I was in the Poconos a couple of weeks ago and turned two lamp blanks: one birch (the tall one), one maple (the fat one). Both turned green and allowed to crack. Need to dry them out completely (nuke them) before I can add the finish.
I can’t believe I’ve lived in my apartment for 5 years and I’m just getting to this now. A simple built-in to be used as a hamper and storage. I rested the front panel against the frame (that’s why it’s so crooked) before painting, so I could get a good idea of what it will look like. So far so good.
Every year I take a week off to go to my parent’s place and do nothing but eat well, kayak, and build stuff. This year two trees fell on their property (one oak one birch) a week before I got there, sucks for them, great for me. I had plenty of material to work with.
This year I built lamps (of course), some cabinets, and a pinewood derby car. More to come on all of those projects.
I’ve had this idea for a character for years now, and all I’ve come up with is this wallpaper.
Last time I was at my parent’s house, I “liberated” a few logs from the neighbors firewood pile. Freshly cut maple logs, perfect for some thin-walled turnings. I turned a test piece for a lamp shade. Well, it only became a test piece after the wood cracked.
I drilled the through hole and oiled it up Friday morning.
I might be making a few more trips to the neighbors.
I attached a nut to the papercraft skull, threaded it onto a bolt and dipped it into some white Plasti Dip. It looks a little thick, I might have to thin it out and try again.
I cut open a ping pong ball, glued a magnet into it, dipped it in white Plasti Dip, and drew an eyeball on it (I was out of black Plasti Dip). The idea was to create eyeballs that can be attached to metal objects that sort of look like faces. Weird, I know.
B.Y.O. Toys
This morning I started two projects I’ve had in mind for quite sometime. I have this idea for Build Your Own Toys (B.Y.O. Toys). Hopefully this will make more sense tomorrow.
The one is a prototype for a build your own action figure. I took the papercraft skull from Skull-A-Day and shrank it 50% in Photoshop. I plan on dipping it in Plasti Dip like my birds, I hope to get similar results.
The other one is a bit stranger, and I don’t think I could explain it without sounding like a crazy person. Tomorrow’s picture should clear things up.
Watching paint dry.
Second coat of paint on my tool case (3 coats always seems to be the magic number) and more work on the sky of a painting I’m working on. I have weird thing for water towers.
Finally put the first coat of paint on a tool case I made. Eventually there will be a chalkboard cabinet door on it as well. I have high hopes for this one.
Also put a coat of furniture wax on some sculptural oak spheres I made a while back. So before someone else says it, yes, I was waxing my balls this morning (groan).
I’m trying something new this week. I’m going to see if I can work for 20 to 30 minutes every morning on a project. Maybe something will get accomplished this week.
