Fish Habitat

[CHIPSTER]

Can Someone Give Me An Idea How To Make Underwater Plants For My Fish Carvings?

[Mottles]

Chipster, repost your question to the General Woodcarving forum you will get a better response.
Do you have a scrollsaw? If so draw what plants you want and cut them out with the scrollsaw using 1/4 inch basswood. You can reshape the scrolled plants using your carving tools.
Another thought is to use a 2 part resin such as Magic Sculpt and sculpt the plants you want and then paint them.
Kathy

[AlArchie]

Chipster, I use brass sheet; .005 and .010 thickness and appropriately sized brass rods and tubing. The leaves can be cut with a regular scissors to whatever shape you need. I take off the sharp edges with a fine file and emery cloth. Veins inthe leaves can be pressed in with a wooden skewer or an old ball point pen. The leaves are then soldered onto the stems, and the stems bent in flowing shapes. I prime them with spray auto primer and then paint with acrylics. I've also done water lily flowers with this method. For water lily roots, I take 1/2" copper tube, bend it to about a 45 degree arc, then cut the top of the arc off. Take a nail and from the inside of the tube drive several dents. Where you want the stems, puncture the piece with a large enough hole to insert the stem. The roots get oainted with various shades of brown and green, and the dent-up "buds" are touched with green and red.

Before painting, I braze a 1/4" nut into the inside of the bent root so I can attatch it to the base with a bolt. I suppose you could glue it down, but bolting it gives a good solit attachment. The stems are then simply soldered in.

Al