Tag: scrimshaw

Lighthouses, Ghosts and Selling Scrimshaw

Posted on by Andrew Perkins
Point of Ayr Lighthouse, Wales
Photo Credit: Lukasz Lukomski, cc-sa-3.0

“A scrimshaw without a story is just scratches on bones.” – Saul T.; Sailor

 

Okay, I made that up, though if you think about it awhile you’ll find it’s basically true. Visiting an old whaling town and walking the decks of the Charles W. Morgan and learning her story, most people would be compelled to pick up a memento of their vacation. Memories of a trip to the cape with a loved one could be revisited with the bracelet or the key fob.

While most of us don’t live in Mystic seaport or on Cape Cod, if we’re creating scrimshaw to sell at a craft fair or on line, a memorable story about the subject of your work is far more interesting than “I saw a picture of a ship and I scrimshawed it.”

A story for every piece would be next to impossible for most of us, especially if you’re selling multiple pieces such as jewelry, but for some of the larger pieces a story can be compelling and may bring you more sales, giving you something to talk about. With jewelry, many pieces should be without a story – so people can make their own. Scrimshaw of a twelve point buck will illicit hunting stories, a modern ship or boat the stories of that time on that shore when that thing happened, a rose the love interest or the lover who presented it, or perhaps the silent look into the distance, hopefully with a slight smile.

I’d come across a picture of a lighthouse on the Point of Ayr in Wales. The first article was of the hauntings and got me intrigued. The pics were clear and great for creating some scrimshaw from. The next article described a couple who had come there on their 50th wedding anniversary and asked the person who was painting it to take their picture, as this was where they had their first kiss. Ah, memories.

Scrimshaw based on the Talacre lighthouse.I based my scrimshaw on this picture, adding a ship in the background and a seagull, leaving the rocky outcroppings aside. After I’d finished it, I looked back at the pictures I’d seen and found there was one I liked a little more than the first, so I’ll probably scrimshaw the second view shortly. The first one was head-on, the second you can see the stairway a bit better and I find it more interesting, and I’ll also review the stories and find a few others so my mind and my mood are on the subject.

 

Corian: Ivory Alternative

Posted on by Andrew Perkins

Originally Posted in the Scrimshaw.com Newsletter 2014-09-14

Corian is a material most often used for countertops and sink tops made by DuPont.

The material is an acrylic polymer mixed with alumina trihydrate (ATH). ATH is suspended throughout the material giving it a uniform color.  They are able to create patterns as well, from a pebble-like surface to granular in appearance.

Being a stain and abrasion resistant material, it offers benefits and challenges to scrimshanders.

Corian polishes to a high lustre with progressive sanding and polishing and you can create an almost mirror-like finish if you take the time (see notes at the bottom for a link to polishing pads that go progressively to 12,000 grit).

Finding Samples of Corian

Samples are often available at big-box stores such as Home Depot and Lowes in the states, but they don’t just hand out free samples, you have to have a genuine interest in the material to make it worth their time. If you are or have a larger project in mind, you may be able to ask for some 2″ x 2″ blocks of the type you intend to scrimshaw on and they may give them to you. If you really just want some of the material for scrimshaw and don’t want to “shuck and jive” the sales person there are a couple of other options:

  • You can find a place that makes custom counter tops in your area and see if they either have samples or scraps they’re willing to part with (otherwise the waste material goes into landfills)
  • You can visit Dupont at http://www.surfaces.dupont.com/ and navigate to the place that allows you to get samples
  • You can purchase a sheet of corian from https://www.inventables.com/technologies/white-corian for about $27 as of the time of this writing.  We’d recommend going with the ¼” unless you’re making knife handles or pens.
  • Look on eBay – search for corian ¼”

 

There are several scrimshaw artists that are already using corian for their art, including:

Nick Finocchio (https://www.etsy.com/shop/ScrimshawEverything),

Dmitri Burakov (https://www.etsy.com/people/BDSart?ref=owner_profile_leftnav),

Katherine Plumer (http://www.katherineplumer.com/scrimshaw/closeups/fine_art/jessie.html)

and others.

 

Pigment Tests

We sanded then polished our sample with 600 grit, 1000 grit, 2000 grit sandpapers then polished it with the HUT PPP wax polish and let it sit for one day. Having misplaced the Sharpie pen (which I recall does stain the material), we instead used India ink, an Aquarelle pencil and oil paint.  All wiped off cleanly.

 

Stipple and Scratch Tests

For the stipple and scratch tests, we used our favorite Coulter tungsten scribe, and lightly stippled and scratched the surface. We found the material tends to “dust” more than crater with a light touch, and with the scratch tests it once again “dusts” rather than curl or create “rows and furrows” like some of the softer materials. Still the material seems softer than casein or ivory, probably due to the physical makeup of powdered ATH suspended in acrylic.

After hastening the drying time slightly with a blow dryer (the oil paint was still wet) we carefully wiped the sample away.

India ink is the clear winner here, the aquarelle pencil tended to ride above the scratches, though held well in the stipples and the oil paint wiped out of the stipples and scratches fairly easily, leaving little pigment.

Stain Test - Corian.jpg

Stipple and Scratch Test - Corian.jpg

A Tip from One of Our Readers:

“Hi Andrew,

I was reading with great interest on how to seal the items you sent me.

I remembered that I used a similar process when I was turning wood and pens.  Whenever I found a soft spot on antler or wood, I would fill it with a thin glue and use an accelerator to harden it and continue cutting.  I used some of this thin glue on one of them, let it soak in good and used the accelerator to harden the glue and then sanded it down up to 12,000 grit.  It looks great and will be ready when I get a little better at scrimming.

Here is a site with some info on the glue:

http://www.woodcraft.com/category/3/1005233/1001221/Glue%20and%20Glue%20Accessories.aspx

As I said, this was just a thought I came up with.

Have a wonderful day.

George Hester – Newbie but getting better”

 

Thanks again George, we’ll have to try the accelerator on some antler or bone the next time we get a chance.

Found another use for “Poster Putty”.  We’ve been using it to hold scrimshaw material in place as we scrim, but when it comes to inking the little vials I like to mix them in often end up sideways (which is why I’ve been banished from the kitchen table for all things non-food).  A small dab of poster putty will hold the vial or anything else spillable fast, even if you bump into it.  Available at most pharmacies and at Amazon.com.

Tipped ink vial (left) and one with poster putty on the bottom holding it fast.

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Michael Cohen Site Update

Posted on by Andrew Perkins

 

Scrimshawed harbor scene by Michael Cohen with a ship setting sail and people waving from the dock
Harbor Scene by Michael Cohen

Michael Cohen, a longtime scrimshaw artist has recently updated his site.  His work includes Ships, Mermaids, Native Americans, Fantasy, Wildlife, Pin-Ups and more.  He works mainly on mammoth ivory and the detail is amazing. He was employed by the Alaska Silver and Ivory Company in Bellingham, Washington back in 1973 when there was a renewed interest in scrimshaw that lasted until the 1980’s, then became a freelance artist to this day.

Michael also does custom scrimshaw on request.  Please visit the sites below for inquiries on custom scrimshaw.

The pricing for his work is a real bargain for collectors and non-collectors alike.  You can see and purchase some of his work at this site:

http://lizsumner.com/mcscrimshaw/

Working in scrimshaw and other mediums, Michael’s main site is:

http://michaelcohenart.com/

Scrimshaw? But I Can’t Draw!

Scrimshaw? But I Can’t Draw!

Posted on by Andrew
Love scrimshaw? Can’t Draw? Many whale-men, the original scrimshaw artists couldn’t draw either. Using their ingenuity and the tools at hand, they were able to fashion memorable pieces of art and carvings that survive to this day. You can scrimshaw, even if you can’t draw! It only takes a little guidance, some basic tools and a touch of modern technology.Using ancient mammoth ivory, natural “vegetable ivory” or other materials, you can create beautiful works of art the way the sailors did, without needing to lean over the port bow! A great way to de-stress, scrimshaw will bring you into a world of art you may never have thought possible to achieve.
“Scrimshaw? But I Can’t Draw!!” has links and instructions to everything you need to learn how to scrimshaw:

  • sources for fossilized ivory
  • “vegetable” ivory
  • tools
  • pigments
  • how to prepare tools and materialsScrimshaw? But I Can't Draw! Book Cover
  • techniques for shading
  • polishes and preservatives, and more.

Great book for beginners and who can and cannot draw, “Scrimshaw? But I Can’t Draw!” will walk you through the simple steps that many of the top scrimshaw artists use today.

Available at Amazon