Holy Monk

Holy Monk

Feb 25

The Holy Monk is done!!!!

All the wormholes are gone and the piece has a new darker stain to make the great details on it pop.

Here are some pictures of this great piece fully restored and ready to go back home to its proud owner:

On the Bench

On the Bench

Jan 14

Today I’m working on a Monk that’s full of holes.

They’re wormholes from wood beetles and there’s a LOT!

I counted over 200.

Been snowy here in Ohio so I poured me a “Brandon sized” Old Fashioned, put on some music out in the shop, and worked on this piece for a few hours today.

Here’s a pic of the piece with all the previous filler removed from the holes:

Monk Nutcracker

Here’s a pic of the piece getting ready to have all the holes injected with wood hardener.

This stabilizes the piece and kills any remaining wood beetle eggs.

Monk_Nutcracker

This is really a great piece and is going to look fantastic once it’s done.

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!

Dec 31

Hope everyone had a great Christmas.

Wishing everyone a Happy New Year!

May it be filled with good fortune and new adventures!

Monkey

Monkey

Dec 23

 

Here’s a great piece that came in needing some chips repaired and the finish refreshed:

Monkey_Repair

Here are a couple pics of the new wood added:

Here are a couple pictures of the piece all fixed and refreshed:

The customer was thrilled with the piece and sent me pics of him all ready for Christmas:

I think snazzing him up for the Holidays is a great idea and might make that a tradition at the shop!

Cheers!

Cheers!

Oct 09

 

This great piece came in missing most of its left arm.

 

 

 

The collector requested we add a goblet.

 

Here’s clay mock up that was done for the customer to review and approve:

 

 

 

Here’s the piece done with the repair blended and color matched to the original piece:

 

 

 

The piece really did come out great, looks even better in person, and the customer was thrilled with it.

 

 

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.