One of a Kind

One of a Kind

Apr 02

 

 

Here’s a great commissioned piece that started out as a really cool idea.

 

Turns out one of the Nutcracker Collectors’ Club members collects wine corkscrews as well.

 

They contacted me to see if I could create a crossover piece that would combine their collection of Nutcrackers with their collection of corkscrews.

 

They provided the following piece as a base for the custom work:

 

 

 

 

They also provided these pictures for reference and inspiration:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here’s a clay mock-up I did of all those ideas applied to the piece so I could work out the details with the customer.

 

 

 

 

Here’s a picture of the original piece being prepped to have the arms, corkscrew, and wine bottle added.

 

 

 

 

Here’s  an “in process” picture as the new wood pieces were added and carved.

 

 

 

 

Here are a couple pictures of the piece all done and looking like it’s always been carved that way.

 

 

 

This piece came out great and was the subject of its own article in the Spring Nutcracker Collectors’ Club Newsletter (Vol. XXXIX, Issue 2) that was mailed out in March.

 

King Louis Philippe

King Louis Philippe

Jul 24

 

Here’s a really nicely carved King Louis Philippe nutcracker.

 

It was sent in by the Leavenworth Nutcracker Museum for  the damage around the mouth to be repaired.

 

Here are a few pictures of the piece as it came in from the museum:

 

 

 

Here’s a picture of it repaired and ready to be put on display:

 

 

 

 

The piece came out great and the museum was very happy with the repairs.

 

Man on a Barrel

Man on a Barrel

Mar 27

 

 

Here’s another really great screw type Nutcracker.

 

This one came in with damage to the face and missing both arms.

 

 

Lots of research and work went into restoring this piece.

 

 

 

 

 

This is a great piece and the customer was very happy with how well it came out.

 

ANRI Rooster

ANRI Rooster

Feb 16

 

Here’s a nice ANRI Rooster that came into the shop recently.

 

The comb had an old repair that needed redone and the comb was also missing some tips.

 

I also noticed the beak was separated from the piece. So that got fixed while it was here too.

 

 

Here are a few pictures of the piece repaired:

 

 

 

 

The repairs all blended in well and it came out great.

 

The piece really pops with a light restore on the finish and a couple coats of wax.

 

Man in the Moon

Man in the Moon

Nov 02

 

Here is a great example of one of my favorite nutcrackers.

 

I have yet to own one so I’m really excited when one comes through the shop.

 

This Man in the Moon came in with some chips around the mouth and the ends missing/broken off.

 

 

 

Here’s a quick pic of it with fresh new Mahogany in place waiting to be carved and blended.

 

 

Here are a couple pics of it all fixed up and looking great!

 

 

Bear Repairs

Bear Repairs

Jun 09

 

Here’s an example of a really well carved bear.

 

This one came in with an older repair that was done well, but didn’t match the original piece.

 

 

 

The previous repair was done using a nail.

 

 

Turns out the nail was structural to the old repair and couldn’t be removed.

 

So I did the next best thing, ground it back, and filled it in.

 

 

Here are a couple pictures of the piece all done with the old repair blended to match the piece’s color and great patina.

 

 

 

This was a great piece to work on and it came out spot on.