Scrimshaw tools

[KatherinePlumer]

I told Mary W I would post these (a while ago, sorry!) so here goes, maybe it'll be of some use to others as well. Being still very much a newbie in the scrim world, I have a whopping *TWO* tools right now.. I'm sure over time I'll acquire more, but so far I really haven't felt the need, other than when I was doing the background of that wolf I was really wishing I had some fancy air thing that would do all the work me, lol.

These aren't the greatest pics, left handed photography is not my speciality... And yes I have been told I hold a pencil strangely...

It started with this one, a double ended pin vise from Graphic Chemical. It came with two tips, one steel and one carbide. I like the carbide one better but I really can't explain why, I just do. The one in the pic is the steel tip though. The first couple pieces I did were all using this tool, and I quickly realized I needed to make some changes. It's narrower than a pencil, and gripping this skinny little thing for extended periods of time was giving me some pretty funky hand and wrist pain.

So... I did a super simple modification and wrapped some soft leather around it and taped that in place. Now it's way thicker and has a nice texture. Much improved... but still not perfect for stippling.

So I set out to make the perfect scrimshaw tool, because I just wanted something better. I had gotten my mom one of these pens http://penagain.com a while back when she had hand surgery (btw these are super nice to write with!) and since she wasn't using it anymore I decided to turn this into the perfect too. I cut the business end off below where the end "forks" and hollowed out the inside with the dremmel, inserted a pin vise (I'd cut the back end off this pin vise http://www.hobbylinc.com/htm/zon/zon37-180.htm) and then taped it together to make it extra sturdy. Not too pretty, but yeah it works! I keep the carbide point in this tool. It's a lot less stress on my hand and wrist to use this tool since I'm not so much gripping it as pushing on it.

The only problem with that "cool tool" is I find it hard to do line work with it. I'd rather grip a pencil-like tool for making lines. So I use the "cool tool" for stippling, and the leather-wrapped pin vise for making lines.

A little strange, I know, but it all seems to work.

-Katherine

 

[maryw]

Katherine - just checked back here to see your posted pictures. Excellent photos and they really help me alot. The first tool is the one I ordered and I'm really anxious to try it. Maybe in the next couple weeks I will have a chance to post something. That would be an accomplishment for me at any rate. Times 'a-passing' and I'm not getting anything done. I'll let you know, Katherine. Thanks so much for your help. I'm sure that any others interested in this artwork will find your pics very helpful as well.
Mary W

 

[Dmitriy Pavlov]

Thank you, Katherine. You show nice work and nice tool

 

[Andrew Biggs]

Hi Katherine

Thank you very much for taking the time to show us your tools and art. Those scrimshawed peices you showed on the other thread are simply beautiful. One of the wonderful things about the forum is the sheer diversity of art that people make.

Cheers
Andrew

 

[Brian Hochstrat]

Katherine, Looking good, getting better with leaps and bounds. I like the smiling wolf he looks like he just ate the cat that ate the canary. Question, when you make a mark, dot or line, are you actually removing a piece of material like bulino are line engraving or do you just have to scratch or punch a hole like stippling or drypiont, to get an indention?

Also, I like the enginuty on the tools, anything to make life easier, Brian

 

[KatherinePlumer]

Thanks Mary, Andrew, and Dmitriy! I appreciate the comments.

Brian (hey stranger!): I'd say more like drypoint. Actually, a lot like drypoint except a lot softer. The ivory is really soft, I don't know how elephants can wear those things without them getting all worn to heck. You can scratch it with a fingernail (oops!). You're not making an effort to remove the ivory, though some of it does come off and so you have to periodically wipe off the point of the scriber. It doesn't take much pressure to do the stippling.

Okay back to work!

-Katherine

 

[maryw]

Katherine - question. When doing the stippling, are you doing this slowly and using exact placement? Also do you do the inking always after the stippling? I've read somewhere that it was applied in different stages.

I sent you sources for Tagua slices. Hoping you got it.
Thanks.
Mary W

 

[quickcut07]

Real nice tools. I'm going to go back and take a look at your scrim work. I showed my wife your tools and she had me order the pens to find out if they will help relieve some of the pain in her wrist. It would have been cheap if it ended there, my daughter collects odd pens. Well I guess you can see were this is going. It's amazing what determined people come up with to solve the problems in there life's work or hobbies. And a great asset to see them here on the forum.

 

[KatherinePlumer]

Mary, yup I got the links, thanks for sending those, I've been wanting to try out the Tagua nut, will be ordering some. If I'm working on a little tiny detail like the eyes then yes I go pretty slow and have to be really careful where I put the dots since I could potentially really mess it up if I get dots in the wrong area. For less finicky areas I go pretty quick. As far as inking goes, I ink it many many many times over the course of creating the image. I'll do a little spot, ink it to see if it looks right, and then either add more dots/lines or move on to the next part. You can also put down a thin layer of ink and work through that, it helps you see your dots better (one of the hardest things is seeing your un-inked marks on the surface of the ivory). I'd suggest some practice pieces to begin with, just work on making lines and curves and gradations. The backs of plastic spoons are okay for that.

Quickcut07: I hope that pen helps your wife! They're pretty cool. It was all my mom could use for writing for a while. I don't have wrist or hand problems (yet) and am determined to avoid it as long as I can!

-Katherine

 

[FL-Flinter]

Katherine,

I checked out your website, fantastic work! I do especially like the wolf! (we have siberians)

I've never done ivory nor anything as small as what you're doing (cow horn, bone & antler) but I have carpal tunnel w/ nerve damage and know how difficult & painful it is to maintain a grip on tools let alone trying to control them. I too have gone down the experiment route and came up with a oblong oval knob handle. I'll try to get a picture up in the next few days.

I'm just a hobby scrimmer with no training but I've tried a bunch of different point materials: HSS, C2, C6, 6150 (NS), CrV & W. W is by far the best at holding a point and not chattering but it's also the most expensive and most difficult to point but once you get the point it stays. C2 & C6 work good on harder bone & antler but chatter like crazy on the softer cow horn if you try to make a deep or second cut without stropping the point. CrV & HSS aren't strong enought to hold a fine point but work great when used as a scraper because you can roll the tip over and it'll make nice smooth cuts but you're limited on how fine you can get the point (about 0.007"). 6150 is my favorite as long as it's been drawn back correctly after quenching, it takes a point easily and holds it quite well and no need to strop it.

 

[FL-Flinter]

Here's the three I use the most. One with the black ring is W (tungsten), other two are 6150.