"Thunderbolt"

[mpounders]

Here is a piece I've been working on for a couple of months...wasn't real sure which section it would fit in, but I had the idea to combine a caricature jointed like a doll with the mechanical aspects of a toy or automaton, something a little different from my usual stuff.

the legend of “Thunderbolt”

All the kids knew the stories about the horse called Thunderbolt. He was big and strong, with a unique style of bucking, and a strong dislike of humans. Thunderbolt was a mechanical horse that sat in front of the dime store, beautiful and shiny, like a magnet for cowboys and cowgirls! But something in his eye, something you felt when you touched him, gave you pause….made you shiver, even on a warm day. Babies and little kids would sense danger almost immediately, when their parents would plop them in the saddle, and they would cry loudly until removed to safety! One day he lurched to life and kicked a second-grader into a shopping cart, spraining the boy’s wrist and causing him to speak about himself in the third person for nearly a week! The grown-ups said it was probably an electrical short that made it start like that….but we knew better! Some kids said the stains on the base were from spilled kool aid or a cherry Icee….others said it was the blood of those kids thrown from the saddle and trampled under his hooves! Only the best dared to climb in this saddle, those heroes blessed with a combination of bravery and foolishness, those cowpokes who would challenge the horse called Thunderbolt!

Play can be pretty serious, when you‘re a kid! Your imagination breathes life and nobility and heroics into all kinds of things and your world has many adventures. This carving, this toy, is an attempt to capture that spirit, that joy, that realistic thrill that we experienced while playing. I grew up in the country, with woods and creeks and pastures, and herds of kids who galloped and fought and built forts and hideouts and played pretty much full-time until we were forced to come inside! A stick was a horse, a spear, a rifle, or a pistol, depending on how you held it, and our heroes were Roy Rogers and the Lone Ranger. The good guys always won, but it always seemed like both sides were the “good guys”. I hope looking at this piece, watching it move, or playing with it, will make you smile; will remind you of adventures that you once had. I hope you will remember the time when you rode “Thunderbolt”.

This piece is approximately 20”tall and 12” wide, and is made from basswood, pine, and birch plywood. It is finished with acrylic paint, gold leaf, satin polyurethane, and has some leather and metal accents
If you'd like to see a video of it in operation, here is a link YouTube - Riding "Thunderbolt" . Thanks for looking and comments welcomed!

[Mark N. Akers]

Mike:
Very nice job, now your telling my age, because I do remember "Thunderbolt", and have ridden "thunderbolt", thanks for the memories, very nice paint job.

[Magicman]

Mike
Great Carving, even greater story.
Larry

[Claude]

Great carving, Mike! Did you design the cam and gear mechanism, or were you able to find a pattern in a book somewhere?

Claude

[mpounders]

Thanks all! I just made up all the mechanics as I went, no plans at all. The cams are based on a design from a book at the library (may be "Whirligigs, Thingamabobs, and Whatchamacallits " ). You basically cut out disks on the bandsaw, clamp them together, drill the hole for the center dowel and insert the dowel. While they are still aligned, you drill a hole through both disks near the edge for a short dowel that is the axel for the pivot point on the cam. You insert and glue the dowels after spacing the two disks apart and then cut off the shaft through the middle, making an eccentric cam. You can make mounting blocks by gluing smaller disks to the outside and drilling for set screws to attach it to other dowels. The gears were just printed out from Mathias Wandels gear template generator Gear template generator

I just glued the printed templates to plywood and cut them out on the bandsaw.

[carver33]

Great job! Marvelous style and paint job - ant the mechanics are super.

[brent]

Nice going. Must have taken some time with the carving and the mechanics.

[STAR]

Great work Mike.

How did you do the words Thunderbolt. It looks very professional. Almost like a transfer. If you just painted it I suspect you might moonlight as a signwriter.

I'm impressed.

Pete

[JoeVM]

A nice piece of machinery, a great carving and wonderful story. That cowboy gets quite a ride.

[mpounders]

Star, I did the lettering on the computer and printed it out the size I wanted, using carbon paper to transfer it to the wood. I did the gold leaf directly on that and outlined it with pen and ink. I just took my time and tried to stay within the lines!