Dangers Found In Found-wood

[TUKLONITA]

A couple of years ago I had an idea hatch (in my hatchery) of an Eagle pulling a fish from the water. I needed a special piece of wood for the image (3' plus) so, I put the word out to the local Woodbutchers who had help in past projects. I heard from the water-meter-reader that a fairly large ash had blown down in Henryetta that sounded like what I was looking for, and sure-'nough was. Large Trunk with a Crotch splitting two large limbs. As the pictures show, I was well into the carving when I discovered rot spreading down from the split, and should have disgarded the work already done, but, I didn't. I tried everything to keep the piece together but the rot won and I lost the tail-end. (Fancy Farwud is one of my by-products.) I did salvage the fish but the Eagle, well, he made a nice addition to my lessons learned.

[Tom-H]

Too bad, cause it would have been one "hell-of-a" finished carving. As it is, the "movement" in the wings is really outstanding...You must use the same deign, and try again....easy to say...Tom H

[squbrigg]

Love the design, sorry to hear about the wood. Go for it again, there must be another piece of sound wood out there somewhere just itchin' to get carved into that great image! Good luck finding it.

Bob

[TUKLONITA]

Hey, thanks guys for the encouragement but the spirit of the wood must be there for me. I have the pattern though.
After I had separated the bird from the fish, still thinking I could beat the bad wood with gluing and screws, the Eagle simply fell apart leaving me the fish to work with. It's a great fish and the owner doesn't really know how it started.

[Kenny_S]

Several nice places to eat at in Henryetta.

Shame the the rot took over. Still a nice looking piece.

[Alice in Wonderland]

I am sorry to see that you had a wood rot on your Eagle, it is so disappointing when one has gone so far, could you not have done something else with it?
I only work with found wood and I have gone through that too, but somehow I managed to do something different with it, there is a post called "Fun with flawed wood" I have a picture in there "Driftwood Ducks" It came out of something so flawed you would not believe it and entirely different then planed
Don't give up so easily lol
Alice

[whitecree]

There is some kind of acrylic stabilizing compound aimed at rotten wood. You saok the rot in this gunk, let it set, then continue carving. Darned if I can remember the name of the stuff right now.

That would have been a truly awe-inspiring work. Very dynamic, and quite true to life.

Do it again, at least once more. Please?

[TUKLONITA]

Thank you again.
I needed the forum at the time of the carving.
No single carver can know all the tricks and solutions and to have someone(s) to bounce troubles off of and to have all that experience available is truely a blessing.

BY-THE-WAY
Jack Parks and wife Peggy (Santa Monica, CA) were out here a couple of years ago visiting relations in Henryetta... Jack rummaged through my wood pile and went back to California with an arm-load of Oak, Hickory and other pieces that are considered farwud out here... Got a call from Jack about three months later saying there was wood dust on the floor under one of the cane limbs and what should he do for the hitchhiking critter... What could I say? Plenty of clean water and some of those Wal Mart critter toys....