to use aerosols. These two Chrestenson Burghout patterns were finished using a mixture of aerosols and hand painting:










Gill


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## Gill (12 Jul 2008)

If you look at the Health & Safety Executive's website, Jon, I hope you'll be reassured by their evaluation that MDF is no more hazardous than hardwood. That said, MDF does tend to blunt blades quickly and it's increasingly fibrous these days, making it more difficult to produce a good finish.

Gill


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## jonbikebod (12 Jul 2008)

That is good news Gill and I should keep up with these things. I was sure the headlines like “Is MDF the asbestos of the nineties?” were an over reaction but I wasn’t aware a proper H&S assessment had been carried out. 
My inclination is toward hand tools that tend not to produce fine dust (which is good) but it also bluntens any fine cutting edge quickly (bad) Not tried it on the scroll saw but as blades a cheap and disposable it must be one of the best ways of shaping it. Probably a good material to practice scrolling technique as well?
Jon.


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## Gill (12 Jul 2008)

I regard MDF as a very good introductory material because its density is consistent and there is no grain which might divert the path of a blade.

Sometimes you can find yourself cutting 'proper' wood and wondering why the cut isn't progressing as well as you expected. Then, you look more closely at the wood and realise there's a knot on the underside! Sometimes, the cut can even be impeded by hidden knots in the centre of the wood. MDF has none of these problems.

Gill


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## pixy (12 Jul 2008)

Hi thanks for your nice remarks Gill, I have been around country persutes from being a younge lad and always loved them realy classy stick, never thinking one day I would make them, You may not believe this but of late I have been .hereexperimenting instead of using expensive hardwood that breakes if you drop it I have been using very thick exteria ply wood . Two thicknesses glued together, all but the Badger were made this way and by the way the Badger was given to my sister for her birthday last Saterday. I am even three quarters finished on a rifle stock I am making for an old Spanish air rifle I have been given.This afternoon I have made some pyrography drawings to take to a working terrier show tomorow, hope fully to sell we will see about that tomorow. this is this afternoons eferts


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## jonbikebod (14 Jul 2008)

Hi Pixy,
I wouldn’t have noticed the layers of ply on those two sticks had you not pointed them out.
Can you explain how segmentation is done please? Presumably you cut out a tracing with the scroll saw and then shape the ‘tops’ with the flexi drill, then painted and reassembled?
As far as working around our own difficulties are concerned, a surprising number of members of this forum deal with pretty much every aspect of human frailty. It gets discussed sometimes in the ‘off topic’ section and it is great to hear others are overcoming or working around the things that afflict them (I recently become stone-deaf).
Perhaps anyone who can look at a rough lump of wood and perceive the beauty of the grain within is better able to see the good in people; beyond their difficulties/disabilities? That has been my experience anyway, which makes this forum such a nice place to hang out.
Jon.


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## Gill (14 Jul 2008)

Hi Pixy

We _definitely _need more pictures of your projects and descriptions of how you work  . I enjoyed looking at your pyrography and wondered how long it took you to make each piece. Do you apply a finish afterwards?

There was an issue of _Scrollsaw Woodworking & Crafts_ magazine a couple of years ago which featured pyrography quite heavily. I really liked projects such as hand saws which were cut with a scroll saw and then embellished with pyrographic designs. I was surprised to see how much skill there is in pyrography, with so many nibs to choose and different effects that can be produced.

Gill


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## pixy (14 Jul 2008)

Hi Gill al the drawings in pyroghraphy were done in about 3 1/2 hours they were just tryal peices ,I may finish them with silk finish varnish but they were done with bees wax polish. When you talk about nibs the ones I have are made by myself from a special wire that I actualy forgor the name of. There were a couple of those pieces that had acrilic paint on them but I usual go over them with a fine burning pen to make it look realistick,
Mal


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