Argh! There be Pirates…

Argh! There be Pirates…

Jan 17

Here’s a great example of a figural Pirate nutcracker.

Picked him up on Ebay. He had some condition issues (chipped lip, chipped handle, and various dings in the face). Looks like he was dropped or the family dog got to it and carried it around in its mouth a little.

I originally bought this one to fix up and sell, but the wife fell in love with it after it was done so looks like he’s going in our collection. Oh darn! 🙂

I really do like how this one came out. The darker stain really makes this a better piece.

See the before and after photos below:

Before

 

After

 

Stay tuned, more great pieces to come!

—– Brandon

 

Grinning Man

Grinning Man

Oct 26

Here’s a great example of a screw type nutcracker.

This one had no handle and had been applied to a piece of furniture or something. The hole for the screw had been plugged and dowels and screw holes were in the feet and body.

So after some time spent at the carving bench and some time spent on ye ol’ mini lathe, this guy is back to his original glory as a nutcracker.

 

I really enjoy bringing a piece back to its original form and glory.

 

 

—– Brandon

A Griffin

A Griffin

Sep 13

 

Here’s a very rare Griffin nutcracker that came into the shop recently for some repairs.

Some of you may recognize this piece from the 2010 Nutcracker Club Convention that was hosted by Mike and Linda Pickwick in Connecticut. Mike and Linda have a fantastic collection. This is one of the pieces I took a ton of pictures of at his house. So I was thrilled to have it here in my studio for repairs. Yes, I took even more pictures of it while it was here. I really like this piece.

The Griffin came in missing a right foot, had a piece missing from the shield, and was missing the left wingtip. There were also some older repairs on the tail, right rear leg, and around the pin that needed to be removed and fixed correctly.

This piece came out great and is flawless now.

Here are some before and after photos (be sure to click on the photos for a larger view):

 

 

 

 

This piece was a lot of fun to work on and is really stunning in person.

Thanks again to Mike and Linda for sending this piece in and allowing me to make it perfect for them.

 

—– Brandon

 

 

ANRI Ram

ANRI Ram

Apr 06

Here’s another fantastic piece from Arlene and the Leavenworth Nutcracker Museum.

This ANRI Ram came in with its bottom jaw broken. Yes, another bottom jaw repair. Told ya broken jaws are common. 🙂

Here are a few before and after pictures. Click on the images to see a larger version of them.

 

 

 

 

The shop has been really busy. I can’t thank everyone enough for the steady flow of business and support.

Lots of great pieces and repairs coming up.

Stay tuned!

—– Brandon

 

ANRI Mouse

ANRI Mouse

Mar 18

Here’s another great piece from Arlene and the Leavenworth Nutcracker Museum. This ANRI Mouse came in with its bottom jaw missing . This is usually caused by people’s misconception that the nut gets cracked in the mouth rather than in the back in the space provided under the lever. I see a lot of pieces with this type of damage. He also had a chip out of its right ear and the pin needed replaced.

I have never seen an ANRI Mouse before so I was happy to have this one in the shop. I enjoyed fixing him up so he can be put back out on display at the museum.

Here are a few before and after pictures. Click on the images to see a larger version of them.

 

 

 

 

More great pieces to come soon.

—– Brandon

Mustache Repair

Mustache Repair

Jan 25

Here’s another great piece Arlene Wagner brought from the Nutcracker Museum to the 2013 Nutcracker Collector Club Convention to be repaired.

This is a 19th century walnut nutcracker originally made in Switzerland.

It came in missing part of the mustache and had a wood grain crack back by the hinge. The repairs are seamless and the piece came out great.

I was very impressed with this piece. It is a high quality well carved piece with a lot of great details. You can see this piece in person along with many others at the Leavenworth Nutcracker Museum located in Leavenworth Washington.