Demanding client, fun project.

[Kenm810]

Outstanding!! ---Totally Amazing

[LittleRedWoodshop]

Nicely done ... Mr. Doug. Very nicely Done.

[Dhaffner]

One more, just a little closer....

[lynnfrwd]

I know you used the CW to make the sign out of the pink insulation foam, but can you tell me specifically, which other pieces were done either in part or in whole on the rest of the projects?

By the way, this is exactly the type of project that would make a great blog. Anytime we can take a project from concept, through setbacks and successes, to final completion...great blog material!

Your little girl must be so so happy and you should be VERY proud!

[Dhaffner]

The sign was all carvewright.....the door frame was pieced out as 3d pieces and brought in with the STL tool and carved with the Carvewright, then I add some "detailing" as I go with a dremel.
The individual door elements are a combination of carved and hand made. To make the wood for the door, I tried using the CarveWright, but found that the look I wanted
was going to require a finer "point"...I actually used a wire brush and drug it through the foam to make the wood texture. The wall could be carved, and for an upcoming
project I hope to carve textures for an entire room- but in this case the simple technique was the quickest- I put tape down to form the grout lines in the wall, then painted
over the wall with latex paint. Then I pulled up the tape- revealing the pink foam underneath. Pink foam doesn't react well to spray paint...it kind of "melts"..but the areas covered
in latex paint don't melt...so when I spray over the grout lines, they "melt" into the foam, looking like stones.

The owl was a full sculpt, but I have a plan for the future if I can afford it---
There are 3D scanners on the market that allow you to take a relatively small object and scan it into a 3d format. So eventually, I hope to be able to sculpt a shape (like the owl) then scan it....
and then enlarge it and reproduce it with the CarveWright. So, for instance, I could have scanned the wand which I made out of a dowel rod and some magic sculpt- and I could make 20 more with the
CarveWright.

[atauer]

Doug,

I know the scanners you are talking about. I have seen one first hand, and they are awesome! The guy is still trying to figure it out, making complex multiple scans isn't easy, but once he finishes, I will hopefully have a 3D model of a tiger that I want to try slicing and piecing together.

[ajk]

That's is an amazing work. evrything is wow.
Hilda

[DurhamDev]

You mention using insulation, but can you let us know how it is to work with? Are the results similar to using wood, or are there specific challenges you would encounter when carving it? (I'm certainly not saying your work isn't quality!!! I'm only concerned with what the layman could encounter!) I am considering making some signs to be hung indoors, and obviously the foam would be much, much lighter, and much better for nameplates for my kids' rooms, and the like. Can I hope that it's as simple as carve, prime and paint? (...or are there trade secrets involved with getting such a professional look?)

Also - is it a product like this (http://www.homedepot.ca/catalog/wall...076+4294953806) that you are using, or something different?

[Dhaffner]

Working with insulation foam (pink in my case) has been great since I installed the dust collection "hood" on my machine. It does get a fair amount of "fuzzies" but you can use a stiff toothbrush to clear them.
I get mine at a local store (Menard's) but have also purchased it at places like Lowes and/or Home Depot. It comes in 3/4, 1 ", 1 1/2", 2" here.
You have some options for coatings....a good primer and paint will do just fine (acrylic latex or any interior latex paint). Just paint, though, means the foam is still pretty susceptible to damage.
You can coat your foam with a variety of products. I happen to currently use a product called "styrospray 1000" which goes on a bit like elmer's glue. I ALWAYS paint the foam first with latex paint, then
the styrospray primer, then the styrospray. I do this because the stryrospray seems to hold better to the foam and not bubble.
The styrospray is a resin coating which drys almost like a plastic. The heavier the coats (or more coats) makes a harder shell.
The ultimate in "hard shell" is a two-part epoxy coating called Magic Sculp (sold in Canada as Abracadabra Sculpt). It is very much like clay when mixed, but dries to a super rigid hardness (The owl was sculpted with this). I have also used it to coat signs I've carved in a thin layer). Hope that helps!

[DurhamDev]

Hope that helps!

OMG, that's awesome information to have! Thanks! (Can I assume that cutting fibreglass is much, much quieter than cutting wood?)