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Happy 4th of July
I spent my first 4th of July here doing some very un-patriotic things.
First we took the beagles to the off-leash dog park bright and early in the morning. There was supposed to be a "beagle brigade" meeting, but only 2 or 3 other beagles were there, so it wasn't much different from the average day at that park. I assume next month or maybe the month after will be better. The holiday and the heat probably had something to do with it. Beagles had a grand time. It was *just* cool enough that they felt like they could run around and play a bit. Lizzy was a gross, slobbery mess though. And neither of them would stop for long enough to drink until we had them back in the car - dumb dogs.
After the dog park, it was still relatively cool so I decided I'd tackle a project out in the garage. I still owe Emer a gift for her daughter and she was lamenting the availability of SCA-appropriate toys, so this is what I whipped up this afternoon:
The Animals of Ealdormere - Series 1
Not sure if there will ever be a series two as neither rams nor boars really inspire me. They still need a final bit of sanding, but by the time these were done it was so hot out in the garage that I was finding new places to sweat, so that's getting done another day.
I chose not to make them to scale because I wanted them all to be nice and big and choke-proof. The Holtztiger toys they are modeled loosely after are made out of hardwood and painted and also recommended for children 3+ and I'm thinking it's because of the size variation (some would be small enough to swallow). Mine are made out of softwood instead of hardwood because that's what I had on hand (left over from making the shelves) and it's a little easier to work. Less durable, but I'm not sure getting a little banged up is a big deal; they're toys, not fine art. I've tried to design them so all the parts are relatively thick and well-supported so they are less prone to breakage (things like legs and tails especially).
I'm still trying to decide whether I want to paint or varnish them or just give them a final sanding and leave them as-is. They're going to be your toys Emer, what would you prefer? Also, do these look like something you'd like for M to play with or shall I head back to the drawing board and come up with something else? (I'm cool if you'd prefer something else, I'd rather send you something you want than something that will never be used after all)
So yeah, I spent my Independence Day asserting my independence of America by making little toy animals representing Canadian SCA places.
Tonight backyard bonfire, watching what fireworks we can see from our backyard and making smores. Not the worst plan ever, and no fighting crowds or traffic at the end of the night either.
First we took the beagles to the off-leash dog park bright and early in the morning. There was supposed to be a "beagle brigade" meeting, but only 2 or 3 other beagles were there, so it wasn't much different from the average day at that park. I assume next month or maybe the month after will be better. The holiday and the heat probably had something to do with it. Beagles had a grand time. It was *just* cool enough that they felt like they could run around and play a bit. Lizzy was a gross, slobbery mess though. And neither of them would stop for long enough to drink until we had them back in the car - dumb dogs.
After the dog park, it was still relatively cool so I decided I'd tackle a project out in the garage. I still owe Emer a gift for her daughter and she was lamenting the availability of SCA-appropriate toys, so this is what I whipped up this afternoon:
The Animals of Ealdormere - Series 1
Not sure if there will ever be a series two as neither rams nor boars really inspire me. They still need a final bit of sanding, but by the time these were done it was so hot out in the garage that I was finding new places to sweat, so that's getting done another day.
I chose not to make them to scale because I wanted them all to be nice and big and choke-proof. The Holtztiger toys they are modeled loosely after are made out of hardwood and painted and also recommended for children 3+ and I'm thinking it's because of the size variation (some would be small enough to swallow). Mine are made out of softwood instead of hardwood because that's what I had on hand (left over from making the shelves) and it's a little easier to work. Less durable, but I'm not sure getting a little banged up is a big deal; they're toys, not fine art. I've tried to design them so all the parts are relatively thick and well-supported so they are less prone to breakage (things like legs and tails especially).
I'm still trying to decide whether I want to paint or varnish them or just give them a final sanding and leave them as-is. They're going to be your toys Emer, what would you prefer? Also, do these look like something you'd like for M to play with or shall I head back to the drawing board and come up with something else? (I'm cool if you'd prefer something else, I'd rather send you something you want than something that will never be used after all)
So yeah, I spent my Independence Day asserting my independence of America by making little toy animals representing Canadian SCA places.
Tonight backyard bonfire, watching what fireworks we can see from our backyard and making smores. Not the worst plan ever, and no fighting crowds or traffic at the end of the night either.
Rams not inspiring
If you ever do find enough inspiration to carve one, I'd love to see it (for obvious reasons). ;)
Re: Rams not inspiring
Re: Rams not inspiring
Boars, on the other hand don't have to look like lumpy pigs if you base the siloutte on the "razorback" logo:
http://www.bbvrazorbackclub.org/images/Razorback%20Logo.gif
or make sure you make the head and shoulders oversized, like
http://www.tworavens.org/gallery/main.php/v/2007/2007PennsicWar/WallBattle/pw36_1022.jpg.html
or use the the "pig with a mohawk" style:
http://www.odinsvolk.ca/images/Boar-OVA.jpg
no subject
Regards
Belgar
no subject
While I've got you on the line to pick your brain... would you advise using softwood or hardwood for children's toys? I'm thinking hardwood *might* hold up better to chewing, then again teeth are going to be stronger than any wood so maybe it's doomed to get marked up either way. You've got a LOT more experience in this area than I do so I'd love to hear your thoughts.
no subject
My choice of wood would be hard maple. ( Its hard, and close grained and does not splinter easily). Hard wood is better vs a soft wood. ( thought the name hard vs soft is not a mater of their relative strenght but is more about them loosing their leaves (hard wood) vs keeping them (softwood ie pines, spruce etc) With what is generally avaliable the hard vs soft as a relative indicator of strengh is valid. I suspect your soft wood is likely pine or spruce, both of which are very soft.
No wood will survive unscathed as a baby toy, but with a soft wood there is a chance that the baby may chew on it enough that they may get spinters.
But with maple all you'll likely to get is small dent if that.
As far as period finishing of work, Tung ( or drying oils) are period, but painting of wood was very common as well, and usually quite garish and
bold colorings. Thoough I wouold not recomend any period paints, cause a lot of them contained nasty stuff.
You are right about the tung being better on raw wood. you couold use it over a painted surface, but at that point is is just another film finish, and your water based urethane is cheeper and easier to apply, and is likely non toxic once cured.
water colors or dies would give you an even look and still allow the wood to be seen, but you are correct that they are likely to bleed along the grain. The best way around that is to out line your different color areas with an xacto knife, and be skimping on the application of the coloring agent until you get a handle on how it behaves.
Pine is also a terrible wood to stain It can be blotchy and hard to get an even coloring. Maple on the other hand stains very well, but still may bleed along the grain. One other thing, it doesn't mater what wood you use the staining will take differently on the end grain vs the side grain. The end grain will be darker.
good luck
no subject
My wood choices are limited to the following:
- Red Oak (and I'm thinking the grain is way too open for that to be a good plan)
- Pine (relatively expensive for some reason)
- Poplar (I know nothing about this wood, so anything you know would be helpful)
- Whitewood (I have no idea what this is. It is inexpensive, makes decent shelves and is what I made animals v1.0 out of. I have tried chewing on a scrap and found what while I could dent it pretty good, I couldn't break off bits or make splinters)
Maple was what I had in mind when I started these things, but it is completely unavailable here, so I have to work with what I have access to. At least until I come home for a visit, at which time I might pick up a bit of maple and bring it back with me.
I managed to pick up some tung oil and some water-based urethane that was on clearance for super-cheap (I wish they'd had more than one tiny pot of it) so I'll experiment with finishes this week.
Good tip on the end grain being darker. Again, time for lots of experimenting and seeing if I even have any non-toxic paints around here.
no subject
. I would however agree with the above comments that these toys will get chewed on (what doesn't get chewed on?!?), so whatever finishes & woods are safest sound best.
Thanks so much!!!