Oh, come on now. Seriously, Tiny Again?

[YinTx]

I couldn't even see what I was doing around the tools.  I think I need mirrors and a big magnifier if things keep going this way.

Anyhow, it's what I managed to do with an F.O. Baird design.

YinTx

 

[YinTx]

hmmmm.. crickets this time lol.

YinTx

[BlakesBlades]

Looks nice, You must be warming up to the little stuff.

[Squirrelly66]

Nice looking Yin. might try an 1/8 inch blade in your swivel knife, might help with seeing it better

[Chief Filipino]

Tiny stuff is so hard! Nice work

 

[Rockoboy]

5 hours ago, YinTx said:

crickets this time lol.

Everything you make is exceptional! This is no different. Very nicely done.

[YinTx]

12 hours ago, BlakesBlades said:

Looks nice, You must be warming up to the little stuff.

Thanks, and it seems that way.  Actually, I keep having to decorate little stuff.  Eventually, I'll get better at it.

12 hours ago, Squirrelly66 said:

Nice looking Yin. might try an 1/8 inch blade in your swivel knife, might help with seeing it better

Thank you.  And if I start making $$ on little carvings, or carving in general, I'll consider getting a small blade, I do imagine it would help.  Or if I find a really good one for a really good price, lol.  I do have a growing tool problem collection....just all the swivel blades I have are big (or chipped in the case of ruby blades and ceramics).

11 hours ago, Chief Filipino said:

Tiny stuff is so hard! Nice work

It is hard for me, but getting a little easier with practice.  I feel like I'm welding:  aim the rod where I think it'll go, flip down the lid, and see what happens when the arc strikes.

7 hours ago, Rockoboy said:

Everything you make is exceptional! This is no different. Very nicely done.

Appreciate it Rockoboy.  Usually, I get a comment or two, but this time it was so quiet I thought for sure I'd done something wrong!

YinTx

[mikesc]

You could "correct" your ruby and ceramic blades on genuine diamond files / stones..take a while, maybe , but they'd be usable again.

I used to use diamond tools ( including angle grinders ) and Dremel accessories, bits etc, and files / stones to sculpt ruby "blocks"..sold as corundum or corindon ..Ruby is nearly as hard as diamond, but not quite, so can be worked and shaped and polished with diamond tools and diamond dust and paste..

You mentioned magnifiers..this is the type that is very lightweight and wont break the bank.ABHandmade I think uses this type for some of his leather sculpture work that he has shown..This link is to a site in the UK, but if you copy the image and put it into tin eye..

https://tineye.com/

or Google image search you should be able to find a supplier nearer to you and probably cheaper as they wont be charging VAT..


https://www.quicktest.co.uk/acatalog/Binocular-headband-magnifier--5-lenses-can-be-used-singly-or-in-pairs.-Also-an-LED-light.-binocmag_01H.html#SID=217

HTH :)

btw..Nice tiny carving :)

Edited June 7, 2019 by mikesc

[Bob Blea]

I think that is pretty dang impressive!  I've never tried anything that small!

Bob

[JayInOz]

YinTx get your least favourite swivel knife and grind it narrower- should take about thirty seconds:) I've seen stuff carved on a grain of rice- you know you can go smaller if you have to:) JayInOz

[YinTx]

23 hours ago, mikesc said:

You could "correct" your ruby and ceramic blades on genuine diamond files / stones..take a while, maybe , but they'd be usable again.

It appears I am not that good.  I tried this a while back with my 1200 grit diamond stone, and immediately chips went flying in all directions.  My ruby blade went from "I can kinda use it" to "well, she's a goner."  The ceramic ones have cracks running all the way through, so honing them is pretty useless.  I was able to polish off the factory grinding pattern and get them very smooth, which helped a lot.  Oddly, I still prefer this old steel version blade...

That binocular headband is exactly what I need to get.  Thanks for the headsup - I'll see if I can find a local supplier!  And thanks for the compliment also!

20 hours ago, Bob Blea said:

I think that is pretty dang impressive!  I've never tried anything that small!

Bob

Appreciate it, and I bet you would be able to do phenomenal if you attempted it..

15 hours ago, JayInOz said:

YinTx get your least favourite swivel knife and grind it narrower- should take about thirty seconds:) I've seen stuff carved on a grain of rice- you know you can go smaller if you have to:) JayInOz

No grains of rice for me, that's a whole other level, lol!  I don't have a grinder - or a least favorite blade, so it might take a few hours on a stone... prolly better off finding one I like!

YinTx

[Aven]

Lee Valley has a binocular Magnifier lighted visor.  Not exactly local to Tx, but Lee Valley believes in quality.

http://www.leevalley.com/us/wood/page.aspx?p=52368&cat=1,43456,43351,52368

[mikesc]

The type with an over the head band ( like the one I linked to ) are far more comfortable..and the lee valley type is like looking through a narrow box..very old tech..and expensive ( compared to the other lighter ones ) for very old tech..Only two lens powers offered, as against 5 with the over the head model. the problem with light in the same axis as the lenses is that you really want the thing lit from all around or from the side..otherwise you are working in "your own light" ( casting shadows exactly where you need to see what your hands or tools are doing ) ..OK for things like fly tying or examining specimens, not so good for working as an over the head set with separate lighting off to the side(s) ..

The lee valley headset ( with or without clip on lighting ) would weigh enough to get very uncomfortable after a short time..all the weight is on the headband which is going around the head, to keep it secure you have to tighten the head band, like with even the light weight ABS welding helmets ( "instant dark" type* ) that have no over head support band, like having your head in a vice..and looking through a not very wide letter box..

*I have a bunch of these "instant dark" type welding helmets, I added "over the head" support bands to all of them**..Why do I have a bunch of them ?..so that others can watch and learn while I'm welding , and so that I can watch them when they are trying to reproduce what I've shown them..

** My main one also has a strap that goes from the front over the top of my skull to the back of the helmet and then on down my back to attach to my belt, that way I can work longer with the weight taken away from my head, much better for the back and shoulders even with lightweight helmets or headsets.

I use very lightweight reading glasses too ( one pair has titanium wire "frameless" type frames )..the less your spectacles weigh, the fewer head aches and back aches and shoulder problems you'll have in life..and you'll be able to work more relaxed, and for longer.. :)

Edited June 8, 2019 by mikesc

[JayInOz]

Mike I have a lighted binocular magnifier that I bought to use when knapping small arrowheads ( I was visiting my doctor one day  and he was wearing one without a light. When I told him about the light option he got excited and ordered one for himself)

These days however I use an eight inch magnifier- a circular lens surrounded by a circular fluorescent light tube. It's on a long arm like a work light and is really good to work with, as long as you don't clamp it directly to the table you're working on, as it will jiggle  a bit.     JayInOz

[mikesc]

I've tried them, the lighted ones, much prefer having the lighting from in front of me pointing down to what I'm working on and from both sides ( slightly stronger light source to the left ) The ring light magnifiers like yours ( I have a couple ) so long since I've used them, I am not certain where I've put them..they are OK if you are holding something up behind them ( like knapping arrow heads ) but a pain when working on something flat on a table like an illustration or a leather carving ..then they ( not only the arms,but the magnifying lens and light array as well ) get in the way.. get banged into..

Each to their own, depends upon what you are doing..

The most frustrating thing I find nowadays is that here it is getting hard to get real glass ( as opposed to acrylic ) lenses for spectacles, they have to be ordered in, ..the fashion is to have the "unbreakable" acrylic lenses ( which are a bit lighter in weight ) and then to have thick brightly coloured "designer" frames, like looking through the "playschool" windows at the world...Why on earth anyone wants a coloured frame around everything they see is beyond me? I like my lenses , spectacles, magnifiers , whatever, to be as unobtrusive as possible, and the acrylic ones scratch just by having house dust land on them..within a few days even of very careful handling , they are already picking up fine scratches, which I'm acutely aware of when looking through them..

I have dozens of pairs of spectacles, in various " powers" around the place ( there are 4 pairs right in front of me, plus the pair I'm wearing, which are on a cord around my neck :) ) and in vehicles and pockets..and I can see at least 5 different types of magnifiers ( desk , lamp, portable, wearable etc ) from where I'm sitting typing this..with more in the atelier..I also do the same as MattS..thread snips with every machine , attached by magnets or string..and a tool kit with every machine, thread rippers, screw drivers, tiny pliers, tweezers, small socket wrenches etc with each.. :)

ps..I like your "specialities"..all the Aussies I've ever known were extremely creative at the swearing, I think it is the Irish ancestry / influence..even the indigenous Aboriginal Australians that I knew when I lived in London many years ago had excellent skills at the squinting and the swearing ( including some words that were not English , which I have forgotten ) ..They got me into Didgeridoo music, which is very relaxing to listen to when creating, like Bach or some Ragas..Time stops..and then is gone by.. :)

Good "hang drum" music does that too..must make the time to make myself one, and learn to play one well, and Blues Sax..need a longer life..

With a good magnifying headset, and the right music, YinTx could do very tiny carvings on Kangaroo hides..if one can carve Roo ?

Edited June 9, 2019 by mikesc

[JayInOz]

G'day again Mike. We Aussies are gifted swearers I'll admit- comes with years of everything going wrong I think:) I also like the local expressions that I hear when travelling about. I recently heard someone I know describe his father as "deaf as a beetle" and a mate of mine the other day describe himself as "blind as a welders dog"  

Don't know anything about carving kangaroo hide. I've only ever done rawhide and chrome tan. I do know it will not brain tan which I find really sad- I love brain tan, even though my hands ache just thinking about it. The last hide I brain tanned was a big red deer that I killed with a bow in Queensland. You have to work brain tan until it's completely dry in order for it to be really soft. I did this particular hide on a cold, damp day and it took six hours. My knuckles were bleeding and I literally couldn't undo a button when I finished.

One of my sisters was just given a permit to shoot five hundred kangaroos on her place, but she's not allowed to use them for anything, which seems a bit ridiculous

Aussie music- here's a local girl  like a lot-   

Apologies YinTx for the thread drift. JayInOz

Edited June 9, 2019 by JayInOz

[mikesc]

Been trying to find where I have put some of my tools, but, due to being in the middle of a "design space" redesign, I can't put my hands on what I was looking for..However a few minutes searching online , and I found what they are called , and a supplier in the USA..Well just a little north of the USA..:)

So..if you are going "seriously tiny", you might want to try using these ( they work like a very very small swivel knife ) they wont cut deep, because the blade is so small, and they can be " honed, but it is awkward to do because of their size..anyway replacement blades are cheap, as are the blade holders / knives..You can do really tiny work with them, you can see "down past" the knife easier than with a full size swivel knife, and they let you run curves , spirals, intricate stuff, with a very similar action to the one that you use for "normal" size swivel knife work..

I used to use them for hand cutting stencil film for silk screen..then thought one day that they'd be ideal for filigree and carving work..on really thin leather ..or for really shallow, small work..

They are made by X-Acto ( and others ) ..here is one place that you can get them online..

This is the blade holder / knife..$8.75 each..I think that they price in USD ?
http://www.signcraftersupply.com/component/virtuemart/?page=shop.browse&category_id=2370


This is a pack of blades that it uses..$3.75 per pack of 3 ..I think they price in USD ?
http://www.signcraftersupply.com/component/virtuemart/?page=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage.tpl&product_id=3259&category_id=2370
You may be able to find them nearer to home..that site is in Canada.

They are fairly easy to find in Europe..some hobby / craft shops have them, most silkscreen supply shops do..

HTH :)

Then you'll have to make / buy some miniature bevelling tools and stamps..If making your own, threaded stainless steel bars can have their ends re-worked as bevellers and stamps, the threads above the "working part" help for grip, if you want to "soften the feel" , heat shrink tube over the threads will do that..or you could make them tiny leather sleeves :)

Interesting, now the IPS board system adds in an "external nofollow" even when I leave it out of links, yesterday it didn't, for a while..

Btw..In case you are thinking that those blades won't cut deep enough..as immiketoo says.."cut less, bevel more"..you don't always need to cut deep to be able to bevel for definition or design..Cutting too deep is frequently the problem, unless you are doing filigree..

Edited June 10, 2019 by mikesc
Edited "Source Code" - Made links "clickable"

[Rossr]

Looks wonderful me to.   I have a hard enough time with full size carving.   You are always learning and that is the best part.  Keep making!!!!

 

Ross

[YinTx]

On 6/8/2019 at 7:39 PM, mikesc said:

could do very tiny carvings on Kangaroo hides..if one can carve Roo ?

They do have veg tan roo.... anyone ever tool it?  suppose it's possible...

On 6/9/2019 at 2:18 AM, JayInOz said:

Aussie music- here's a local girl  like a lot- 

I listened to the entire thing... pretty good stuff!  

 

4 hours ago, mikesc said:

This is the blade holder / knife..$8.75 each..I think that they price in USD ?

Those are pretty cool!  At that price, worth a try!  I'll see if I can find one at a local Michaels or Hobby Lobby or some such place.. maybe Amazon...

4 hours ago, mikesc said:

cut less, bevel more"

Yeah, I cut pretty shallow on those...was afraid it would not look good if they were too deep on such a small item.

4 hours ago, Rossr said:

Looks wonderful me to.   I have a hard enough time with full size carving.   You are always learning and that is the best part.  Keep making!!!!

 

Ross

Thanks, Ross!  Part of my challenge is to keep making... I always have a pile of projects in various phases of completion that I get a mental hang up on and don't finish - sometimes stops me for days it seems, or I start something new and forget.. etc.

YinTx

[Rockoboy]

17 hours ago, YinTx said:

I always have a pile of projects in various phases of completion that I get a mental hang up on and don't finish - sometimes stops me for days it seems, or I start something new and forget.. etc.

I do the same thing, especially if a project is not working out how I thought it would. Sometimes it helps to place it on the side while doing something different ... sometimes it gets left on the side permanently. 

[Pauls Leather]

I'm getting away from tooling, especially tiny nonsense.  Eyes don't work as good as they used to and it makes my hands hurt to hold the swivel knife for too long.

[YinTx]

23 hours ago, Pauls Leather said:

I'm getting away from tooling, especially tiny nonsense.  Eyes don't work as good as they used to and it makes my hands hurt to hold the swivel knife for too long.

I'm intimidated by tooling extensive projects like full belts and large covers.  Small things I can make in a shorter amount of time, so less pain in the hands too.  Eyes need assistance for sure.  Don't know how long I'll do small stuff, probably until I get it figured out then I'll have to give it up lol.

YinTx

[Leebroox]

YinTx I feel your pain on the tiny carvings. I did this one recently and I could cover the whole carving with my thumb.  Meh... at that small its hard to distinguish the mistakes from the intention... Lol

[YinTx]

That is pretty tiny, Nicely done!

 

YinTx

 

[Rolandranch]

Is the flower center a modified backgrounder?

Ryan