dougsanders
Registered: Nov 29, 2004
Posts: 24
|
| | Nov 30, 2004 at 07:43 AM | Reply with quote | #6 |
|
About the lemonwood... Janel, I always thought lime wood was more similar to basswood; though a term used more often in Europe. I think it was what the great English carver Grinling Gibbons utilized. If anyone hasn't seen his work, please go to your local library and check out a few books. Luscious seventeenth century still-lives of wheat, poppies, dead game... If limewood=basswood, it may be too soft for netsuke carving. There are people I've seen at shows who carve miniature in basswood, with roto-tools, but I reckon any detail will wear off quickly and it feels too light in the hand to be satisfying.
The lemonwood I purchased was very dense with narrow growth rings and a nice grain pattern. On the flip side, it was much drier than boxwood and flaked/chipped some if you weren't paying attention to the direction of your knife. I carved a little sparrow ojime out of it and now I'm pinching myself because I didn't take a photo of it before it sold. Maybe I'll track down the buyer...
I'll get you the phone number of Hexhamshire Hardwoods- they don't have a web presence. They deal mostly in hardwoods for construction- you drive up the mud soaked road past huge oak and chestnut trunks to an aluminum barn stacked with shelves of wood billets from around the world. I haven't yet phoned to have them set aside a few pieces, so if the story changes I'll update everyone. I say this as about a year ago the young guy there left to teach scuba in Bermuda (better than a muddy Northumbrian woodlot for some). So now to my knowledge there are just two old times running the business who might not want to deal with pen turners, bowl lathers, and the odd Yank netsuke carver like me pestering them about the finer points of Maccassar ebony.
-Doug
|
| Loading... | |
