# FINISHED the Whale Tooth Topper Cane



## Rad (Feb 19, 2013)

Finally got something finished after my long healing process (not over yet, but enough to do things).

Below are pictures of my Red Oak cane turned on the lathe with the whale tooth topper caped with a nice piece of walnut that came off our property. I will probably never turn red oak again -- it was very difficult, the grain too large and I had to go the extra mile and use wood hardener to seal the large open grain. But, it turned out OK.


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## cobalt (Nov 14, 2013)

You can bet your arse thats a nice piece of scrimshaw .well done just love it i can see a lot of work in that .So how did you carve it and stain it .

I have no understanding of the type of wood you used ,but a experianced turner like your self saying it was difficult goes a long way .and the walnut does finish it off

I would put that as one of your finer peices Your tempting me to do a peice of scrimshaw

Was wondering where the island is does it say toga cant find the glasses yet but some on the way.using my old pair.

My great great grandfather on the wifes side was a sea captain and discovered a island of Austarlia so it was named after him as Britt island understand the name of its changed now .

But a lot of sailors did that sort of work on long voyages more so on whaling ships


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## Rad (Feb 19, 2013)

Thanks for all the complements! All the woodwork is mine, but alas -- the scrimshaw is another's! Turning and shaping I can do, but if I could carve like that, I'd be doing your kind of work!


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## CV3 (Jan 30, 2014)

Well done Rad. Red oak is a good looking wood. That's surly a cane to be proud of.


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## MoroCreek (Feb 13, 2014)

Very nice.....you did a great job!


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## Rad (Feb 19, 2013)

CV3 said:


> Well done Rad. Red oak is a good looking wood. That's surly a cane to be proud of.


Thank you CV3!


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## Rad (Feb 19, 2013)

MoroCreek said:


> Very nice.....you did a great job!


Thank you MoroCreek!


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## cobalt (Nov 14, 2013)

its still a nice peice of work and well put together.the walnut is a nice touch


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## gdenby (Apr 27, 2013)

May have been a pain to work w. the oak, but the effort looks to have paid off. And it must be great to regain most of your arm movement.

I know its harder to pick up new skills as one gets older, but let me encourage you to try your hand at drawing some. Start easy. Get some tracing paper, and teach your hand and fingers how to move a pencil point around the image you are tracing. Do classic cartoon exercises, like drawing figures that are made all from circles or ovals.

Practice lettering. From what I've seen, a mid-level apprentice test used to be carving an alphabet.


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## MJC4 (Mar 6, 2014)

Just saw this piece, outstanding Rad! I know red oak is very tough to work with to keep from tearing out the grain. It is common in our woods and makes for a beautiful sanded finish on the stick but I have yet to have any luck carving it. I am super impressed with the lathe work!


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## Rad (Feb 19, 2013)

MJC4 said:


> Just saw this piece, outstanding Rad! I know red oak is very tough to work with to keep from tearing out the grain. It is common in our woods and makes for a beautiful sanded finish on the stick but I have yet to have any luck carving it. I am super impressed with the lathe work!


Thank you MJC4! The lathe has always been my favorite tool!


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## CAS14 (Dec 28, 2012)

Somehow I had missed this. I was tempted to pick up some scrimshaw in Hawaii 40 years ago well before the current ivory restrictions were in place. Now I wish that I had.

That's an heirloom, for sure, both the scrimshaw and the red oak that you turned!


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## Rad (Feb 19, 2013)

Thanks CAS! BTW -- what does your new avatar stand for?


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## CAS14 (Dec 28, 2012)

Rad said:


> Thanks CAS! BTW -- what does your new avatar stand for?


That's a native American art piece from Oklahoma that a long-time geologist friend and proud native American showed me that caught my eye. It reminds me of the martial arts, of the Korean Marines with whom I served in Vietnam, and the Asian-native American connection that goes back to the drum beats of the Caddo pow wow grounds very near my childhood home, and the ancestral Korean music that I heard in a Korean company commander's bunker back in 1968.

I grew up with Caddos and Kiowas, I am but 1/8 Chickasaw, and I lived with Korean Marines for over a year. The connections are overwheming, and I really want to see this artwork in person. A new museum under construction on the outskirts of Oklahoma City may make that possible one day.


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## Rad (Feb 19, 2013)

Very interesting CAS! Thank you.


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## CAS14 (Dec 28, 2012)

The artist is Allan Houser. His work is now on exhibit in Norman, Oklahoma.



> An exhibition tracing the life of Allan Houser from his birth as the first in his family born out of captivity near Ft. Sill, Oklahoma to his culminating career as an internationally recognized artist. Eighteen sculptural works, selected watercolors, studio objects, plasters for bronzes, sketchbooks and ephemera.
> 
> http://myemail.constantcontact.com/Gilcrease-Museum--Fred-Jones-Jr--Museum--Oklahoma-History-Center--Oklahoma-State-Capitol.html?soid=1102007594670&aid=A7KiMqs8ykc


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## Rad (Feb 19, 2013)

Thank you for the info CAS!


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## w1cked1 (Feb 10, 2014)

Absolutely beautiful work.


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## Rad (Feb 19, 2013)

w1cked1 said:


> Absolutely beautiful work.


Thank you very much! I want to do another with walnut as the shaft and maybe oak as the cap on the end of the tooth this time.


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## cobalt (Nov 14, 2013)

The scrimshaw work has finally got me to engrave the rams horn but trying to use enamel paint insted of ink ,the horn is like your finger nails so ladies nail polish must be simular so giving it a go .

so hope it turne out as well as your piece but still fancy doing some more scrimshaw


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## Rad (Feb 19, 2013)

cobalt said:


> The scrimshaw work has finally got me to engrave the rams horn but trying to use enamel paint insted of ink ,the horn is like your finger nails so ladies nail polish must be simular so giving it a go .
> so hope it turne out as well as your piece but still fancy doing some more scrimshaw


Keep us posted! And remember if there are no pictures it didn't happen!


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## cobalt (Nov 14, 2013)

The problem with ink is that its likely to fade thats why doing it in enamules have posted the 1st layer in work in progress,

Did you treat it to prevent it from fading? may go over it again ,but the horn is transparent when held up to the light.

But i do like the traditional look of your piece and have been messing about with diamond burrs but it s not so delicate looking as your piece, i used the rotary tool but think it would have been better to use a needle?

have looked up some info on it need a steady hand and a good eye .


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## Rad (Feb 19, 2013)

No treating -- it will not fade, just gain a patina over time!


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## gdenby (Apr 27, 2013)

India ink won't fade. Its just carbon black, aka soot.

One of the reasons I mentioned the Turbo Carver was that it appears to excel at fine line. I do have 2 engraving burins tho', and have started practicing w. them.


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## cobalt (Nov 14, 2013)

will be trying again on more rams horn when i can get it.The blokes at the stickmaking club will have some waste i could use ? will ask them,

Perhaps horiscope signs would do well in it?


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