jaxenro

March 21

I used flat black paint then bronze powder over it. Maybe a second coat of powder

i am trying to avoid it just looking like gold paint

March 20

18 minutes ago, havanaholly said:

IMO the parian looks good, the black basalt also looks nice, but a bit on the shiny side, and the black bronze looks spotty/ pitted.

I was going for aged you think too pitted?

wedgwood black basalt busts were pretty shiny see here - trying to replicate it

https://www.potomackcompany.com/auction-lot/wedgwood-black-basalt-bust-of-william-shakespeare_DE34BC7943

March 20

So please give me your honest opinion of the finish on these three. I am trying to replicate Wedgwood Black Basalt, Parian Ware, and Antique Bronze

Parian Ware is a type of biscuit porcelain imitating marble. It was developed around 1845 by the Staffordshire pottery manufacturer Mintons, and named after Paros, the Greek island renowned for its fine-textured, white Parian marble, used since antiquity for sculpture. Parian was essentially designed to imitate carved marble, with the great advantage that it could be prepared in a liquid form and cast in a mould, enabling mass production. Creamy white with a matte finish

Wedgwood Black Basalt is a hard, dense, fine-grained stoneware, which Wedgwood used for portrait medallions, seals, vases and urns, busts, tea ware, and other items. Josiah Wedgwood perfected this fine-grained stoneware in 1768, creating its dark color by adding manganese and carr, a slurry rich-with-iron oxide obtained from coal mines, to the clay body. The busts and figures were made to emulate old bronze statues. Black Basalt has been produced continuously since its introduction in 1768. Deep coal black with a satin to semi-gloss finish

Statuary Bronze has been used for thousands of years as a casting medium and finish for fine statuary. Bronze was the material of choice for statuary during the Greek age, many of the Greek statues are only known to us as Roman marble copies of Greek Bronze originals. Antique bronze with a satin to semi-gloss finish

March 19

Still working on the finishes for the new ones but how is this for showcasing the work? This is my sterling silver Marc Antony

hard to believe it is 1 1/2” tall

March 16

So I added the backrest - sort of messed up the final bit but it is done except for a little cleanup

February 21

Wasn't there a type of Biedermeier furniture that used layers of steam bent veneer glued together to form chair backs and the like? I seem to have it in the dim recess of my brain. I am thinking Austrian or German

February 21

No just room temp. The key was the long soak and thinness of the veneer. After three or four days the wood becomes very pliable

i have seen it with balsa wood where you soak for a few days or a week and it can be pressed into a mold for model airplane fuselages

February 20

soaked it for three days submerged in water - wrapped it around a 1/4" dowel with cloth tape until it dried - removed the tape then super glued one side to the dowel - added more glue and wrapped and pressed it around - and it didn't split at all - now to oil - sand - lacquer - and cut to length (this is oversize)

February 19

This is the look I am going for. This is the "Bust of Peace" by Canova part of his "Ideal Heads" series. Would like to do them all as miniatures once I get the format down

February 19

3 hours ago, MamaV said:

I wish you luck, and I love the updates!

Luck will be needed especially veneering a 1/4” dowel

February 18

Yes their temples also as did the Greeks

i say marble but what I really want is more like “Parian Ware” that would be in a Victorian home in the mid to late 1800’s

February 18

Looking at this it is too glossy, the gloss is too thick (it is on and not in the finish), the print lines slightly show, but also it is too white. I was thinking of marble as white but looking at the statues and busts from the time period they are lightly tinted. Was reading a book on Canovaand his time period and they actually stained their work with tobaco, coffee, and other materials to give it a aged look. I have some ideas for correcting these

February 17

So for the backrest I veneered a piece of 1/16 cherry with madrone Burl to cut the two sides from. I was struggling how to do the rounded top so I am trying to veneer a 1/4” dowel (have the veneer soaking now will soak a few days) then I had two bronze medallions made for the ends. So I will cut the two sides to match the Canova statue except will have cutouts where the dowel will rest at the top. Then I will make a filler and cover it with goatskin leather. The two sides will fit over the base cushion and fasten to the side rails on top of the bronze panels

not sure if that makes sense but will post a photo when done

February 17

tried that also - this is 3D printed ceramic powder - still needs some work on the finish

February 17

Still working on a good version of "marble" busts and statues. This is close still not 100% but getting there. 1 1/2" tall am doing them in 3/4" (desk or bookcase) and 1 1/2" (table). Once I get it down I might try making enough for sale also. Thoughts? They are a resin ceramic material. What would you expect to pay?

February 17

3 hours ago, MamaV said:

I'm absolutely floored; you're so inspiring!! Half the time when I mock up something I want to make, it ends up pretty tacky. Your work is BEAUTIFUL!

Thank you - you are very kind. I look at it and all I see are the flaws

so far all this really is is a box sitting on cast feet and a leather cushion. The back rest will be the tricky part but I have some ideas