[cedarshavings]

Is there any trick to setting a bird on a small limb to get it to stay? Maybe a limb just big enough for the feet to hold onto.

[Juhani]

I have been curious about this also. would be interesting to watch the process.

[mark yundt]

Usually a real branch is not used.One of the reasons is something that thin wouldn't be stable enough,,nor offer enough material to attach a carved bird to,,nor would it help the appearance of the piece,,the "real" wood would only make the caved piece look all the more fake.Generally the branches you see were made by the carver out of brass rods usually,,into a shape to compliment the final design.Using rods like this allows you to firmly attach the feet by soldering them to the branch and filling out the branch with a variety of epxoy putties,,carving / detailing the surface to look like a branch.These are some shots I did,,before I tried to really play with a camera and posing shots,,but you should get the idea.all these branches were made using the technique I described.The cardinal is a more stylized piece ,,as well as the lifesize pheasant,,

[Ashbys]

I thought about this a lot, and one thing I have noticed about using the brass rods , a lot of people seem to have trouble making them look real. I thought about using a branch , and slicing the bottom open to add a metal support. But , I have yet to try it.

But I will watch this thread to see other suggestions.

Ash

[mark yundt]

Granted,,these aren't the best examples,,but you can get very good results doing them this way,,combinations of putties,epoxies,gesso,adding textures by way of saw dusts,or other fine grits to the mix.Don't have any ready shots,,but I have also made short and long needle pines this way as well for the pieces that needed to be "fussier" . Not that it matters,,but in some compettitions you can't use a real branch.If you have a chance,,look at the World Comp. page and see the stuff Barth just did.With some of these guys,,you'd be hard pressed to tell it wasn't real.

[Ashbys]

Mark ,

I thought yours look pretty good, and I have seen many done by the guys on this board that are really good..
But I have seen some in diferent places.. that just look sorry, nice carvings , ruined by bad craftsmanship , not really carving craft , but steping into something , they should have researched a bit more .

I think this really is some of the best information the board gives , those how to tint copper , or twist a bronze wire then add to it to get the impression of a fine branch.

Kind of one of the things I expected to see more of on the board, but is almost always just touched upon. All a part of the craft , but one area , that seems not to be quite given enough time.

Just my opinion.
Garry

[Claude]

Mark:
Did you get the taper for the Cardinal branch by twisting together several different-lengthed wires, or just more epoxy at the thicker end?

Claude

[mark yundt]

Just more epoxy in this case,,but I have also used multiple strands of electrical wire,,then soldered,,,it's easy to branch off using the multiple strands this way,just let them taper off,,twist them well,,position them as you see fit,,a bit of solder,,some putty ,,the rest is up to your imagination as far as what type of branch you want to do.As I said these only look so-so..a bit of time and effort and you can have a winner.Truth be told that cardinal was the first song bird I ever carved 'bout 16 yrs ago,,the rest might have been as recently as 12-13 yrs ago,,I would guess if it put my mind to it I could pull off something a bit more realistic now,,might be fun to give it a go. The flowers themselves were carved and the leaves are sheet brass,, I was looking for a more sculptural look instead of realism,,the chicadee with the budding branch isn't too bad,the rest,,Oh well,,,I gave it a try at the time,,,Ha,,,LOL,,we all have to start somewhere I guess!

[pinefeathers]

Let the truth be known. one of the toughest part of realistic bird carving is the making of feet. Along with that is the skill necessary to attach the feet to a realistic branch of a proportionate size so that the completed piece is a good composition. There is more than one way to "skin a cat" so to speak. (I'll hear from the animal rights activists for that one)

My own preference is to use brass tubing, in various diameters, to fabricate a framework for a branch, decreasing the diameter as the branch tapers. These sections are soldered together in the preferred shape then covered with a two-part epoxy. (My preference is A-POXY SCULPT) when hardened, it can be carved with a power tool - e.g. Foredom, Dremel. The wire for the leg is soldered to the tubing framework before applying the epoxy. The toes are added to the feet after the branch is carved.

Of course there are several other methods, but to explain them all would require a full article section in a book or mag.

[Kenny_S]

I have only done smal carving related to Birds and limbs. Bascly, I carved the three and branch and set an Owl on the branch. Just a hint of the feet and used a round tooth pick to attachthe owl to the limb. Try posistioning several times before final attaching. Drilled same diameter hole as the tooth Pick in both limb and bottom of owl, then glued and painted.

If you want the feet showing construct the feet out of small brass tubeing ( craft Suppliers) or heavy gage wire and leave a pieve that you can put in and glue to the limb. Several different ways that you can accomplish the final results.