Uncle Sam

[tomrsey]

I am nearly finished with this figure which is supposed to be an Uncle Sam. Uncle Sam is generally thinner, but this one turned out on the fuller friendlier side. I still can't get a lot of places clean. Fuzzies still remain.

He will be holding something in his right hand. Possibly a flag, but I haven't decided yet. Any suggestions??

Any suggestions on how to deal with the fuzzy areas. Any suggestions to help the figure before painting are welcome.

[gene-messer]

Tom .. not bad at all .. sharpen your knife and work the fuzzies out with it ..

The painting will help you see more of the uncle sam type figure .. ..

But you did good .. look at uncle sams clothes and paint accordingly

Gene

[Gulf Coast Handyman]

Nice job Tom, I use the 3M discs to remove fuzzys.

Dave

[Gulf Coast Handyman]

Here is a link :
- 3/4" Bristle Discs - 6 pc. pack - Red/220 Grit #301642

Dave

[tomrsey]

Gene and Dave, Thanks for your comments. I have ordered the Bristle Disks. I have seen similar design, but much wider and not suitable for cleaning out the narrower areas.

[scooter]

Hi Tom,

One thing that jumped out at me is the 'square-ness' of the hat brim (most prominent in the 1st picture). Bearing in mind that this is just my opinion, what I would do is the remove some wood from the underside of the brim, at the sides of Sam's head, and remove some wood from the topside of the brim, at the front and back. Then blend the fixed areas together, so the brim 'flows'. Kinda hard to describe, but from pictures of U.S. that I've seen, the brim curls up at the sides, and tends downward in the front and back.

Otherwise a fine piece, to be sure. Looks like you've gotten some instruction from Dave D... AmIright???

S~

[tomrsey]

Scooter,
Thanks for the suggestions! I wasn't real pleased with the hat. I was thinking more of a top hat that has a flat brim, but really not that thick!! I like the ideas you posted.

Yes, Dave D. is my teacher. Every Wed. morning. I am trying to get to the 50+ center on Fridays. I visited there week before last and there is a nice group of carvers there. You wouldn't be one of them would you?? It would be nice to meet someone from the area that is also on this site.

[tomrsey]

Here is the new look for the hat. I do like this better. There is still a lot of cleaning up to do.

[Gulf Coast Handyman]

Hey Tom that really does make the piece look better, nice job !

Dave

[scooter]

Hi Tom,

No, I'm not one of the carvers at the 50+ Center. I wouldn't qualify. Besides, I'm up in metro-Portland.

I recognized Dave D's style and subject matter. While I haven't carved with DD, he did manage to rope me into teaching a session at the Silverton Rendezvous. Perhaps I'll see you (or have seen you) there.

S~