5,000 Words Worth

If a picture is worth thousand words, then this entry is longer than the analysis I wrote on Faust in my last year of college. By a little bit. Technically, I think the pic is supposed to be painted... The controller is assembled, and has the first coat of finish. The bands of curl are starting to show nicely, and I like the contrasting buttons.

Joystick on the right is made from the same piece of redwood the body of the controller is, I scorched it with a torch then wire brushed it. The soft grain (fast growth, spring and summer)burns more readily than the the slow- growth winter grain, leaving a highly textured surface. I thought of doing that to the entire body, but the dark color wasn't working for me. I think the curl would have disappeared too.

Curl shows well here. The white joystick is a piece of lilac I took from mom & dad's yard 20 years of more ago. Its hard like a rock, very white with some color surprises inside. Kinda like Cracker Jacks.

Other woods: Alaskan yellow cedar, zebrawood, tulipwood, ebony, sycamore cocobolo, purpleheart, bocote (I think) and jaelo. I've never seen the last one, if it wasn't labeled in the grab box I got I'd have no clue.

Been a fun project. The redwood was a surprise to work with, very soft, the curl caused some consternation. One or two more coats of finish and off it goes, on the road to California. I have no problem letting go of something I've worked on, tho I'm usually face to face with the receiver. There's always a little nag in the back of my mind, wondering if the finished product matches what the customer really wanted.....

Happy carving. Don't be afraid to color outside the lines.

BfloBif