Explanation and Further Delays

I'm always surprised at how long it can get between posts when I get busy with other things. One thing that I often forget is that I'm a Senior Engineering Student trying to finish college. I have the greatest ability to make myself think that I have all the time I need to do what I want. 

Things have picked up quite a bit since I've returned from Portland, which was expected. The main reason I haven't been carving much was that my latest project took a turn for the worse. It was one of those things that I knew was bound to happen, but I didn't expect it to happen to my own sign. To sum up a long story, the sign was knocked off my tool chest and it snapped on the 'h' in Hampshire. It wasn't too bad of a break, but it was just demotivating to see something I had worked so long on to just be broken in half.I have since had it repaired, but am nervous to start working on it again, thinking I might break the weakened joint while carving. But I'm sure I'll get over that soon enough.

For now it looks like I'm going to have to wait until the semester winds down to get any work done. There is a carving show coming up in the next few weeks that I'm going to try and cover. If I make it, I'll be sure to take plenty of pictures for everyone. I'll try and keep everyone a little better informed from now on.

Goodbye Portland

I really did it! The sign is done and that will be the last project I'm working on while being in Portland. It was definitely interesting trying to get things done without all the tools that I'm used to using  back home. The biggest issue I ran into would be the finish, which I've totally taken for granted. I couldn't find a good gloss coat to put on the sign, so it turned out a little more matte than I'm used to, but it still looks alright.

But otherwise that's it! I'm packing up my stuff and heading home later on this week. On a different note, I just got word that Stelter made it to Germany safely in one piece! My faith in the USPS as been restored.

Running on Steam

Here is the last shot I've taken, but I'm well into the sanding at this point. I'm hoping to get the seal coat on tonight so I can start building up a finish and have a good coat by Monday night. This is going to be a stretch to get it done on time, but I'm still pushing forward. More pictures to come in a few days!

Where do I start?

I guess I should start out by saying that I'll be doing one last sign before I head back home to Provo in the coming weeks. But this has an interesting story, so sit back and enjoy.

This sign is actually a gift to a coworker that I have been closely working with over the summer. The way things work when you get to Intel (where I have been interning), they give you a "buddy", which is really someone who is experienced and can answer all of those questions that a newbie would ask. In my case, I feel like I asked my fair share of questions, and probably drove Deepika up the wall sometimes. I don't know if I will be returning to work full time to Intel, but I thought I'd show my appreciation in one of the best ways I can.

I had made one sign already with my current setup (Stelter), which worked out fairly well. The saw I was using belonged to Ken Carlson, a member of my church congregation that I met one of my first weeks here. He was more than gracious about letting me use his tools, which was great news for me. The first sign went off without a hitch, so I expected the same for the second.......NOPE!

If you look closely, you'll notice the small clamp that holds the blade to the arm of the saw is broken off. Marvelous. I was 95% done with the sign and I went to remove the blade to cut a inside piece when that clamp snapped off. Much to my dismay, I called Sears and found out that they no longer manufactured parts for this saw, this would be due to the fact that the saw is ~20-30 years old. So I talked with Ken and came to the agreement that I would help pay for a replacement saw. Luckily this model is only ~$110 and it was in stock at the local Sears in Portland. I picked it up and it looks surprisingly similar to the original. It actually cut a lot better than the old model, and will accept both types of scroll saw blades.

All in all, I feel good having left the situation the way I did. My father taught me to always bring something that you've borrowed back better than it was given to you. In this case I just helped buy the guy a new saw! He actually made the remark that he is going to try and make a replacement piece for the original, and if he does, I could just have the new one if we end up back here. I don't want to say here's hoping, but here's hoping!

I have to get this sign finished before I leave on the 24th, so I'm on a tight schedule. I don't know if I'll put updates up through the week or wait until it's finished, so just wait and see I guess.

Stelter: Everything you want to know

I know that this has been a long time coming, but there comes a point when something is so late, that you might as well put it all in the same post. Besides, MORE PICTURES! :)

While there were some difficult parts to carve on this name, it was fairly simple to get it done, most of it was just time and the lack thereof.

Since I'm away, I had to spray it myself. After first purchasing the wrong finish (good thing I did a test piece first) then getting the right kind, I think it turned out pretty good. I would have put more of a gloss on it, but  I couldn't find a good gloss in the time constraints that I had.

And here she is! I like the way the pink flowers turned out, even though I was fairly skeptical at first. I feel like I've become a little rusty this summer, but I've got two more to finish before I head back to Utah in 5 weeks, so that will give me more time to get back into the swing of things. 

Overall it was great to get the knife back in my hands, and to get to know some new people out here that would let me borrow some of their power tools. It's a good picture of what is to come when we move for good.