Casse-Noisette

Casse-Noisette

Jul 17

 

 

Here is a great example of a French Nutcracker.

 

This one came in with broken glasses and quite a few Woodworm holes.

 

 

 

 

Here are a couple photos of the piece with new wood added and in process of being carved:

 

 

 

Here are a couple pictures of the piece fully restored with the Woodworms exterminated and their holes fixed.

 

 

 

This piece came out great and I was very happy with how well all the repairs blended in with the original patina on this one.

 

Squirrel

Squirrel

Jun 26

 

I get to work on a lot of great unique pieces.

 

This Squirrel is quite unique, in that, it has a lot more detail than I’m used to seeing on pieces like this.

 

The fur on the squirrel and detailed screw part that serves as the base definitely set this piece apart from others I’ve seen carved like this.

 

The piece came in with a large chunk missing from the left side of the face and the detailed base was chipped in a few places.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here’s a quick photo I took with all the new wood added:

 

 

Here’s the piece finished and ready to be shipped back to its owner:

 

 

 

Stay tuned for more great restorations!

 

Alsace Nutcracker

Alsace Nutcracker

Jun 12

 

Here’s a great boxwood antique nutcracker from the Alsace region of France.

 

I keep a secret stash of boxwood on hand specifically for these great older boxwood nutcracker restorations.

 

This one came into the shop missing a nose.

 

 

 

 

Here’s a quick picture of it on the bench with the new boxwood in place and the reference photos I was using:

 

 

 

Finally, here it is fully restored with the new nose carved and blended to seamlessly match the original:

 

 

 

 

I love getting the opportunity to work on these great old boxwood pieces.

Man on a Donkey

Man on a Donkey

Jun 04

 

 

Here’s another fun rare piece.

 

This one was quite a challenge.

 

As you can see, lots of missing parts and a lot of splitting on this one.

 

*Note – Click on the pics for a larger view:

 

 

 

 

Here are a couple pictures of the piece with most of the new parts roughed in:

 

 

 

And here are a couple pictures of the piece fully restored:

 

 

 

This piece took a looong time to restore. I am very fortunate the owner was patient.

 

This piece came out great and the owner was absolutely thrilled with it.

 

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.