Hobby Thread - January 24, 2026 [TRex]

Welcome hobbyists! Pull up a chair and sit a spell with the Horde in this little corner of the interweb. This is the mighty, mighty officially sanctioned Ace of Spades Hobby Thread. We gave the Ace of Spades Wheel of Hobbies (TM) a spin it landed on wood carving and tools.

[Top photo courtesy Bird Rock Doc]

***

What are you hobbying?

As per usual Hobby Thread etiquette, keep this thread limited to hobbying. All (legal) hobbying is welcome. Discussion of current events, religion and politics can elsewhere. Pants are optional. As always, puns are welcome and encouraged.

Play nice. Don't be a troll and do not feed the trolls.

Best wishes to all with the winter weather. Comments, updates, questions and requests for help are welcome and on-topic.

***

Lurker Bird Rock Doc sent a few photos of his wood carving projects. I was going to do an elaborate post with behind the scenes work in progress detail, but I have a small dinosaur brain and short arms so here we are. Maybe he'll jump in and provide more background...

20251008-Lone Feather 2023 20 inches.jpg

20251008-Skull and Bone - Memento Mori - Fir and Pine 9 inches 2008.jpg

20251008-Hand indonesian Jackwood 12 inches 2025.jpg

Outstanding! Thank you!

***

This is a great tool topic - what tools should a new homeowner have?

What suggestions do you have?

***

Woodworking tools that you don't need or don't use?

Unexpected tools that you use? Intrigued to see a power hand planer at the top of this list.

***

How did woodworking become a hobby? Interesting history:

***

Nothing to do with wood, but rust removal is a thing for hobbyists and these involve tools.

I only recently discovered a needle scaler. Anyone use one? Did it cause hearing damage?

Electrolysis versus Evapo-Rust?

I will freely admit that this video speaks to me. It makes me want to haunt garage and estate sales and rescue old tools and toolboxes. Long video with many individual tool restorations.

***

Did you miss the Hobby Thread last week? We did an sea glass theme. The comments may be closed, but you can re-live the content.

***

Notable content continued from last week:

Last week Reforger mentioned visiting the Nevada State Museum which includes the Carson City Mint. He described seeing Coin Press No. 1, a steam powered coin press that made silver dollars from 1870 to 1893.

As the original coin press of the Carson City Mint, Coin Press No. 1 was built in 1869 by Morgan and Orr in Philadelphia. The press was steam powered and could produce 100 coins per minute. The press was ordered brand new for the Carson City Mint, which was scheduled to open in 1870 and would address the coinage needs spurred by the Comstock Lode. When the press arrived in Carson City, it was the only press at the Mint, and would remain the only one for another five years.
But from 1878 until the end of the Mint's operation in 1893, the press only produced Morgan Silver Dollars.
Coin Press No. 1 ceased operations in 1893 and the Carson City Mint officially closed in 1899 as the result of a severe decline in mining on the Comstock Lode.

Other history happened and then...

[The] press was sent to Colorado to be further modernized and used at the Denver Mint. The press spent four years at the Denver Mint, and in that time, it minted 118 million coins, including 50 million pennies.

Read the full story here. Amazing.

***

Words of wisdom:

"Because despite all our troubles, when things are grim out in that wide round world of ours, that's when it's really important to have a good hobby." Posted by: tankascribe at June 22, 2024 07:41 PM (HWxAD).

***

If you have trouble finding something in the content or comments that resonates with you, contribute your own. Send thoughts, suggestions and photos of your hobbying to moronhobbies at protonmail dot com. Do mighty things.

Posted by: Open Blogger at 05:30 PM

Comments

(Jump to bottom of comments)

1 Welcome Hobbiests

Posted by: Skip at January 24, 2026 05:30 PM (Ia/+0)

2 Huh? I thought it'd be reading by candlelight!

Posted by: OrangeEnt at January 24, 2026 05:30 PM (uQesX)

3 Gives ya a woody.

Posted by: Commissar of plenty and festive little hats at January 24, 2026 05:32 PM (Kt19C)

4 Given the current situation, I'd burn them in the fireplace.

Posted by: Martini Farmer at January 24, 2026 05:34 PM (qwVdq)

5 Fantastic carvings. What is the story of the one with the pair?

Posted by: toby928(c) at January 24, 2026 05:35 PM (S/6Ju)

6 I love wood and everything about it. I have a chainsaw carved Santos in my barn aisle. All my furniture is handcrafted wood by me.

Posted by: Ben Had at January 24, 2026 05:36 PM (0KSrI)

7 Wish I had examples of my Dolphin and calf and Sunface
Someday will see them again I hope.
But see if I can put up some seen before here

My gargoyle reading, all a solid piece of maple
https://tinyurl.com/58wc8chw

Posted by: Skip at January 24, 2026 05:36 PM (Ia/+0)

8 There used to be this old guy down in New Hope, PA (real artzy town) who would make ice sculptures every weekned during the winter using nothing but a chainsaw. It was rare when he didn't have 40 or 50 people standing around watching him do it. It was amazing work.

Posted by: Orson at January 24, 2026 05:36 PM (dIske)

9 I learned from the pet thread that Eromero and I are indulging a common hobby watching Barrett-Jackson's Scottsdale auction.

Posted by: Art Rondelet of Malmsey at January 24, 2026 05:37 PM (FEVMW)

10 The wood carving of the lovers is . . . erotic. After a fashion. Mostly for what it suggests.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at January 24, 2026 05:37 PM (wzUl9)

11 And a corbel
https://tinyurl.com/2z3faypp

Posted by: Skip at January 24, 2026 05:38 PM (Ia/+0)

12 5 Fantastic carvings. What is the story of the one with the pair?

Posted by: toby928(c) at January 24, 2026 05:35 PM
***

L'Idol Eternelle (The Eternal Idol).

Styled after the original version by Rodin

Posted by: TRex - rodin dino at January 24, 2026 05:39 PM (IQ6Gq)

13 There used to be this old guy down in New Hope, PA (real artzy town) who would make ice sculptures every weekned during the winter using nothing but a chainsaw. It was rare when he didn't have 40 or 50 people standing around watching him do it. It was amazing work.
Posted by: Orson at January 24, 2026 05:36 PM (dIske)

Used to live about 10 miles north of New Hope back around 2006. Real pretty part of the country...

Posted by: Joe Kidd at January 24, 2026 05:39 PM (nbLIj)

14 On my gargoyle, besides hammer and chisels, I have a chainsaw disk set for my 4inch angle grinder
Not for the faint at heart

Posted by: Skip at January 24, 2026 05:40 PM (Ia/+0)

15 That needle scaler is what we have used in the Navy to remove rust for over 100 years. We called them needle guns. They work.

Posted by: Mister Scott (Formerly GWS) at January 24, 2026 05:40 PM (0N4FZ)

16 Finished painting a Type 1 Chi-He medium tank this week and used camo putty from AK Interactive for masking. Really impressed with it. Doing a little weathering and detailing and she's done.

Posted by: PA Dutchman at January 24, 2026 05:41 PM (h/O4U)

17 Eh. Nice femur.

Posted by: Mike Hammer, etc., etc. at January 24, 2026 05:41 PM (XeU6L)

18 9 I learned from the pet thread that Eromero and I are indulging a common hobby watching Barrett-Jackson's Scottsdale auction.

Posted by: Art Rondelet of Malmsey at January 24, 2026 05:37 PM
***
Any bargains? I haven't been watching, but always intrigued.

Posted by: TRex - auctioneer dino at January 24, 2026 05:41 PM (IQ6Gq)

19 Wood art is created by hand tools and dedication.

Posted by: Ben Had at January 24, 2026 05:42 PM (0KSrI)

20 16 Doing a little weathering and detailing and she's done.

Posted by: PA Dutchman at January 24, 2026 05:41 PM
***
Send me a photo when you're done. I'll post in the content.

Posted by: TRex - weathered dino at January 24, 2026 05:43 PM (IQ6Gq)

21 I learned from the pet thread that Eromero and I are indulging a common hobby watching Barrett-Jackson's Scottsdale auction.
Posted by: Art Rondelet
-----

Hold on to your wallet.

Posted by: Mike Hammer, etc., etc. at January 24, 2026 05:43 PM (XeU6L)

22 I have a vintage red metal toolbox. Though when I bought it at K-Mart in 1976 to hold my car tools, it wasn't vintage then. (My gosh -- fifty years --!)

Now it holds a mix of car tools and household equipment like duct tape, little bottles of screws and nails, several hammers, etc. I repurposed some of the metal Tinder Box tobacco sampler tins ca. 1984 to hold the screws and nails.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at January 24, 2026 05:45 PM (wzUl9)

23 Thanks for another interesting and mighty Hobby Thread, T-Rex!

Bird Rock Doc does amazing work with wood!

Posted by: Legally Sufficient at January 24, 2026 05:46 PM (kB9dk)

24 Watching Clint Harp series on restoring old buildings when I exercise. Interesting to see all the post and beam barns and houses. What's irritating about the show is most of the old, especially pre-revolution, barns being taken apart and "rebuilt" outside of their indigenous area. Lots of upstate New York Dutch barns taken apart for rich men north of Dallas who want to make a house out of them. I don't consider that restoring, but killing a building and wearing it as a skin suit.

Posted by: OrangeEnt at January 24, 2026 05:47 PM (uQesX)

25 23 Thanks for another interesting and mighty Hobby Thread, T-Rex!

Posted by: Legally Sufficient at January 24, 2026 05:46 PM
***
Thanks! and thanks for checking in!

Posted by: TRex - did anyone bring cake? at January 24, 2026 05:48 PM (IQ6Gq)

26 My gargoyle reading, all a solid piece of maple
https://tinyurl.com/58wc8chw
Posted by: Skip at January 24, 2026

***
Impressive, Skip! The book is maple as well?

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at January 24, 2026 05:48 PM (wzUl9)

27 Fantastic carvings. What is the story of the one with the pair?

Posted by: toby928(c) at January 24, 2026 05:35 PM

He's begging. Obviously.

Posted by: OrangeEnt at January 24, 2026 05:48 PM (uQesX)

28 I'm in awe of wood sculptures like those at the top of the thread. Partly for the sheer talent and partly because the carvers can deal with three dimensional figures in such realistic detail. That's something I struggle with both in carving and drawing. I do better with simple figures, almost impressionistic or suggestive, and flat surfaces like in chip carving. Years of trying to improve have shown me the inability seems to be innate. Bummer. But I enjoy whittling and some woodworking so much I still take enjoyment in the process.

Posted by: JTB at January 24, 2026 05:49 PM (yTvNw)

29 TRex has been indulging his favorite hobby today, endurance racing (autos). Daytona 24hr race began today.....

Posted by: The Grateful - Acta Non Verba at January 24, 2026 05:49 PM (IQ6Gq)

30 Fantastic carvings. What is the story of the one with the pair?

Posted by: toby928(c) at January 24, 2026
*
He's begging. Obviously.
Posted by: OrangeEnt at January 24, 2026

***
Then she'd be standing. I think he's adoring her -- they have a new and sizzling-hot affair going.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at January 24, 2026 05:51 PM (wzUl9)

31 Amazing carvings, Bird Rock Doc. What is the darker wood in a couple of them, mesquite maybe?

I have done a little messing around with restoring old tools picked up from antique shops. Most of the planes you find there are junk due to missing parts, splits in wooden bodies, and just excessive wear and tear. I've had good luck with removing rust with plain old kitchen vinegar as long it's not too bad.

Posted by: Oddbob at January 24, 2026 05:51 PM (Fs0KI)

32 Hey there JTB, how goes your cross stitching. This is a perfect weekend for that, providing the lights stay on...

Posted by: The Grateful - Acta Non Verba at January 24, 2026 05:51 PM (IQ6Gq)

33 7 ... "My gargoyle reading, all a solid piece of maple
https://tinyurl.com/58wc8chw"

Skip,
That reading gargoyle is great: expressive and whimsical. Thanks for sharing it.

Posted by: JTB at January 24, 2026 05:52 PM (yTvNw)

34 Then she'd be standing. I think he's adoring her -- they have a new and sizzling-hot affair going.
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at January 24, 2026 05:51 PM (wzUl9)

Well, he's on his knees and she's on a throne....

Posted by: OrangeEnt at January 24, 2026 05:53 PM (uQesX)

35 I remember when I first left home after graduating, asking my Daddy for some basic tools to take with me. I got, and still have, a good basic set along with a tool box!

Posted by: The Grateful - Acta Non Verba at January 24, 2026 05:53 PM (IQ6Gq)

36 I’ve had to restore a toolbox full of endwrenches, ratchet/socket set, screw and nut drivers. Whole lot of work.

Posted by: Eromero at January 24, 2026 05:53 PM (LHPAg)

37 T Rex--

The bargains at Barrett-Jackson (if there are any) were earlier in the week. Today is "Super Saturday" where the most expensive cars are auctioned.

If you're interested you can watch a streaming video on Barrett-Jackson's You Tube channel.

Posted by: Art Rondelet of Malmsey at January 24, 2026 05:54 PM (FEVMW)

38 Skip can you tell me about the grain in maple?

Posted by: Ben Had at January 24, 2026 05:54 PM (0KSrI)

39 Having done some carving I certainly have a appreciation for what Bird Doc has done

Posted by: Skip at January 24, 2026 05:55 PM (Ia/+0)

40 Then she'd be standing. I think he's adoring her -- they have a new and sizzling-hot affair going.
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at January 24, 2026 05:51 PM (wzUl9)

Well, he's on his knees and she's on a throne....
Posted by: OrangeEnt at January 24, 2026 05:53 PM

Are his hands tied behind his back?

Posted by: toby928(c) at January 24, 2026 05:55 PM (S/6Ju)

41 Guy up the road from me had a ranch for years, and he has a lovely carving of an eagle on top of a large upright log. The other day in the snow it looked like the eagle had a hat on as well as a a white collar. It always makes me glad to see that eagle when I go past his house.

When we were little we went to Cape Breton and a woodworker there made little canoes with my and my sisters names on them as well as a larger fishing boat. I admire such craft.

Posted by: FenelonSpoke at January 24, 2026 05:56 PM (2sfNr)

42 31 Amazing carvings, Bird Rock Doc. What is the darker wood in a couple of them, mesquite maybe?

Posted by: Oddbob at January 24, 2026 05:51 PM
***
I don't have notes on all of them but the hand is Indonesian Jackwood and the skull/bone is fir and pine.

The elephants are a mix.

The pair is a wood from Venezuela that was described as "Asmo" when purchased, but don't know a wood by that name.

Posted by: TRex - paul bunyan dino at January 24, 2026 05:56 PM (IQ6Gq)

43 It was a log from one of my trees so grain goes up and down

Posted by: Skip at January 24, 2026 05:57 PM (Ia/+0)

44 Currently 60 F. with light rain. It may be almost 70 tomorrow morning when I'll be ready to work out. If it's not raining, I should get in a session; I may not have a chance again until Thursday or Friday.

Yes, running (actually walking/trotting now, about 50/50) is a hobby of sorts. I've been a cardio man since the early '70s; I started with running in place and transitioned to actual distance running a few years later.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at January 24, 2026 05:57 PM (wzUl9)

45 Definitely not mesquite.

Posted by: Ben Had at January 24, 2026 05:57 PM (0KSrI)

46 I used Krylon stone spray paint and craft paints for my miniatures to make a leather book

Posted by: Skip at January 24, 2026 05:58 PM (Ia/+0)

47 Very nice carvings. I would like to see the process. I assume it involves some sanding. I wonder too about the finish.

It turns out that even though I did not have a plan for the day it was pretty productive anyway. This upsets me because I need goals.

Posted by: fd at January 24, 2026 05:58 PM (vFG9F)

48 32 ... "how goes your cross stitching. This is a perfect weekend for that, providing the lights stay on."

Grateful,
It's slow going. Even separating the floss strands is 'interesting' with gorilla hands. As the tendonitis fades things should go better. And I was thinking the same about cross stitch and this weather.

Posted by: JTB at January 24, 2026 05:58 PM (yTvNw)

49 My maternal grandfather carved a totem pole for my mom when she married my dad. It had four figures including a bear, a beaver and was topped with a Thunderbird (of course). It was stolen off my front porch in 1994. I still look for it.

I hope it brought whatever luck that person deserved.

Posted by: nurse ratched at January 24, 2026 05:58 PM (IhIKR)

50 Well, he's on his knees and she's on a throne....
Posted by: OrangeEnt at January 24, 2026 05:53 PM
*
Are his hands tied behind his back?
Posted by: toby928(c) at January 24, 2026

***
Hard to tell. They're crossed but I can't tell if they're bound.

Each to his own kink, I always say!

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at January 24, 2026 05:59 PM (wzUl9)

51 Perhaps the girl has set a playful rule: no hands!

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at January 24, 2026 06:01 PM (wzUl9)

52 Beautiful carving by Bird Roc Doc, although I think I'd feel a bit nervous about having a skull and a femur carving in my house.

Posted by: FenelonSpoke at January 24, 2026 06:01 PM (2sfNr)

53 50 Well, he's on his knees and she's on a throne....
Posted by: OrangeEnt at January 24, 2026 05:53 PM
*
Are his hands tied behind his back?
Posted by: toby928(c) at January 24, 2026

***
Crossed but not bound.

Posted by: TRex - museum curator dino at January 24, 2026 06:01 PM (IQ6Gq)

54 48/
JTB, I just asked Grok "how to separate stitching floss with large male hands", and it gave me several options. Maybe one of them will be helpful for you

Posted by: The Grateful - Acta Non Verba at January 24, 2026 06:02 PM (IQ6Gq)

55 The wood carvings are lovely. And the one is spicy!

Posted by: BarelyScaryMary at January 24, 2026 06:02 PM (lpTXP)

56 Hard to tell. They're crossed but I can't tell if they're bound.

Each to his own kink, I always say!
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at January 24, 2026 05:59 PM (wzUl9)

Looks like his hand is bound to some ring. Maybe he's her toy?

Posted by: OrangeEnt at January 24, 2026 06:04 PM (uQesX)

57 Skip,
Is it Okay if I submit a picture of your reading gargoyle for a book thread?

Posted by: JTB at January 24, 2026 06:06 PM (yTvNw)

58 > Well, he's on his knees and she's on a throne....
-----------
No tongue!

Posted by: Martini Farmer at January 24, 2026 06:07 PM (qwVdq)

59 For the pipe smokers ...
The C and D small batch Fires on the Levee blend is dam n nice. Aged Virginias with some Kentucky and a bit of perique. It's slightly sweet and mellow. It's a broken flake and burns slow. Good for a relaxed session. I don't expect it to be available very long before it's all sold.

Posted by: JTB at January 24, 2026 06:11 PM (yTvNw)

60 Is New Hope near Macungie? In a past life, we haunted a swap meet/flea market type event with a bunch of model car vendors. Like Hershey/Carlisle, but on a smaller scale.

Posted by: TRex - collector dino at January 24, 2026 06:12 PM (IQ6Gq)

61 >>There used to be this old guy down in New Hope, PA (real artzy town) who would make ice sculptures every weekned during the winter using nothing but a chainsaw. It was rare when he didn't have 40 or 50 people standing around watching him do it. It was amazing work.

When I was a kid living in NJ, my family would visit New Hope 2 or 3 times a year. Cool little town.

We had a winter carnival at my college. One of the events was making snow sculptures. Some of them were surprisingly good. My frat did the same sculpture every year. We build a bar and stools out of snow with a working keg system.

We weren't know for our creativity but the bar was always busy.

Posted by: JackStraw at January 24, 2026 06:12 PM (viF8m)

62 JTB sure, OM actually had it years ago

Posted by: Skip at January 24, 2026 06:12 PM (Ia/+0)

63 Wolfus, I assume you got my email?

Posted by: OrangeEnt at January 24, 2026 06:13 PM (uQesX)

64 54 ... " just asked Grok "how to separate stitching floss with large male hands", and it gave me several options. Maybe one of them will be helpful for you"

You're right. I just did and the answers told me what I was doing wrong. This will really help. Thanks.

Posted by: JTB at January 24, 2026 06:14 PM (yTvNw)

65 I've never done much wood carding. In high school I took shop with everyone else, and we used a lathe to make billy clubs for ourselves. (We didn't use them on each other.)

Posted by: BeckoningChasm at January 24, 2026 06:17 PM (CHHv1)

66 JTB, you really are a Renaissance man. Very happy I could help you.

Posted by: The Grateful - Acta Non Verba at January 24, 2026 06:17 PM (IQ6Gq)

67 65 In high school I took shop with everyone else, and we used a lathe

Posted by: BeckoningChasm at January 24, 2026 06:17 PM
***
I covet a lathe. Someday...

Posted by: TRex - rotational carving dino at January 24, 2026 06:20 PM (IQ6Gq)

68 67 65 In high school I took shop with everyone else, and we used a lathe

Posted by: BeckoningChasm at January 24, 2026 06:17 PM

Was it rudimentary?

Posted by: Guy Fleegman at January 24, 2026 06:22 PM (TbWk/)

69 I only use the lathe of heaven.

Posted by: George Orr at January 24, 2026 06:23 PM (RIvkX)

70 NDH reports that a heart has been found for her and is being flown in, for a pending heart transplant surgery scheduled for tomorrow morning at 8 am, if all goes well.

Posted by: Sharkman at January 24, 2026 06:24 PM (/RHNq)

71 Sculpture is something which eludes me and I find it fascinating, whether it's wood, clay, or stone.

Finished up the current portrait painting and have started a fresh one, featuring two people this time so it'll probably be twice as frustrating, LOL. But not as frustrating as painting another landscape, so it's got that going for it.

Posted by: tankascribe at January 24, 2026 06:25 PM (NtoJk)

72 My interest in wood carving and whittling stems from using hand tools: knives of various types, palm chisels and gouges, handsaws, and files/rasps. It's amazing how much can be accomplished just using rasps and files or a small spoke shave.

Haven't done it in a while but I used to get a glass like surface using a scraper. Such a simple and effective tool. It's just a thin sheet of steel sharpened on one edge with a screwdriver shaft. You create a small razor edge that will take near microscopic layers off the surface of the wood.

Posted by: JTB at January 24, 2026 06:26 PM (yTvNw)

73 71 Sculpture is something which eludes me and I find it fascinating, whether it's wood, clay, or stone.

Posted by: tankascribe at January 24, 2026 06:25 PM
***
Sculptors see material differently than others.

"The sculpture is already complete within the marble block, before I start my work. It is already there, I just have to chisel away the superfluous material."

Michelangelo

Posted by: TRex - cararra dino at January 24, 2026 06:27 PM (IQ6Gq)

74 I have two lathes. One working and one being slowly restored. I lack the space to set them up though so they gather dust. Dude I bought the working one of of passed away last month. His house is up for $470,000. It's a studio apartment with about 4000 sq\ft of garage attached to it on an acre. He ran a rock shop out of it. Had all the cutters and saws and knew where the good rocks were out in the Nevada sticks.

Posted by: Reforger at January 24, 2026 06:29 PM (7ujVx)

75 >>Sculpture is something which eludes me and I find it fascinating, whether it's wood, clay, or stone.

Someone posted a photo of Michelangelo's Pieta on X the other day. How someone can take a block of marble and create something so beautiful amazes me. And he was in his 20s when he carved it.

Posted by: JackStraw at January 24, 2026 06:29 PM (viF8m)

76 74 It's a studio apartment with about 4000 sq\ft of garage attached to it on an acre.

Posted by: Reforger at January 24, 2026 06:29 PM
***
Sounds about right.

Posted by: TRex - proportional dino at January 24, 2026 06:31 PM (IQ6Gq)

77 My TRC-57 saga continues on this week. Looks like it may have a bad programmable divider chip. Emphasis on "may". So I have to figure that out now.

Posted by: Blanco Basura - Z28.310 at January 24, 2026 06:32 PM (lUFok)

78 How someone can take a block of marble and create something so beautiful
——/

Simple, really. Just remove all the stuff on the block around it that ain’t beautiful.

Posted by: Common Tater at January 24, 2026 06:33 PM (M1m37)

79 Sounds about right.
Posted by: TRex - proportional dino at January 24, 2026 06:31 PM (IQ6Gq)

It's awesome. I want it so bad but the wife is not on board with an 800 sq\ft place to live. I have a shop that would fill one shop and then I'd have 2 more shops to play in.

Posted by: Reforger at January 24, 2026 06:35 PM (7ujVx)

80 A lucky select few are gifted with exceptional talent beyond the wildest dreams of mankind. The rest of us get to be bland, useless surplusage.

Posted by: Taint fair but them's the breaks at January 24, 2026 06:35 PM (TbWk/)

81 Prayers for NDH!

And thanks, TRex, for another amazing Hobby Thread topic!

Posted by: tankascribe at January 24, 2026 06:37 PM (NtoJk)

82 A lucky select few are gifted with exceptional talent beyond the wildest dreams of mankind. The rest of us get to be bland, useless surplusage.
Posted by: Taint fair but them's the breaks at January 24, 2026 06:35 PM (TbWk/)

NPCs, if you will.

Posted by: OrangeEnt at January 24, 2026 06:37 PM (uQesX)

83 Someone posted a photo of Michelangelo's Pieta on X the other day. How someone can take a block of marble and create something so beautiful amazes me. And he was in his 20s when he carved it.

Posted by: JackStraw at January 24, 2026 06:29 PM (viF8m)

------------

He was a very Stabile genius.

Posted by: ShainS -- 'The Warmth Of Collectivism' is Code for 'Hell On Earth' at January 24, 2026 06:37 PM (V+K+8)

84 That needle scaler is what we have used in the Navy to remove rust for over 100 years. We called them needle guns. They work.
Posted by: Mister Scott (Formerly GWS) at January 24, 2026 05:40 PM (0N4FZ)

I have a small needle scaler. That nasty old tractor rim was too big a job for that tool. An industrial sandblaster would have cleaned it to bright metal in about ten minutes.

Posted by: Alberta Oil Peon at January 24, 2026 06:37 PM (8zz6B)

85 75 ... "Someone posted a photo of Michelangelo's Pieta on X the other day. How someone can take a block of marble and create something so beautiful amazes me. And he was in his 20s when he carved it."

I got to see the Pieta at the 1964 New York Worlds Fair. Just 12 years old but my emotional response was so intense the memory is still powerful. Aside from some statues in public parks, it was the first artistic sculpture I saw in person. Incredible!

Posted by: JTB at January 24, 2026 06:38 PM (yTvNw)

86 It's awesome. I want it so bad but the wife is not on board with an 800 sq\ft place to live. I have a shop that would fill one shop and then I'd have 2 more shops to play in.
Posted by: Reforger
*************
I just can't imagine her concern/objection.....you're as bad as TRex who "needs" an infinite amount of garage stalls!

Posted by: The Grateful - Acta Non Verba at January 24, 2026 06:39 PM (IQ6Gq)

87 A long past uncle did a few pieces in marble, remember he told me hammer chisels and files it wasn't as hard as I thought

Posted by: Skip at January 24, 2026 06:43 PM (Ia/+0)

88 Someone posted a photo of Michelangelo's Pieta on X the other day. How someone can take a block of marble and create something so beautiful amazes me. And he was in his 20s when he carved it."
***********
Seeing the Pieta in person is still on the list, as is the David...as is visiting the Carrera marble quarries...but I was able to see the Madonna of Bruges in Belgium, and it was absolutely mesmerizing. Such an incredible talent

Posted by: The Grateful - Acta Non Verba at January 24, 2026 06:44 PM (IQ6Gq)

89 87
https://tinyurl.com/379due9t
This is a example of one he was working on but had a flaw in stone and bailed out on it

Posted by: Skip at January 24, 2026 06:46 PM (Ia/+0)

90 Wonderful thread and comments. Don't have much to contribute but I'm really enjoying this. Thanks TRex.

Posted by: Rufus T. Firefly at January 24, 2026 06:48 PM (fPvmg)

91 Ì can't seem to find time to do another carving , always wanted to try a real water spout gargoyle,

Posted by: Skip at January 24, 2026 06:49 PM (Ia/+0)

92 For the pipe smokers ...
The C and D small batch Fires on the Levee blend is dam n nice. Aged Virginias with some Kentucky and a bit of perique. It's slightly sweet and mellow. It's a broken flake and burns slow. Good for a relaxed session. I don't expect it to be available very long before it's all sold.
Posted by: JTB at January 24, 2026

***
JTB, I've recently tried the Erik Stokkebye Morning Blend, a burley. It needs to be well-dried before smoking. Yesterday, mixed with some C & D Old Joe Krantz Blue, which suits me fine, the MB gave me some tongue bite. I left a saucerful out last night, and microwaved it for ten seconds this morning before loading it into the chosen pipe. Much much better!

Kentucky suits me okay if there's not too much of it. The same with perique.

How is C & D's Briar Fox? Have you tried that?

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at January 24, 2026 06:49 PM (wzUl9)

93 Michaelangelo was so right The medium speaks to you. Bird Rock Doc knew when he picked that piece of wood there wasn't a big crack in the middle.

Posted by: Ben Had at January 24, 2026 06:49 PM (0KSrI)

94 Wolfus, I assume you got my email?
Posted by: OrangeEnt at January 24, 2026

***
I hadn't checked the email this afternoon, OE. I'll get to it in a bit.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at January 24, 2026 06:51 PM (wzUl9)

95 Still no snowmageddon showing up here in se Pa, got to 19 but dropped to 18 at dusk.

Posted by: Skip at January 24, 2026 06:55 PM (Ia/+0)

96
Lurker Bird Rock Doc

-------------

Lurker?! This person must show him/herself! Another California moron, bigod!

Posted by: Blonde Morticia at January 24, 2026 06:55 PM (HxSSW)

97 Birdbath status: Frozen.

Posted by: Teresa in Fort Worth, Texas, AoSHQ's Plucky Wee One - Eat the Cheesecake, Buy the Yarn. at January 24, 2026 06:57 PM (SRRAx)

98 Hobby stuff? Helping friend Duane get the '51 Studebaker 2-door sedan back into roadworthy condition. Drove to Glendale, and snagged a pair of used front springs. We are in the process of putting in all new side glass, and glass channels. Major PITA. Especially the rear side windows, which are ...strange.

Posted by: Alberta Oil Peon at January 24, 2026 06:58 PM (8zz6B)

99 90 Wonderful thread and comments. Don't have much to contribute but I'm really enjoying this. Thanks TRex.

Posted by: Rufus T. Firefly at January 24, 2026 06:48 PM
***
Thanks!

Any hobby topics you would like to see?

Posted by: TRex - survey dino at January 24, 2026 06:58 PM (IQ6Gq)

100 Birdbath status: Frozen.
Posted by: Teresa in Fort Worth
*************
I would tell the birdies to go south, but you are south! So what is a bird to do?
Hope you're feeling better after your surgery. And, of course, prayers that the pump/medicine does its job. Holding this cancer at bay for 2-3 years just stuns me. What an absolute miracle.

Posted by: The Grateful - Acta Non Verba at January 24, 2026 07:00 PM (IQ6Gq)

101 2 weekends, Feb 6,7 with luck weather is good going to Cold Wars military miniature convention in Lancaster

Posted by: Skip at January 24, 2026 07:00 PM (Ia/+0)

102 The original The Razor's Edge from the Maugham novel, with Tyrone Power, is on Movies! at 7 pm Central. I've seen it, with its terrific performance by Clinton Webb as the incorrigible snob Elliott. For some reason I've never caught the 1980s remake with Bill Murray -- though it was a recent release when I read the novel, and I pictured the lead character Larry as looking like him and not like Tyrone Power.

Svengoolie's movie tonight at the same time is the 1963 King Kong vs. Godzilla. As I recall it was *the* hot movie among my fourth-grade classmates and myself, but I never got Mom to take me to see it.

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at January 24, 2026 07:01 PM (wzUl9)

103 I use this stuff called Ospho sometimes for rust. It's mostly phosphoric acid and it leaves a gray rust resistant finish. It works great for soaking rusty nuts and bolts and such. It's also good for prepping bare metal for paint.

Posted by: fd at January 24, 2026 07:01 PM (vFG9F)

104 >>Seeing the Pieta in person is still on the list, as is the David...as is visiting the Carrera marble quarries...but I was able to see the Madonna of Bruges in Belgium, and it was absolutely mesmerizing. Such an incredible talent

I lived in Boston for many years and when the weather wasn't trying to kill me I walked to work for years. Walked through the Commonwealth Mall, through the Public Garden and the Boston Common. That route is full of statues, mostly famous Bostonians. I walked by them for years without really stopping and looking at them until it dawned on me one day to stop and look at them. There are some really nice statues in that city.

Posted by: JackStraw at January 24, 2026 07:01 PM (viF8m)

105 Hobby stuff? Helping friend Duane get the '51 Studebaker 2-door sedan back into roadworthy condition. Drove to Glendale, and snagged a pair of used front springs. We are in the process of putting in all new side glass, and glass channels. Major PITA. Especially the rear side windows, which are ...strange.
Posted by: Alberta Oil Peon at January 24, 2026

***
Is that one of the models with the split *rear* glass and the "marshal's star" grille centerpiece?

Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at January 24, 2026 07:02 PM (wzUl9)

106 I would tell the birdies to go south, but you are south! So what is a bird to do?

Posted by: The Grateful - Acta Non Verba at January 24, 2026 07:00 PM (IQ6Gq)

Go west? Ain't nothing happening out here. Sky's clear as a bell.

Posted by: OrangeEnt at January 24, 2026 07:03 PM (uQesX)

107 104/I am long overdue for a return trip to Boston, and will add the statues to the list. Of course, the visit will happen is more seasonally pleasant weather....

Posted by: The Grateful - Acta Non Verba at January 24, 2026 07:03 PM (IQ6Gq)

108 Come a bit warmer weather have to tackle rust holes in my truck.
Did it a few years ago but need to do it again

Posted by: Skip at January 24, 2026 07:04 PM (Ia/+0)

109 >>>>Thanks!

Any hobby topics you would like to see?
Posted by: TRex - survey dino at January 24, 2026 06:58 PM (IQ6Gq)
******
Thanks, but I just enjoy being along for the ride each week. Always entertaining and interesting.

Posted by: Rufus T. Firefly at January 24, 2026 07:07 PM (fPvmg)

110 >>>>Thanks!

Any hobby topics you would like to see?
Posted by: TRex - survey dino at January 24, 2026 06:58 PM (IQ6Gq)
******
Not really, I just enjoy being along for the ride each week. Always entertaining and interesting.

Posted by: Rufus T. Firefly at January 24, 2026 07:08 PM (fPvmg)

111 >>I am long overdue for a return trip to Boston, and will add the statues to the list. Of course, the visit will happen is more seasonally pleasant weather....

Make sure you put the Boston Public Library on your list. The John Singer Sargent mural and paintings are really great.

Posted by: JackStraw at January 24, 2026 07:09 PM (viF8m)

112 Bring the brass monkey in tonight!

Posted by: Quarter Twenty at January 24, 2026 07:09 PM (2Ez/1)

113 HAL is "singing"

Posted by: Bertram Cabot, Jr. at January 24, 2026 07:10 PM (pkeXY)

114 111/ I love John Singer Sargent murals and paintings. Thanks for the recommendation.

Posted by: The Grateful - Acta Non Verba at January 24, 2026 07:11 PM (IQ6Gq)

115 92 ... Wolfus,

Haven't tried the Stokkebye burley, Old Joe Krantz or Briar Fox. I've been in a mood for burley lately so I'll try the Stokkebye at some point. But I got the last two pounds of Sutliff Burley from Pipes and Cigars before it sold out so there's no rush. I generally like Stokkebye blends. Now I want to try some of that Old Joe Krantz Blue. Sounds interesting.

Posted by: JTB at January 24, 2026 07:11 PM (yTvNw)

116 112 Bring the brass monkey in tonight!

Posted by: Quarter Twenty at January 24, 2026 07:09 PM
***
That funky monkey?

Posted by: TRex - beastie boy dino at January 24, 2026 07:11 PM (IQ6Gq)

117 This sculpture always blows my mind. If it wasn't from the 18th century, I'd swear it was 3-D printed:

https://tinyurl.com/3vtactvb

Posted by: IrishEi at January 24, 2026 07:12 PM (3ImbR)

118 Whoops. Sorry for the double comment.

Posted by: Rufus T. Firefly at January 24, 2026 07:12 PM (fPvmg)

119 116 112 Bring the brass monkey in tonight!

Posted by: Quarter Twenty at January 24, 2026 07:09 PM
***
That funky monkey?

Shock the monkey!

Posted by: TheCatAttackedMyFoot at January 24, 2026 07:15 PM (jrgJz)

120 117/ Wow, those are fantastic. Just absolutely incredible. Adding the site to my travel list for our next Italy trip. Thank you so much.

Posted by: The Grateful - Acta Non Verba at January 24, 2026 07:15 PM (IQ6Gq)

121 I like that sculpture by Bird Roc Doc. The way he got the soft curves of the cheeks and the soft eye lids is wonderful. The texture of the hair against the smooth face emphasizes both parts. There are some wonderfully talented people in the Horde.

Posted by: JTB at January 24, 2026 07:15 PM (yTvNw)

122 Is that one of the models with the split *rear* glass and the "marshal's star" grille centerpiece?
Posted by: Wolfus Aurelius, Dreaming of Elsewhere at January 24, 2026 07:02 PM (wzUl9)

It's the model commonly described as a "bullet-nose". The rear window is a one-piece curved one. The rear side windows are parallogram-shaped, leaning forward. Door side windows are trapezoids.

Like this: https://tinyurl.com/3rkm7hjn

Posted by: Alberta Oil Peon at January 24, 2026 07:15 PM (8zz6B)

123 >>>I got to see the Pieta at the 1964 New York Worlds Fair.
~~~~~

Me too. Catholic school trip. Even as a little kid you could tell it was something incredible.

Posted by: IrishEi at January 24, 2026 07:18 PM (3ImbR)

124 From B R Doc:
The "pair" concept is borrowed from Rodin's "L'Idol Eternelle";

To Ben Had (comment 39)
You are correct. That block of wood was selected for its relative lack of splits cracks and flaws.
It did have one (where a branch was growing out the side of the tree) but I knew I could work around that. There is also an art to "patching" a defect using discarded wood. Requires color match, grain match, and orientation of the grain alignment.
TRex correctly identifies the wood as "Asmo" (so they told me when I bought it) from Venezuela.

His hands are behind him; it is "spicy", meant to be suggestively erotic.

Posted by: BirdRockDock at January 24, 2026 07:20 PM (VOcQ6)

125 I had the idea of using a downed red cedar tree on my property to carve out a chess set. I was thinking the inner core of the wood that is a nice deep red for one side and the outer parts were it is more a traditional light beige for the other side. Of course, the red tint does fade.

Unfortunately, other priorities and lake of artistic talent prevented me from working that project.

Posted by: tankdemon at January 24, 2026 07:22 PM (szncw)

126 The first figure is made of Pear.
The male Indian ("Lone Feather") is made of Rosewood.
The hand is made of Indonesian Jackwood (Jack fruit tree)

The Idol is 12 x 12 x 30 inches.

Posted by: BirdRockDock at January 24, 2026 07:23 PM (VOcQ6)

127 The Veiled Virgin is also incredible:

https://tinyurl.com/yvdbnpy7

Posted by: IrishEi at January 24, 2026 07:25 PM (3ImbR)

128 Not all Lithium-Ion Batteries are the same, as you should have assumed. Vid with Adam Savage and 2 CT scanners who examined over a 1000 examples. Chemistry or electronic knowledge highly encouraged

Surprising Flaws in 18650 Lithium-Ion Batteries
tinyurl.com/56ektpmc

Posted by: weft cut-loop at January 24, 2026 07:25 PM (mlg/3)

129 https://tinyurl.com/58wc8chw
Posted by: Skip at January 24, 2026 05:36 PM (Ia/+0)

That's really nice. I hope you turn the pages fro him occasionally.

Posted by: tankdemon at January 24, 2026 07:25 PM (szncw)

130 Time to say good night and thanks for being here before the next act takes the Ace of Spades stage. Thanks to BirdRockDoc for the carving submissions.

Don't forget to stop by Club ONT later!

Posted by: TRex - sawdust is better than snow at January 24, 2026 07:25 PM (IQ6Gq)

131 Tankdemon in at comment #125....sans a reasonable excuse.....

Posted by: The Grateful - Acta Non Verba at January 24, 2026 07:26 PM (IQ6Gq)

132 Wood eye!

Can't believe not one of you preverts commented thus yet.

Posted by: Tonypete at January 24, 2026 07:26 PM (cYBz/)

133 Certainly carving chess pieces would be fairly easy, cedar is very soft

Posted by: Skip at January 24, 2026 07:26 PM (Ia/+0)

134 We have a 10' basswood carving of the Virgin Mary in our Sanctuary.

Posted by: Tonypete at January 24, 2026 07:27 PM (cYBz/)

135 49 My maternal grandfather carved a totem pole for my mom when she married my dad. It had four figures including a bear, a beaver and was topped with a Thunderbird (of course). It was stolen off my front porch in 1994. I still look for it.

I hope it brought whatever luck that person deserved.
Posted by: nurse ratched at January 24, 2026 05:58 PM (IhIKR)

Sucks that it got stolen. I've heard that the figures on the bottom of the totm pole were actually the most honored. Is this true, or was somebody pulling the paleface's leg? Can anybody here shed some light on that subject?

Posted by: tankdemon at January 24, 2026 07:30 PM (szncw)

136 TRex, Thanks for another fun thread. I look forward to it every weekend.

Posted by: JTB at January 24, 2026 07:30 PM (yTvNw)

137 As I heard it: Woodcarving is easy. Start with a block of wood, and cut away everything that doesn't look like a duck.

.....or whatever you're carving.

Also, movies are NOOD.

Posted by: mikeski at January 24, 2026 07:31 PM (VHUov)

138 WE HAZ A MOVIE MARQUE

Posted by: Skip at January 24, 2026 07:32 PM (Ia/+0)

139 NOOD, film fans!

Posted by: NemoMeImpuneLacessit at January 24, 2026 07:33 PM (H6cKs)

140 Surprising Flaws in 18650 Lithium-Ion Batteries
tinyurl.com/56ektpmc
Posted by: weft cut-loop at January 24, 2026 07:25 PM (mlg/3)

I bailed out of that. Sounds like an extended commercial for the X-ray scanner.

Posted by: Alberta Oil Peon at January 24, 2026 07:35 PM (8zz6B)

141 131 Tankdemon in at comment #125....sans a reasonable excuse.....
Posted by: The Grateful - Acta Non Verba at January 24, 2026 07:26 PM (IQ6Gq)

I save my excuses for the ONT. I don't want to overdo it and wear out the gimmick. Plus, I have a very limited reservoir of wit and don't wish to deplete it prematurely (there are probably some who would argue it was depleted long ago.)

Posted by: tankdemon at January 24, 2026 07:35 PM (szncw)

142 141/ Nonsense, you could never overdue it...but I'll note that it's ONT reserved.

Posted by: The Grateful - Acta Non Verba at January 24, 2026 07:36 PM (IQ6Gq)

143 to fd (#47):
Yes "Some Sanding", kind of like when it says "some assembly required" sarcastically. It's the only way to bring out the full color and luster of the wood.
The Idol is finished with a light application of Linseed Oil.
The others: Regular wood wax (Jonson's wax).
There are no stains applied.

Posted by: BirdRockDock at January 24, 2026 07:37 PM (VOcQ6)

144 The Idol is finished with a light application of Linseed Oil.
The others: Regular wood wax (Jonson's wax).
There are no stains applied.
Posted by: BirdRockDock at January 24, 2026 07:37 PM (VOcQ6)

Those wood carvings are very impressive. You have a great talent.

Posted by: Alberta Oil Peon at January 24, 2026 07:38 PM (8zz6B)

145 144

Those wood carvings are very impressive. You have a great talent.
Posted by: Alberta Oil Peon at January 24, 2026 07:38 PM (8zz6B)

Thank You So Much !!
BR Doc

Posted by: BirdRockDoc at January 24, 2026 07:47 PM (VOcQ6)

146 Out at the beach for sunset. Chilly. 38. Mostly clear.

Found a nice piece of jasper.

I love it here.

Posted by: nurse ratched at January 24, 2026 07:47 PM (QBhXE)

147 That's some beautiful wood and work. Thanks!

Posted by: fd at January 24, 2026 07:50 PM (vFG9F)

Processing 0.02, elapsed 0.0309 seconds.
15 queries taking 0.0096 seconds, 156 records returned.
Page size 92 kb.
Powered by Minx 0.8 beta.