[AlArchie]

Gene, I just checked your photo site.........WOW! Can't say Im ashamed of my carvings, but I surely am HUMBLED! Those are really some exceptional representations of the pisces.

Al

[Donna_T]

Hey Larry,
Sorry to take so long to answer your question, but I've not had a chance to check this board for a couple of weeks.

The best excuse for going fishing is that you need the fins for reference material. Look at how the rays fan out--the directions and where they bend, curve, flow, etc. In addition to what has already been said here, I usually draw all the rays onto my fin cutouts before I start carving. Don't forget that where there is a gouged out lowline on one side of the fin--it's raised on the opposite side. By drawing all of them in before you carve, you can see if you need more lines or less or if they are going to need "tweaking" before you cut.

Get a Missouri Conservation magazine and study the fins on the fish shown in closeup photos. Go fishing and really look at the fish.

Donna T

[Hugh]

Al, I love that trout. Great job on the whole thing, Painting , the fins, the scales, beautiful job. Make me want to try again. My fish never come out like that, but its fun to try.

[AlArchie]

Thanks, Hugh.....I'm afraid I haven't done any of these for four or five years now. Did a few other things and got hoked on sticks for a while. Wish I could turn out carvings like some of the others here, but in spite of being retired, I just can't seem to find the time to do much carving. Even when I'm motivated it will take me several weeks to complete one of those darn fish. I have another crayfish ready for painting (this one's for my wife), a turtle shell done and just waiting for some "body parts" and another sunfish body ready for detailing and fins, so maybe motivation is catching up with me again.

Al

[Hi_Ho_Sliver]

yeh Al...you caught up to me too! to you got me started on another crawdad LOL....hes done except for painting...

[ROTTWEILER]

Originally Posted by AlArchie

Thanks, Hugh.....I'm afraid I haven't done any of these for four or five years now. Did a few other things and got hoked on sticks for a while. Wish I could turn out carvings like some of the others here, but in spite of being retired, I just can't seem to find the time to do much carving. Even when I'm motivated it will take me several weeks to complete one of those darn fish. I have another crayfish ready for painting (this one's for my wife), a turtle shell done and just waiting for some "body parts" and another sunfish body ready for detailing and fins, so maybe motivation is catching up with me again.

Al

Thank you all for replying to my call on fish fins getting some very good response so thanks again.
ROTTWEILER

[dennybell]

There is a Yahoo group called Fishcarving2 <groups.yahoo.com/group/fishcarving2> that has some of the top fishcarvers in the country in it and they love to help out fishcarvers. There was a discussion on fins not to long ago. Check it out. Like most woodcarvers, they are very helpful...