Bigger than a bread box.

The last couple of weeks have been a whirlwind.  I'm preparing for a mural that will start once we know the temperature will remain steady and rain won't bother us (at least not too much).  I've prepared a scale version for the client and have it painted.  I won't show the painted version here, yet...but here it is without the paint...it's 40" long.

I've also been making phone calls, reservations and generally preparing for something big. How big? Big enough to take up most of this space.  It's been in my thoughts and plans for the better part of two years. Some (with big imaginations) would call it a pea shooter. I can't wait to show what a pea shooter can do!  Stay tuned!

Open and Closed Case.

I made a few adjustments for the second version and BAM! Once I put in all the bolts, is works like a charm.  What a great bit of fun.  It's no sculpture class with my buddy Dan, and it isn't quite as good as a St.Patrick's Day with Kyle...but it isn't too bad.

This would be a great deal of fun to include in a door!

Luck O' The Iris

I had planned to be elsewhere this weekend...in fact two sets of plans for it didn't work out.  Such is life. Plans fail.
I decided that instead of letting it bother me, I would do something I've been meaning to do for some time.  A group of people over on the "Shopbot" forum worked together and came up with a pretty cool plan for an opening "iris" like a camera.  The were kind enough to offer the files to anyone who wanted them.  As you might imagine, they've required a fair amount of modification in order to work on the CarveWright.  Sizes had to change...bit size too. I also had to modify certain shapes but only in so much as to have the final piece come out like the original.  It was not quite a 1:1 transfer. No matter...the pieces for version one came out great! This little machine continues to amaze me.  In this case, I decided to use an importer for the CarveWright called the "DXF importer".  I suppose the easiest way to explain is to say it takes a set of lines and creates carving paths. It also does some other cool stuff, too...but for now I'll stick to the path cutting.
As you know by now, dear reader...I like me some gears.  When they can move and do something? Oh yeah, that's good.
Some of the holes in version one need tweaking, and I need to adjust some spacing as well, but I think a working unit is very much in sight.
Why? Because I wanted to do something fun that would teach me some new tricks.  I wanted to focus on my skills for an upcoming class on CarveWright I'll be teaching and I just plain thought the thing was cool.
I'll route up version 2 and soon the bolts will be in place and with a little Irish luck it'll be time to turn the wheel...can't wait. Happy St. Patrick's Day!

These pictures are better...

Th-rust on full.

I did some painting this week. Lots of design work, too.  The designs are for future projects and then it was time to get some paint on things in the shop.

First up was the "compass".  I did several base coats before I assembled it (it's 2 pieces) and then began with various glazes, highlights, washes and dry-brushing.  It's faster than it sounds.  I took the photo with my phone, but will update it with a better one once I step across the street for some fresh batteries for the digital camera.

The it was time to get some color on that new rocket.  The rocket was pieces together using slices based on Autodesk123D make.  Once assembled, I sculpted over the armature of slices to get a final rocket.  I wanted to keep it simple and only added a very small amount of additional detail.  By pure coincidence, the rocket legs fit perfectly on top of the compass seen above. I thought I'd just shoot a picture of it on there.  Why not?  You have to use happy accidents to your advantage.  Assuming, of course, you believe in happy accidents.