Thank
you for visiting our first “Work in Progress.”
This
Is the beginning of a whaling scene on a Whale’s tooth that
is approximately 5 1/2 inches tall. The scene will be about 1
7/8 inches wide by 3 1/4 inches tall. Because of the intricacy
of this design I’ve laid it out at a larger scale on paper,
then using a copier, I reduced it down to fit the tooth. Using
an artist’s adhesive, I temporarily attached the paper pattern
to the tooth.
I then used a needle point to poke through the paper pattern to
transfer my design to the tooth. When the pattern was removed
I used the tiny little dots made by the needle point on the tooth
as a guide to proceed with the actual engraving of the design
that you see so far.
Since I am not able to ink the original engraving I’m going
to make reproductions from, when I get the basic outline cut in
I will do a test mold, cast a copy and apply ink to it. I will
then photograph and display it next to these photos so you can
watch the progression of the Scrimshaw engraving as I work on
it.
The completed tooth may require 3 to 5 test molds before I finally
call it finished. I'd like to suggest that you add our site to
your “favorite places” so you can periodically check
on the progress of this design. We plan to post new photos every
30 to 40 days or so.
This
Is the beginning of a whaling scene on a Whale’s tooth that
is approximately 5 1/2 inches tall. The scene will be about 1
7/8 inches wide by 3 1/4 inches tall. Because of the intricacy
of this design I’ve laid it out at a larger scale on paper,
then using a copier, I reduced it down to fit the tooth. Using
an artist’s adhesive, I temporarily attached the paper pattern
to the tooth.