Cheers Fellas and Gill...........you comments are much appreciated. Funny, isn't it, how the little projects seem to gather more comment than the big things that take months!!!
One or two asked about the pyrography (grand name for burning wood). Well, I just have a normal cheapo soldering iron, with a tip which looks a bit like an orthodox flat screwdriver, maybe 5mm across.
The process is slow.......I assume because a proper pyrography unit gets hotter. It takes maybe 3 to 5 seconds to burn the wood in every location (ie, before you move the tip on), and it burns its way down into the wood at the same time. I don't know if that is what is "supposed" to happen, but that's how it works for me. I found myself applying quite a lot of pressure. As you can imagine, the tight curves were the most difficult things to do with quite a long straight burn being the order of the day due to the shape of the tip.........I just fudged it by trying to use the corner of the iron, and keep it moving.
Anyway, give it a try on some scrap, and you'll soon see what I mean. This was my first attempt at it.
Far and away the most difficult thing to decide on was how to do the parallel lines (staves, I'm told) of the music. I didn't want to rout them, but couldn't think of a way to carve them or burn them without being drawn astray by the grain..........so in the end just set up a router guide with a stop at each end and got my finest cutter to do the work for me.
Anyway, my buddy.....a musician......loved it, spotted the error in one of the bars instantaneously (b*gger!), and pointed out the wooden 50th card I had made 10 years previously for him (as Night Train was suggesting......a wooden hinged orthodox card). This new one has eyes on the back so will be hung on the wall (the dangly legs are on a slightly slack dovetail, un-glued, so that they don't get in the way).
Anyway, thanks again for your comments. Believe it or not, I reckon that took 15 to 20 hours of work!!
Mike
PS........anyone worked out the song?
