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Description

Making your own tools

No offensive if you buy any simple or fancy tool sets from the stores.

Perhaps it sounded like a big deal when I said the best sculpting tools for Super Sculpey were handmade wooden tools, I said that all the time when answering questions in messages. I did mean that, especially making figurines and cartoon characters. I can pretty much use them to sculpt almost any sculptures. Tools are like your fingers, making suitable tools that fits your hand would definitely help your sculpting in the long run. And also you ought to get to know your tools, its ability, every angles, properly use in the right position and condition.

Before you start it, you might ask, what kind of wood should I use?

The condition of wood you find basically need to be really firm in texture and superfine in the fiber. These two condition may not fit most of wooden tools in the stores. For instance, pine: the fiber is fine but too soft. Cypress: the fiber is too rough but firm enough. Teak: the fiber is fine but too soft. You probably know what I mean now.

The picture shown the branch I pick is 七里香(Chinese), it means "Fragrance can be smelled seven miles away". The name in many countries might be different. Some of the common names include Murraya , Murraya paniculata, Orange Jessamine, Chinese box, mock orange, Mock lime, satinwood or Lakeview Jasmine etc. You might have seen it as Bonsai Tree in your Japanese friend's garden. I know it's nice wood but don't just go cut it, believe me, he will kill you!! You may ask first, well, he will still kill you anyway...

It is a tropical, evergreen plant bearing small, white, scented flowers, which is grown as an ornamental tree or hedge. It is closely related to Citrus, and bears small orange to red fruit resembling kumquats, though some cultivars do not set fruit.

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Here are some key points making wooden tools, please compare with the number on the pictures.

1. Cut off the branch, the trunk is about the size of your little finger. Trim off the little branches. Take off the skin. Let it dry naturally for a few days.

2. Check the branch, how does it work in your hand, the angle, size in your hand. Normally the branch is distorted, you need to adjust and sharpen it a lot. Mark and cut the unwanted areas if you need. Take your time to fix it to the best usage and shape.

3. Sharpen the branch to ideal shape. Put it in your hand to check the fitness frequently. When you have sharpened it to the right shape. Use the blade 90 degrees angle to scrape evenly. Your blade needs to be really sharp, otherwise the tool will be damaged by the little gaps of the blade.

4. This doesn't happen often but I found a rotten hole in the trunk, take off the rotten area as much as you can, fill in with modeling putty. Let it dry totally. This situation means, the tool may not last for a long time. the putty area might chip off later. Anyway, just fix it if you have to. Now I feel like a dentist...

5. From now on, it's a sanding job. Start from rough sandpaper (400C), fine sandpaper (800C), you'll find the rough areas when sanding. Scrape the area again with blade in 90 degrees angle. Go back and forth to fix it.

6. Looking good now! Use superfine sandpaper (1200C and 2000C). Check it often while sanding it, make sure the shape is correct, especially the ends.
7. Scrub the surface of tool with another wood (rough wood is ok). You need to press with a little strength when you scrub. This is the way getting the surface of wooden tool sealed. Also that's why my tools are shiny. I didn't put any varnish, wax or paint, just scrub it wood and wood. You may need to do this a few times.
8.Now here is my newbie! The colors are different, those darker tools were made twenty some years ago. As time went by, it aged slowly but is still working fine!

You may make your own wooden tools using the tools you buy from the stores if you couldn't find proper wood material. Also let us know if other wood is good for making wooden tools, perhaps cheery wood, walnut...

Please advise if you have any questions or comments. Even just say hi when you have seen this tutorial, so I know it's worth making it.

Alex Liao

-----------------------------------------------------
《歡迎搜尋加入》Welcome to add me:
Facebook： www.facebook.com/AngelbeingWor…
Blog： sculptor101.deviantart.com/
Instagram： www.instagram.com/sculptor101_…
Pinterest： www.pinterest.com/sculptor101_…
Youtube：youtube.com/c/AngelbeingWorkshop/

#design #Blog #deviantart #sculpture #garagekit #sculptor #videoturorial #molding #modeling #YouTube #FaceBook #Instagram #pinterest #sculpturetutorials #arts #雕塑 #原模師 #雕塑教學 #公仔模型 #動漫 #翻模 #原型師 #公仔 #精工 #影片教學 #藝術 #設計 #陶藝 #模型 #模型師

Description

Making your own tools

No offensive if you buy any simple or fancy tool sets from the stores.

Perhaps it sounded like a big deal when I said the best sculpting tools for Super Sculpey were handmade wooden tools, I said that all the time when answering questions in messages. I did mean that, especially making figurines and cartoon characters. I can pretty much use them to sculpt almost any sculptures. Tools are like your fingers, making suitable tools that fits your hand would definitely help your sculpting in the long run. And also you ought to get to know your tools, its ability, every angles, properly use in the right position and condition.

Before you start it, you might ask, what kind of wood should I use?

The condition of wood you find basically need to be really firm in texture and superfine in the fiber. These two condition may not fit most of wooden tools in the stores. For instance, pine: the fiber is fine but too soft. Cypress: the fiber is too rough but firm enough. Teak: the fiber is fine but too soft. You probably know what I mean now.

The picture shown the branch I pick is 七里香(Chinese), it means "Fragrance can be smelled seven miles away". The name in many countries might be different. Some of the common names include Murraya , Murraya paniculata, Orange Jessamine, Chinese box, mock orange, Mock lime, satinwood or Lakeview Jasmine etc. You might have seen it as Bonsai Tree in your Japanese friend's garden. I know it's nice wood but don't just go cut it, believe me, he will kill you!! You may ask first, well, he will still kill you anyway...

It is a tropical, evergreen plant bearing small, white, scented flowers, which is grown as an ornamental tree or hedge. It is closely related to Citrus, and bears small orange to red fruit resembling kumquats, though some cultivars do not set fruit.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Here are some key points making wooden tools, please compare with the number on the pictures.

1. Cut off the branch, the trunk is about the size of your little finger. Trim off the little branches. Take off the skin. Let it dry naturally for a few days.

2. Check the branch, how does it work in your hand, the angle, size in your hand. Normally the branch is distorted, you need to adjust and sharpen it a lot. Mark and cut the unwanted areas if you need. Take your time to fix it to the best usage and shape.

3. Sharpen the branch to ideal shape. Put it in your hand to check the fitness frequently. When you have sharpened it to the right shape. Use the blade 90 degrees angle to scrape evenly. Your blade needs to be really sharp, otherwise the tool will be damaged by the little gaps of the blade.

4. This doesn't happen often but I found a rotten hole in the trunk, take off the rotten area as much as you can, fill in with modeling putty. Let it dry totally. This situation means, the tool may not last for a long time. the putty area might chip off later. Anyway, just fix it if you have to. Now I feel like a dentist...

5. From now on, it's a sanding job. Start from rough sandpaper (400C), fine sandpaper (800C), you'll find the rough areas when sanding. Scrape the area again with blade in 90 degrees angle. Go back and forth to fix it.

6. Looking good now! Use superfine sandpaper (1200C and 2000C). Check it often while sanding it, make sure the shape is correct, especially the ends.
7. Scrub the surface of tool with another wood (rough wood is ok). You need to press with a little strength when you scrub. This is the way getting the surface of wooden tool sealed. Also that's why my tools are shiny. I didn't put any varnish, wax or paint, just scrub it wood and wood. You may need to do this a few times.
8.Now here is my newbie! The colors are different, those darker tools were made twenty some years ago. As time went by, it aged slowly but is still working fine!

You may make your own wooden tools using the tools you buy from the stores if you couldn't find proper wood material. Also let us know if other wood is good for making wooden tools, perhaps cheery wood, walnut...

Please advise if you have any questions or comments. Even just say hi when you have seen this tutorial, so I know it's worth making it.

Alex Liao

-----------------------------------------------------
《歡迎搜尋加入》Welcome to add me:
Facebook： www.facebook.com/AngelbeingWor…
Blog： sculptor101.deviantart.com/
Instagram： www.instagram.com/sculptor101_…
Pinterest： www.pinterest.com/sculptor101_…
Youtube：youtube.com/c/AngelbeingWorkshop/

#design #Blog #deviantart #sculpture #garagekit #sculptor #videoturorial #molding #modeling #YouTube #FaceBook #Instagram #pinterest #sculpturetutorials #arts #雕塑 #原模師 #雕塑教學 #公仔模型 #動漫 #翻模 #原型師 #公仔 #精工 #影片教學 #藝術 #設計 #陶藝 #模型 #模型師