need ideas for hummingbird wings

[isleomaniac]

I have carved a few bodies so far, one out of cherry, another out of beech. I made one some time ago and cut the wings out of a plastic milk jug and then epoxied them into the body. I think eventually the paint peels away from the plastic as I have noticed it happening on one of my fish fins. Any other ideas for thin wings?

[chipmunk]

vinyl siding can be sanded and painted with spray paint or primed with spray then painted with acrylics u can also use sheet metal.. [BUT WHYN"T USE WOOD] cut thin with a band saw then insert into the square like u doing the plastic then paint

[AlArchie]

If you are intent on using the plastic, you might tr applying a coat of Krylon Fusion spray paint as a primer. It's made specifically to firmly adhere to plastic.

Al

[northwood bob]

The last one that I did, I used the base wood (basswood) but changed the grain direction. I tapered them to a knife edge at the edges but about 3/16" thick in the middle. This gave them the allusion of being thin while still retaining some strength. I burned the primary feathers and glued them to the body. After that, the whole bird finished the same (using acrylic washes).

Something you might try
Bob

[Dagwood]

ive also seen where bass and balsa wood was cut very thin then soaked over night in water and bent into shape to dry.. if you take your time you can do it from wood. i think the book i seen it in was a carving exotic fish book. hopes this helps

[northwood bob]

I know I saw a book on carving humming birds somewhere but can't find it. If I do, I'll post another - Maybe someone else has the information

Bob

[northwood bob]

Here you go. This may give you some ideas

Carving Hummingbirds

Bob

[carver6]

Just carve the body.............they move so fast you can't see the wings anyway. Then just tell everyone he/she is flying. Problem solved

[Robson Valley]

I "moonlighted" doing theatrical stagecraft for 20+ years.
Plastic vertical blind material, the wide stuff, shapes easily when heated with a hairdryer.
Paints up just fine with artist's acrylics, I used several airbrushes.
You ought to be able to cobble a jig together and try the basswood/balsawood bending thing that Dagwood contributed, above. Boil it and you'd be ready to bend in less than 30 minutes.

[Mark Dellinger]

I agree with Dwayne on using the basswood or the balsa. I did a hummingbird carving a few years ago and did this. Take your time is good advice, I was impatient and went through a couple of sets of wings before I got it. The man that influenced me when I started carved a lot of realistic birds, he would carve and sand the wings down to where you could hold them up to a light and see through them. I also do this when I carve butterfly wings. The book Bob posted is a good source I have it in my library of books.

Safe Carving and God Bless,

Mark