OK.
1st my promised update: "Everything S'ok so far!"

Next ...O you lucky guys
Here it is ...this post and the next I think you will like.

Baby Pictures! Yay!
yup you heard right.
I dug out 2 pieces ...took me awhile I'll tell you..I was digging through old (I'm a sucker for keeping nostalgic work) saved work for DAYS to find these 2 relics! I carved and cast it when I was 15 years old...36 years ago...wow that makes me sound and feel real old

The 1st photo ....looks like hell eh?
Well when it was 1st carved ..it was carved in a specific way to highlight the detail and augment it for the final product ....the mold.
The original here..on a backdrop of white to show the pierced through carving (very tricky delicate work that...not to mention it makes said piece VERY fragile in compare with a solid bas-relief carving in antler.)
It is exactly 1 1/4 inches in diameter not too big.....
It WAS EXACTLY 3/16 of an inch thick...I say was since the mold process was a hot one (for metals) and it charred the antler to a depth of almost 1/16 of an inch on its front surface....I scraped it down...brought the relief work back to snuff where it needed it...and I DID ANOTHER hot mold...it made it through a second charring and what you see in a photo I just took less than a couple hours ago...is the original still in pretty good shape ...now only 1/16 of an inch thick ...survived high heat charring twice and 36 years of abuse on top of that...If it had been twice as thick originally I don't doubt it could have made it through 3-4 or 5 intolerably hot mold making procedures...(When I mean hot...I mean so hot in fact we mere mortals would have caught fire or begun to melt from the heat - Hot....pretty hot)

Now then...the original was done in the choicest cut of deer antler and the piece though pierced and adding vulnerability was circular and concave...adding to it's strength.

The moose antler part I have made is not as strong (a negative)...but it is more flexible...(bonus)...it has finicky "levels" to it (negative)...but there is less surface to "hold" the heat during the process. (bonus) and has a higher survivability if doing a hot mold process for something like metals....therefore I give the moose antler part done in metals only 1 hot mold...at extreme 2 before collapsing for good. If doing cooler molds...for resins and such..it should survive at least 4 such processes if not more...but I cannot see it surviving more than 10. Also...it would be imperative to make a cast in something very durable...any metal...really... so a "master" copy exists...to make future molds from...since cool molds out of liquid rubbers...do not have a good lifespan.

Anyway here is the original in deer antler having survived 2 hot mold processes..and 36 years of additional abuse at 1 1/4 inches in dia. by 1/16 of an inch thick and accompanying it...the very 1st cast in metal I ever did..in silver. Antler is resilient ...holds an edge well...no matter how shallow the depth...I measured once..it can hold edges...ie...carved line beside carved line beside carved line...etc...with a distance between the lines of less than 1/64 of an inch...for myself ...I used to be able up to 1/ 128th I know....but few bother to notice such details...so it is only for personal I carve "THAT" tight.







It was my 1st work at the age of 15 so...it is young and not indicative of my current work 36 years later obviously...

the next post and the photos contained will give you an idea how I have progressed since then in the realms of skill and application of the medium.
It may take a bit ....but it will be posted within 4 hours tops.

P.S. the design is of 3 dogs knotted around each other chasing and biting each other's tails ...drawn onto the antler and then carved from that point. As well the legs and body parts overlapping each other in proper bas-relief style are carved down or carved up to give the viewer's eye the impression of depth or "over and under knotwork" ...ie. a leg "in front" of another animals leg.

In conclusion here...Oh yeah ....antler is freakin tough.

This is a little closer to this current date...it is a hawk...bas-relief in the round done what...just 2 years ago now...maybe 3.
Note the hole through the beak for a lanyard...said lanyard would then appear to be being bitten by said hawk....quite handy really.

I'd show a pick of the entire piece but the additional 21/2 feet of syrian damascus steel (in raindrop pattern) double edged sword attached to the elk hawk handle and guard was rather awkward to fit all into the foto.
The damascus I get is from the self same city from a family I have dealt with for decades....good friends...grandpa, son, grandson....many generations they all work my steel...grand guys really.

P.S. carving the feathers thus did a fab job of enhancing the grip...it gently catches in the hand...stays firm very well...not slick...or smooth if I carved it flush for example.

Only dilemma with antler ever is having to work within the parameters (at times and depending on the project) of the material's natural proportions....hence I didn't want to shave off too much just to make things look needlessly symmetrical in this case...(that piece of elk was pristine too...it would have been a crime to grind away chunks of it ...to not to use it all...so ya )
Oh yes....the process of enhancement and preservation I use is 1st I shape the piece to suit the purpose...then design on it...then carve it...then use a homemade mixture of crushed and ground black walnut shell paste with a carrier linseed oil...coat the entire piece...let it dry...with jewelers tools scrape and polish the most upper exposed flat to the gentle grades going in..giving the enhanced appearance of a greater (false) depth...as if (in this case) the feathers truly went underneath each other...the lighting here was a little too bright to show the proper shadow ...to see in a natural light the true nature of such depth work...The crushed black walnut shell extract seals the antler and helps preserve it ...ad millennium infinitum. Direct antler carving application of work is just as limitless















And I'll pop up other photos...more detailed and diverse in carving and purpose ...(after I finish dinner) ....for your perusal

What I could immediately find of "key pattern work" a more geometric form of patternwork...knotwork...in some cases irregular shapes altered through carving to appear towards center to balance...
none of these is over 2 inches in diameter.fairly small...truly small is expecting detail carved portraiture of your puppy on a 1/4 inch button of antler







Fairly standard knotwork under 1 1/2 inch in diameter and just less than an 1/8 inch thick and pierced through...



And lastly of course zoomorphics are fav of mine...







got a soft spot for this little guy..he was my icon here at tmo for a long time...he's less than an inch square..and 1/8 thick out of narwhal horn...I did even more humour applications ...which since done in B+W was perfect for my coffee mug and some of my blank t-shirts..I don't like to wear logos or advertising ...but I love pleasing to the eye pattern and design.. ...
..or course much of what you have seen thus far was applied to inlay ...gunstocks, hunting knives and bows...all kinds of things...as well I then pull out sketch paper...then do pen and ink...then do finished illustrations...then do graphic comp. ...make silk-screen work...prints...wicked t-shirts etc.. and usually finish either integrating the same carved design into a painting or starting a new oil painting.....this little guy spawned quite a bit of humour actually....




this here is more indicative of what results with pen and ink illustration from a carving. The size of the original (ink) is about 4 feet tall...sharp clean lines...perfect for posters and such...the final design in oil ended up being integrated into a 8 foot tall 12 foot wide scene painting.



I'll stop here or I may as well post my entire portfolio ...but it is in all a small sampler of what varied work I have done and do...I'd show my carved inlaid music instruments off, my work in whale vertebrae, more tools, jewelries, weaponry modern and renovations/ reconstructions and embellishments on period piece weapons ...and more carving and inlay but...I'll leave it there... :

So...there in a brief nutshell is what I do after explanations....sorry 'bout the photo quality... a photographer I am not...so there is a rundown not only of the artistic end of my work but cross applications thrown in.

So ....tighten the post up a bit and...time to go back to the bench and continue on the part...

Awsome delicate work ..

Aw...
thanks man...
me I'm never quite content with what I've done personally or professionally and am always trying to do either sublimely perfect simpler pieces or more insanely complex work...or a balance 'tween the 2.

The photos really don't do the work justice...the lighting sucks and the enlargement to see the detail is deceptive. The real joy is holding any piece in the hand...looking at it...feeling the texture of the work...the proportionately the weight feels real without being heavy.
And the nice thing about antler...compared to metal...or gem or stone...even woods..it isn't cold..... it holds the warmth of the holder...the wearer. It feels alive. All around the stuff looks old...feels old...feels hmm timeless when it is in your hand...it grounds you..makes you feel more ...real...more present..(if that could be described as a feeling) and at the same time...I swear it pulls you out of your body...in this time....and makes you "see it" buried or exposed or dug up or found by another... God alone knows when from now.
A bit unnerving but at the same time a real feeling of permanence ...hmm..........like when you are going for a swim at the river...and hanging onto a rock in the middle and feeling the fast current..the tow pull at you...YOU aren't the rock...the piece IS.....by holding the piece ..you feel you are just trying to hang on ...to be present with that permanence in the fast flowing river of time....THAT is the feeling it pulls out of you...it is ...interesting..

Haha
probably accounts for my writings...how I explain myself ...express myself in posting in our forum...

In my 1st original unabridged very long 2 post -post I in brief mentioned it's only vulnerabilities and another example of it's wonders...

A- Constant (overexposure) long term immersion in water will slowly disintegrate antler...or wearing jewelry repeatedly while showering will strip it of the oils that moisturize it. Handling it re-moisturizes it to an extent..from the natural oils in the hand...but after serious exposure (ie. a shower) ...it's the continuous abuse without remoisturizing that will dry it out....normally a couple drops of baby oil rubbed in by hand will keep it fresh....especially if it is being continuously handled and exposed to enviroment

B- Leaving a piece on a window sill, a radiator, or a car dash will not destroy the piece per se...but it will fracture it...the energy of the heat from refracted sunlight...from a radiator...will build up as an energy inside the piece until it snaps. Weird huh?...It can take incredible extremes...but it can't take that.

The Lost Quick story removed from the 1st post.
I will show one of these pieces in the upcoming demo.
Ahem...about 18 years ago..up at my mountain shop...I was sitting in the sunshine on my porch ..carving outside...a whack of small pieces destined for inlay and such...I had about hmm...40 or 50 done...and as usual toss them at the end of the day into my ball cap and carry them home...unbeknownst to me at the time on my way home about 6 or 7 fell out ...and were lost...I got home ...and was sure I had carved more than I had...but couldn't find them...until 11 years ago walking up to my studio porch in the big hills...I saw something sticking up out of the ground...just a bit...and it was THIS little guy...



partially buried with 6 of his friends completely buried...Picked them up cleaned the dirt off...and they were...are still (couldn't part with them after their ordeal ) perfectly fine...really a pinprick of time in their lifespan...lost and buried....and that was just my cute lil' old experience with ones I made.

Wait for the demo(s)...all around I am sure it will help give more of a ...an understanding ...a feeling of relativity... than environmentally isolated photos under an extreme false lighting....the demos will be ready as time permits in between working on the part....I do see though physic demonstration as being a better representation of the material and it's qualities as being imperative to a greater understanding of it's applications. "Saying it" or showing photos is one thing..."Seeing it" displayed in action ...in real time....... is an eye opener.
The demos will floor you I am sure.

Ok folks

I've set up a site to handle various projects I'm doing at a few of my studios...the one up the mountain....my in home ...and one of my shops...as well as a general cool-***** place to chit-chat. I'm also thinking of having a small space for a few of the obscure n8x0 programs and files some are always asking about...hosting a bit o' stuff seems cool to me.

Anywho ...proper introductions will have to be later (I will do a more casual sit down once I'm not so ...um ....driven...yea.)

To pique your curiosity the antler stress test is just that.
I have extolled it's virtues of longevity
and it's strengths as a perfect (or near to perfect) material for use if powdered and mixed with the proper resins at the proper ratio.
Let's look at the material in the raw...unenhanced with only 1/3 less the strengths as my purported hybrid resin/ antler dust poser.

The prime reasons I posted this more privately is the gratuitously flagrant abuse and use of..

A- An open flame

B- Much clanging banging shaking and noise involved.

C- Pliers, Hammers, Mallets, and a very old...very large...very heavy 20lb. sledgehammer.

D- Pointed and specific use of profanity to emphasize a point...if not 2.

E- Being summer now and getting hot in the shop...which means the end of my self-imposed 6 month teetotaling...and the grand time of "Work-Beer"!!!! woo-hoo...and so there is alcohol involved....(not that I'm inebriated during the making of this...or ever use power or any tool during such work of any kind...
(disclaimer ) )

So before you see it whadaya think is going to do it in?

fire?
the hammer? ...
a two handed over-the-head swing with the 20lb sledge?
the less blunt or more piercing impact?....
how many attempts?
How much repeated brutality in succession can antler take?
How much can 3 pieces 18 years old...lost and buried in the ground suffering through 7 years...7 winters ...then found...how much can these old boys take ...do ya think?

I love the stuff ...it's like freakin' superman.
Perfect material for making anything out of ...let alone bodies and cases ...lasting long after you are dust in the grave

The 1st segment I have up ( thus far ) I call "Blunt-Force Drama" ('stead of "trauma"...hehe)
After the test I continue with discussion pertaining to vehicular damage...and lastly with talking on it's merits of stopping a bullet... my childhood reminiscence and 1st hand observations of the effects of using pieces for target practice on the farm with the rifles ....how it all can apply today....and finishing it all off with shouts of ...."Work-Beer !!!" ...

So make yourselves comfy...grab your favourite stimulant (pop, coffee, tea. etc...) or depressant (Alcohols...etc ) sit back and enjoy...

don't mind the wonky vid bit at the beginning ..it straightens out quick.

enjoy.

http://celticartco.mobi/

Alriteythen..
I'm not about to spend any more time on this I draw the line at borrowing a semi, asking to use a tank at the nearby base....or wasting a bullet....I think I proved enough of a point on material durability.

That being said...I couldn't resist ...just one last demo.

Here's a visit to a good friend's place...where with their helpful assistance with the vid.
Here we have the 18 yr old piece (which was lost and buried for 7 years) I attempted to set fire to in the 1st video...now being run over by a mid-size 4-door car TWICE. Unmarred.

It isn't a case..of course...but with a resin/ antler dust hybrid case properly made...Seriously weaponry or explosives would prob. be the only thing to damage it.

http://celticartco.mobi/page3.html

Hey Flash...just to let you know....concerning ivory..VERY recently...I did salvage about 5 -7 lbs of ivory (5 -7 lbs of "ugly" actually...some shmoe did a terrible carving in it ...a cigarette rolling station...thing is huge and butt ugly)...destined for a thrift shop (can you believe that?!?! I just couldn't let it happen) from a deceased friend's estate leavings..predating 1920... I have taken it apart....the base of it alone is a plain plate of ivory rectangular shaped 3/8 inch thick x 4 1/2 inch wide x almost 9 inches long ...and that s just the base...bloody huge ..and am intending it for some work...not sure exactly what yet...really need to think about it ....to utilize all (like I do anyway...nothing ever gets wasted )....of the ivory.
And yeah...it won't be cheap whatever I turn it into...

I have been leaning towards a knotwork bordered knotwork animal (zoomorphic) scene carving all over it...and make a universal case out of it...suitable for any small device. Not sure yet if that is the direction yet tho.


Other news:
everythings A-OK with the final touches on the sandwich part thus far.

Hopefully there will be enough interest in making copies...otherwise...sad but... I'll just call that a day and enamel the model for my own device for a bigger batt. and additional ports.

After I'm finished said part I'm going to continue on with my original project which was the case I was working on out of antler which would accommodate the expanded n900/neo900 (can't wait ) have proper carved-in spot for tripod mounting etc...and ergo. fit for forearm for strapping to the arm....finish 'er up with nice detail carving (decorative carving is what takes a looooong time there...takes the most time in fact....compared to making the case...let alone any structural work..which really took very little time....).on my own time I've carved pieces that have taken days, weeks, months, even years to finish...I'm not going to spend years on this case though...I want to use it . Excited about it's completion....

Sounds awesome.

Would make a Neo ultimately unique ...

Heya Peter!
Just popped in from the shop to grab a mouthful of food noticed you posted ...figured I'd say ... " WAAAZZZAAUUUP!! "
how you doin' man?


Hmm...which way-cool awesomeness exactly?
-the N.C.S. part for n900/ neo900?

-the potential for cool-@ss hybrid bodies and cases outta resin / antler dust with (hey... who knows how that'll work out.... maybe just plain?...or possibly)carved art work (by making a delicate wafer thin pierced carving and fixing it with a thin layer of epoxy to the plastic back of any old body-back that was going to be used for mold work...casting that ...and make wicked pattern-imprinted hybrid resin/ antler dust bodies?...huh..now that is an interesting idea...)

-the funky-dunky case I was working on before the sandwich part kinda consumed me...(which I will get back to shortly...I swear mah fingers and gut got the itch worse than a junky once I sink my brainstem into any carvin' project ) ?

or the ivory I'm wondering what to do with?

I personally think all the above is way-awesome it's hard to pick for me...(welllll maybe not so hard for me)...but ya man..if you could.....narrow it to a specific point of reference in cool-factor please .
..ok filled mah face..grabbin' a work-beer ...goin' back to the bench...I'll be back in I dunno...later...a buncha hours.

Huh, even that answer was way longer than expected

I would pick an antler/resin body as the coolest.
The sandwich idea you should bring to joergrw/dos1's attention.
What exactly is the N.C.S (missed that)?

Enjoy your work beer (and of course the after work one/two too).

--
forgot about the awesome graving/carving!!!
But that would need a backcover replacement (or just a little bit on the snadwich/body part).

Ivory case, ivory case, IVORY CASE!!! mhhhh, that's rum speaking, not me! =\
Anyway, tempted to see either option fully implemented.