Squirrel gets a nut
Jan 13Arlene Wagner from the Nutcracker Museum brought a few pieces to the 2013 Nutcracker Collector Club Convention to be repaired.
This nice little Squirrel Nutcracker features an adjustable lever and finely detailed markings all over. It was missing its head and the pin was varnished solid in place removing the ability to adjust it. I restored the piece’s functionality, gave this little guy a new head, and took the liberty to add a nut to the design. It’s the least I could do for this little guy after all he’s been through.
As always, be sure to click on the images for a larger view.
Squirrel Nutcracker missing his little head
Squirrel Nutcracker gets a nut
Beautiful markings
Stay tuned for more great pieces from Arlene.
—– Brandon
The Jester
Nov 10
Jester nutcracker
Here’s another great piece I had in the shop for repairs from one of the Nutcracker Club members. This Jester had a nasty break back by the hinge and it also had a broken tooth. Once the repairs were done, the piece needed an overall refresh on the finish to show of all the great details. I am very pleased with how this piece came out.
Jester before and after
2013 Nutcracker Collectors’ Club Convention – Day 1
Jul 05A huge THANK YOU goes out to Susan and Dave Otto for hosting this year’s Nutcracker Collectors’ Club convention. The festivities started at Susan and Dave’s home on Friday evening in Chesterland Ohio where we got an up close hands on tour of Susan’s fantastic collection.
I’ve known Susan for a few years and her collection has grown by leaps and bounds both in quantity and quality. Everyone was truly in awe at all the great pieces she owns. It is a fantastic collection and I am very fortunate that she sends pieces over to my studio for touch ups and/or repairs to keep her collection in tip top shape. It really does help take her collection to that next level and keep it awe inspiring.
Susan’s nutcracker collection
Susan’s daughter Erica, who is a great cook like her mother, prepared and served appetizers and food throughout the evening with help from her boyfriend Lou. The food was incredible to the extent that everyone, including my wife, was asking for recipes.
After dinner Susan’s quick witted and talented friend Chris Welken played acoustic guitar and performed songs from his clever and amusing music CD, Modest Expectations, which we all got a copy of to take home as a souvenir. Chris is very entertaining and his performance made for a delightfully fun evening.
Chris jamming out!
My wife and I had a blast. We got to catch up with friends we met 2 years ago at Mike Pickwick’s convention in Connecticut and we got to make new friends at Susan’s. I really can’t say enough about all the great people in the club! If you are interested in joining, contact Susan Otto at nutsue@roadrunner.com.
Membership costs $20 a year for domestic subscriptions and $25 a year for international ones which includes a quarterly newsletter, master list of members, and an invitation to the annual Collectors’ Club Convention. The membership fee does not cover the cost of actually attending the convention; obviously this costs extra. Word has it, the 2014 convention will be held in Roswell New Mexico. That’s exciting!
Susan talking about nutcrackers
Coming soon! – My coverage of Day 2:
- The famous Nutcracker Collectors’ Convention members’ sale and auction
- The Nutcracker Collector’s Club meeting notes
- A visit to Holden’s Arboretum
- Dinner at Dino’s
Details
Jan 04What a difference some dark stain and a satin finish will make.
Check out the before and after pictures to see how much it makes this piece pop!
I’ve done this on a number of pieces for customers and I’m still amazed at how big of a difference this makes in bringing out the details.
It truly is incredible and can immediately take a nice piece to the next level!
Yet Another Restoration…..and More To Come…..
Oct 07Brandon received a full figure screw type nutcracker for restoration work. It is a very detailed well done nutcracker but had some condition issues. You can see some of the issues in these photos.
Every nutcracker has it’s own unique quirks and each carver that originally carved them had their own style which takes time to learn for making the restoration correct. Brandon did a great job making this restoration accurate and look seamless.
Now Brandon is working on a few more restorations, a redesign of one of his original design nutcracker and a few more projects. So look for updates about those in the near future!
Restoration Is Officially Completed!
Oct 28
The restoration is complete! What an interesting project this has been! The final pictures show just how well the added wood blends into the original wood. The finish color is spot on and it looks like the nutcracker has always been this way. It is on it’s final journey to Bob Mill’s home and we can’t wait to have him see it in person. I think he is going to be very happy with the completed piece.