More treasures

Hi everyone, well after a short break im back home and carrying on with making small and unusual treasures for my wunderkammer room.
This piece was another statue i found while metal detecting only i think this one has more religious connections.

When i first dug this up i thought it was the virgin Mary holding Jesus but after closer inspection you can clearly see it is not, its a little rough around the edges but its good enough for the wunderkammer room so to finish it off i made a small shrine for it as im convinced it has some religious connection if you have some indication as to what it may be then id be more than happy to hear.
Have a great week everyone. Tony.

Collectors cabinet.

Hi everyone im still making lots of items for the interior of the wunderkammer roombox,this particular piece was made using reclaimed timber from some very small draws that i think came from a writing desk im unsure what the timber is but it has a beautiful patina and is good to work with.

The tiny sea shells were a gift from https://madnessmademurray.blogspot.com/ who has also recently used some in the construction of a mirror, many thanks Mrs M your gift of these little treasures is very much appreciated.

I will definitely be using some more of this timber to make some other items  as i would like lots of cabinets but in different woods and colors the shells in the above cabinet were mounted onto a material that lined the inside of a Victorian jewelry box which was beyond repair but has happily found a second life not only in this but hopefully in some other pieces too.
Have a great week everyone.

Scrimshaw.

Hi everyone what wunderkammer room wouldn't be complete without a whale tooth, i decided that in this case i wanted a piece that had scrimshaw on it so set about practicing.

Im sure you all know what scrimshaw is so i wont go into detail about it i have put the tooth i made next to a genuine whale tooth which is from my collection, i waited years to obtain this as its a genuine antique and has not been smoothed off sadly mine only has the ships name and date inscribed into it.

 
The tooth i carved using genuine whale bone again from the parasol handle i was given which makes it that little more authentic the full size tooth measures a little over 6 inches my version measures what would equate to around 8 inches but some of these can be found much larger.
Have a great weekend everyone. Tony

New roombox.

Hi everyone, as you may well know ive been putting together a collection of unusual and interesting miniatures for a wunderkammer roombox dividing my time between making the contents and spending some time on the actual roombox itself.

Above is a photograph of the front doors to the roombox to be honest im undecided wether to have these as two seperate opening doors or to have the door so it opens downwards, (i have seen both variations of this on actual cabinets) this would also act as an extension to floor area when open as you can see i have made a lock plate and put it in place on the left door which wont matter if i decide the downward option as the door will have three locks two of them hidden. 

(Opinions on this appreciated)?

Im also aiming for a patina which shows age as you can see the gilding above the door is chipped after looking at various treasure cabinets im drawn more towards the ones that show use and age rather than mint examples so these doors still have a fair amount of work required.

The centre door section is bone with inlaid paula shell a difficult material to work with as its basically like egg shell so cutting it is troublesome to say the least this also adornes the top section of the door.Sitting on the two malachite panels are brass embelishments that have rose quartz centres, more semi precious gemstones will adorne the rest of the cabinet.

Have a great week everyone. Tony/

Them bones

Hi everyone,well what wunderkammer room wouldnt be complete without some sort of skull.In this case the skull is not life size to 1/12th scale as the bone i carved it from wouldnt allow me to model it that size.

Carved from deer antler the skull including the base its tood on measures 30mm.The base itself is whalebone which origonally started life as a ladies victorian parasol handle that was damaged and sent to me as a gift i will be using more of this to make further items.The skull is a little crude and not as detailed as i would have liked it to be but im happy as it is.
Have a great weekend everyone. Tony.

Sentimental Treasures

Im sure that we all have our favourite minis for looks or even sentimental reasons so i thought id share one of mine with you but first let me tell you how it got to me.
A few years back i recieved an email from a lady in America asking about one of my pieces, eventually this piece made its way to a new home in the states, a few weeks went by and i recieved a package from the same lady with a hand wrttern letter which i was shocked by, upon reading the letter she told me that she had sent me the items in the box to see if i could use them in some way for making more miniatures which i was delighted about one of the items in the box was this tiny dried out fish just 40mm in length which she explained in the letter she had found when she was a child on a beach and had kept for many years because she like it.

I returned a letter back thanking her and also exchanged many emails and later found out that she was also an artist that loved unconventional and unusual things her name was edie roberson.
I was amazed to think that such a profound artist would take an interest in my work but after reading further emails it made better sense to me.I cherish this little fish that Edie found as a child and will never part with it to think that she decided to send it to me amongest other things to see if i could use it means so much.

God bless you Edie always in my thoughts.
Have a wonderful day everyone

Natural wonders

Hi everyone, what wunderkammer room would be complete without some natural tiny wonders again after beach combing and picking up every little unusual thing i cast my eyes on then carefully trying to get them home without damage.

These are just a few of the natural little treasures that not only i have found but also friends or family are also under strict instructions when on there travels to keep there eys peeled when on beaches.The tiny sea urchin measures just 12mm in diameter and i really never thought id get it home in one piece but i was very happy i did. Have a great weekend everyone. Tony.

Bronze figure

Hi everyone, i dont think ive posted so much on my blog since i started it... lol catch up for lost time! anyhow because im making and putting togther so many of these little treasures i might start grouping them together.This tiny figure was found a few years back while out metal detecting it measures 40mm without the base but i thought it would make a super cool addition to the wunderkammer room.

I made the base from reclaimed ivory and horn this gives it an overal height now of 53mm which i think look fine. Im not sure who the figure represents but it is sadly missing and arm and some other limbs which i dont mind  as i think it kind of adds to its natual beauty i have a few more interesting and weird figures which i also intend to mount like this after all whats a wunderkammer room without a few statues. Enjoy your week everyone. Tony.

The first of many.

Hi everyone, so as you know ive been sorting through all my scraps and other bits and bobs even making some pieces i dont usually draw my hand to which was fun but ive now decided after a coment left by one of my followers to start making all the contents for a new roombox that will be full of weird and wonderful curiosities.

This is the very first piece id like to share,its a fungi study and measures just 25mm in width all carved from recycled materials including ivory,bone,whitby jet and walnut. Ive made something similar to this before but the other piece was mounted in a cabinet and found a new home here  http://www.otterine.com/blog/blog1.php/happy-halloween-2015
I plan on making a few different versions of this some individual and some in groups just like this one, i have so many things to make that can go in this roombox that i have no doubt its going to be an exciting journey and a great project to do. Looking for tiny unsusual items that would have been housed in these types of rooms is also a feat in itself.
Have a great weekend everyone. Tony.

Industrial

Hi everyone, i wasnt quite sure about this little piece at first but as it went on it grew on me more.

They kind of remind me of old industrial buildings either way i like it and its compleatly different to what im used to making which makes it all the more fun.

Have a great week everyone. Tony.

And theres more

I dont know where the ideas keep coming from but while they are there im going to keep making them become some kind of mini.

Ive been longing recently for a visit to the coast and some beachcombing but because of health issues i guess im putting those thoughts into these pieces and more importantly they put a smile on my face.

This reminds me of a small fishing wharf we usually walk past when on vacation,The frame is olive wood while ofcuts of oak and driftwood make up the rest. Lets see what turns up next? Have a great weekend Tony.

Whale of a time.

I have tons of spare off cuts from the timber framed house that i have built and have been wondering what use i could find for them as i dont like throwing then away.

After a while thinking and putting my idea into practice this is what came out of my hands. I always feel happy when i have been able to create something from items i might otherwise have just thrown away. Have a great day.Tony.

Tea Caddy

Hi everyone,as im sure your aware ive made a few of these in the past so thought id share this one with you too.

                                  Made from recycled ivory piano keys with a walnut carcass

Now the timber framed house is nearing its compleation i was itching to finish this little chap. Have a great week everyone. Tony.

A view inside.

So carrying on from the previous post i have taken a few pics of the inside for you all.

Its not easy trying to get my camera into position for a decent photo without shaking a little but here you can see the wall mounted candles.

And when there lit too.

The lower floor showing ceiling construction, theres still lots of odd little jobs to be carried out on this level.

You can just about make out the door in the far corner putting the daub inside here was difficult to say the least but it turned out well .
Theres no lights on the lower floor as yet but these will appear gradually.
Have a great week everyone :) Tony.

Update

Yes its been a fair old while since i have posted any updates, i must appologise for this its not the best way to keep people interested in the things you create but i am presently recovering from surgery and just trying to relax and take each day as t comes. So onto the progress.

The upper floor and roof are now both compleate and a base has been built to hold the structure.

If you remember origonally the front of the build looked more like a shop, this has now been changed to tie in with the rest of the building (wattle and daub panels) .

Ive had a love hate relationship with this building at times its been so difficult ive felt like giving up but was so determined to see it through if you look at the previous posts to this you will know that i have used no mdf or ply in this build the whole structure has been put together just like an origonal building which has made it somewhat complex.

As you can see from the image above the roof is also compleate around 2,500 tiny stone tiles all hand cut by myself, i have to say for a 1/24th scale build its extreamly heavy.

A view looking up showing the detail, all the electrics for the upper floor are in place and light fittings are too i have kept the very basic (candles) as i have had to construct these also from scratch i will post more on this a little later for now its rest time.I hope you enjoy what progress has been made. Have a great day Tony.

Little Progress

Hi everyone, well progress has been slow for a while now as ive been working away so its been difficult to put any serious time into the build. While im waiting for more LED's to arrive for the ground floor ive been putting what little time i have into the windows.

The frames still need to be weathered in to match the other timber but im happy with the way these look i promise to put some more images up of the inside with the windows in place once i get to spend a little more time on it along with the other lights i will be putting in too. Have a great week everyone. Tony.

Getting there.

Hi everyone, well the lighting is getting there slowly but surely.

It seems that every time i take a photograph the shine emitted by the light looks more intense than it actually is but trust me they give off the perfect glow now.

Ive never wired a full house before so theres been lots of trials and deciding to use nano LED's hasn't really helped but they give me the scale which im happy with i still have the downstairs to do yet but its nice to know its moving along and im overcoming most problems as they arise i guess it would have been so easy to have just purchased ready made lights but they would not have given me the look i wanted and to be honest i feel pretty chuffed with myself at what i have managed to achieve. Have a wonderful week everyone. Tony.

Trial and Error

Hi everyone, well moving on from last weeks post i finally managed to make a candlestick i was happy with. After many trials including 3D Printing which looked fantastic but once i tried to drill out the core it just fell to pieces,I finally decided to use Milliput which is a very fine two part epoxy putty which i was able to mould and file into the shape i required (please excuse the quality of the photos).

You can just about make out the outline of the candle stick in the above photo with the candle and LED in place.

And here a shot of the light switched on im still undecided yet whether to tone the brightness down a little more i have already added a yellowish tinge to the tip of the LED as the warm white was just too bright this will be simple to do while its still in place but i will trial it out before hand on some spares i have.

Have a wonderful week everyone. Tony.

Lighting

Hi everyone, well this week has been full of trials and errors trying to come to a conclusion on how to make the lights for this house, I started off trying to carve candle sticks but to no avail as each time i tried to drill a hole through the centre they just broke!! Hmm Theres very few things i have had to buy in the construction of the house up to now and i was determined to be able to come up with a solution for the lights as knowing that i had managed to make these too would give me an even greater sense of achievement. As i dont own a lathe i just came up with the idea of trying my luck turning a piece of wood in a normal drill, i dont recommend anyone try this!  after a few attempts i came out with these.

These are the first i feel happy enough to be able to work with, they are made from wood but i have painted them to resemble pewter ( this still needs work) Each candle stick measures just 6mm in height and i have managed to bore them out to accept a nano LED bulb, i have chosen to go with LEDs for two reasons the first being the scale of them and the second being how long they last this will rule out any need for changing bulbs in the future Hopefully next week i will have some actually in the candle sticks to show you how they look. Have a great week everyone. Tony.

Stripping paint.

Hi everyone and thanks for visiting to see how things are progressing. I have spent most of this week visting a property close by that has many oak timbers inside and came to the conclusion that i needed to darken the timbers in my build.

Because i used a darker oak to build the bed and partion wall it looked slightly odd against the muntin paneling in the other room so i decided to match it all the same, i definitely think the nook bed looks better too having stripped it back and place a plain white mattress and curtain up.

Here you can see the partion wall sorry about the darkness of the image but using a flash made it look even worse im in no doubt that once i have installed some lights on this floor it will give me the look i have been searching for , now to just work out how to make them!! id also like to share one more photograph with you all.

I clipped this little fella while on my travels i couldn't resist! look how dark that oak is its hard to imagine he was carved in the 14th Century, Have a great week everyone. Tony.