Del's First Project of 2009!

Happy New Year

Nice. Even made for a left or right handed squirrel.

Arms race - A piece of wood 12" long that may become a ruler.

Happy New year to you and your family.

Nice work, dude!

Have you contacted Kris? I bet he'd be happy to field-test it for you! (the word in the park is that he comes from a long line of paramilitary types and, yes, it's much too late to be worrying about some tea-garden arms race at this late date).

Gramps (Scourge of the Seven Seas):

Uncle "Peeping" Tom:

"Machine-Gun" Flossy:

Cousin "Bazooka" Joe:

And the family outcast, Poncho "El Cheapo" Villa, who obviously buys his weapons on e-Bay (Del, can you make this guy a gun stock please?):

Happy New Year!

Hi europium

You want war heroes? Really small ones? Welcome to my first soldier!!

All the best for 2009. Peace still has a chance, so I hope, Ky.

Awwww!!!

Well you are going to like my enemy. Sorry Del, but they are getting a bit to fanatic, these tropical cats. And their fashion statements are a bit over the top. Not for my taste, but who cares about fashion anyway? Caring about suicidal cats should be left to the people in charge of cat home security.

Gosh, this year is starting with some fun. Kaboom.

Now I may be wrong, but I think I can kinda sorta see why Del's ancestors shipped your ancestors to Oz or something like that.

Just kidding!

No, no. That, I'm used to. It's that old matter of genetics. I have always been deaf. I'm white. White cats are deaf.

I was recently told that with such acute deafness, my beautiful ears are simply a waste, not to mention the gray matter between them

One has to make do with the most of what they got

"my beautiful ears are simply a waste"

At least they hold your glasses in place.

That too, should be a blessing in disguise, alas, it isn't. These so-called "Glasses" are actually only the frame, put there to give the impression, or appearance, of some hard-earned wisdom.

Needless to say, there is a real, deep chasm between wisdom, and an appearance of wisdom.

Not as if I was to put glasses in the frame, it would increase my wisdom one bit

Hi Del - Our family guinea pig, in solidarity with your peace-loving squirrel and under heavy Lennon-McCartney (not to mention Charlie and Lola) influence, is asking for all rodents of the world to just "give peace a chance" in 2009. Happy New Year, Del and CR4 gang. - Larry

Your bow, Del, is testing a wood sample's strength for what ultimate use? Are you building something around your house/flat with your wood supply?

<-- Just had to share this pic from Wikipedia (I read the fair use statement) with the folks here in CR4 who might not be aware of this BBC program. My daughter's crazy about C & L, and some of her food habits are interestingly in line with Lola's.

- Larry

_{<Gasp! Rolls eyes in horror!>}

Your bow, Del, is testing a wood sample's strength for what ultimate use? Are you building something around your house/flat with your wood supply?

Yes ...
I build ...
wait for it
.
..
...

Bows!

You've obviously missed my previous exploits!
Or this part one, and part two

Del
(PS. I love the illustrations for C&L.... dunno who does 'em...love Quentin Blake drawings too, check my profile for my artwork and other stuff I've done)

Hi Del -

Checked out and very much enjoyed your artwork in the September 2007's "Harlow's Glassworks: Industry Meets Art" blog. Also read about your Chinese Repeating Crossbow Project. Many thanks for sharing those with me. Fascinating project you did in '07.

Troy has a nice arts scene as well, also inspired by a post-industrial sort of setting. Maybe you've got some stuff in the galleries here? I think it would sell well here, if it's not already being sold. I'd be interested in purchasing.

Your bow project reminds me of a documentary I saw on public television (PBS?) a few years back, where a group of folks in the U.K. took a DaVinci design for a massive weapon (soccer-field size in scale - maybe a crossbow?) used to storm castles, and brought it to life (it was never built while DaVinci was alive). Truly amazing, like your project.

Do you still work for the Chemical Controls Ltd. company (from your profile)? I worked with some folks at a U.K. industrial controls distributor a few years back called "Seprol" - they took care of the controls needs of a U.K. Jaguar plant - maybe we know some people in common?

Also, maybe you know the "toad" artist: Was listening to a discussion on Kenneth Grahame's illustrations this past weekend on CBC Radio 1.

Thanks again for sharing your artwork and project with me.

- Larry

Hi,
Chemical Controls has been taken over by Seko an Italian company, I must update my profile.
I've not come across Seprol, we do moxtly small stuff in the dishwash, laundry and drain dosing sector.

I've not really sold much artwork, except from a local exhibition, I do like to make my hobies pay for themselves so I've sold a few crossbows years ago. I'm hoping to get into my art and bow making more and cut down on 'work'.
_{(Truth be told the design load has reduced since the takeover and I'm bored out of my skull... don't tell anyone)}

Cheers
Del

Well for petes sake don't let kris see this. HAve you seen his avatar?

milo

Too late Milo, I've been watching all along ! I'm in training for the huntin' season..

(credit where due - half way down)

YIKES! The squirrels will be shooting back.

That gal does some nice work, Kris.

milo

That's what I thought - It'll have Del salivating !

Check this out ; http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/west_midlands/4528976.stm

I think it's the same guy who had a bunch of his work stolen (worth a fortune). Amazingly, it turned up in a car boot sale, and some real excellent dude gave it back to him !

Also, take a peek at Stephen Wiltshires gallery.

I saw a prog on t' box on Steven Witshire excellent.
(I think 12th scale is too small to make an actuall working scale bow...I thought some of the other stuff was nicer.)
S'pose I'll have to make some arrows now to put my money where my mouth is <slaps furry head with paw>
Del

I remember a dollhouse shop in Covent Gardens, that had some beautiful works, like these:

http://www.janetgranger.co.uk/house.htm

Alas, it's no longer there. I've heard it moved somewhere in The Cotswolds. Actually, I will be in the Cotswolds this summer, may look it up. I remember the place to be as much a museum, as a shop. They had many fascinating anamatrons.

I've been to Covent Garden many times, but had never noticed the place ! Miniture stuff is pretty cool . If I hear word from anyone who's seen the Cotswold place I'll let you know. I don't know the area, but it sounds really nice. Bourton on the Water is a well know visiting place.

Wigan's tiny artworks are amazing -- hard to imagine such a steady hand and sharp eye. Taking miniature art to the extreme, you get down to the nearly atomic scale, as in the portrait shown at this site: nanobama.com

Cool . Nanotubes seem to be a hot topic at present.

Hello Del,

good luck for the new year OK?

I really like your bow. I didn't know you were into that? I made my own when I was a kid, you know a notch each end and my favourite bit of twine.

My suggestion for yours, and I would be first in the queue to buy one would be to shoot at spiders. But your bow looks so cute!

Is it the picture or is the shooting line off centre?

Take care...................

Cheers,
It's s'posed to be symetrical about the centreline.
Maybe Spider for next Christmas Dinner...plenty of drumsticks to go around.

I may make all the fittings, arrows, quiver etc to go with it, a little indoors hoby for winter.

Del

Hello Del,

There is no bo-unds to your talents!

Maybe Spider for next Christmas Dinner...plenty of drumsticks to go around.

Del, if things ever get that bad, send a message and I will give you a goose!

You mention "drumsticks", my Sister is a farmer and bred a dozen chickens with 6 legs. That was a year ago. Unfortunately, she has no idea what they taste like, as she can't catch them.

Take care Del and Family..............I'm going to look at your other bows etc.

Hi Del,

I need something pocket size to hit the Terrorists who had attacked us in Mumbai, India so that 1000 people can carry as defence equipment.

Best I have is this.

or this.

Neither is very practical..but they scare the heck out of trick or treaters at Halloween.
Del

The bottom one with the arrow magazine is a Chinese invention from the third century BC

Indeed
Del

If it weren't for the stupid gun control laws that the Brits foisted off on you, Mumbai would not have been NEARLY the success it was. There were multiple chances for bystanders to take the morons out, but nobody was armed.

I recommend issuing these to everyone.

You are right Sir, many of the rich industrialist,executives and others were helpless in front of two terrorist armed with AK-47 guns. Our city police has century old Rifle-0.303.There was absolutely no security at the 5 star hotels, now they have kept well armed guards. Here getting a arms licence takes more than a year that also depends on the whims of the Police. Importing arms is impossible. So you have to live here entirely at the mercy of terrorists.

Damn...I just sat on it and bust one of the limbs .
Still never mind, I'm working on the full sized one already.

Del

Deepest sympathies.

milo

I just hate those moments when you hear a breaking noise - the kind of incident when you know what's happened, and all you can do is freeze in realization. Several minutes of loud swearing usually works for me, although sometimes it's just stunned 'nothingness'.

I was having a real bad day once when everything possible went wrong. Late that night I sat down, quietly contemplating the days disaster, as gales lashed the house. All of a sudden I heard this drip-drip-drip...... I knew it was a leak coming thru a bay window, and didn't even bother turning my head to look for several minutes. Just sat there thinking something unprintable. I ended up laughing at the woefulness of it all, sat a bucket under the drip and went to bed. Next morning I tentatively prodded the soggy plaster, and the whole bloody lot fell on my head ! The neighbours must have killed themselves laughing, as I just stood, motionless, on top of a box by the window, completely covered in dust and manky plaster. To cap it off, a whole length of elaborate Victorian type cornicing fell and broke into about 20 bits. Amazingly, I was able to re-instate it with that 'no-nails' stuff, and you can't see the joins. Blimey, I'm rambling.......

Nice Work Del! I'm sure that squirrel I trapped in my attic a few days ago would have liked to had one. My cats enjoyed the tasty snack provided by the squirrel...

Man, I've missed a lot over the Holidays!

So what kind of tea are you drinking there?

Hi,
A nice cup og Mr Sainbury's Red label. Brewed nice and strong, bit of milk and one bog sugar. What I'd call a good mug of workman's tea.

The full sized version is coming along nicely.
I experimented with a bow backing over the holiday, I had some glass fibre rope left over from re-doing a gaket on my gas boiler flue, each strand of the rope is a bundle of fine untwisted glass fibres, I glued some onto an old Ash flat bow (which had been seriousl abused), with builders PVA , it worked a treat, it went on really smooth and flat and dried virtually transparent, did 2 layers, it made the old bow shootable and stiffened it up a tad.
Hope you enjoyed the holiday, happy new year

Del

I enjoy a good cup of tea. Unfortunately the Texas is dominated by coffee and Iced tea. It's hard to find a good cup.

I recieved a catalog from three rivers archery over the break. I'm toying with the idea of making some arrows. I'm getting to a point in my house renovation where I can start thinking of some recreational projects now...I have all but one side re-roofed and four rooms totally renovated! I still have the kitchen and Master "suite" ... and siding...and....oh &^$(%!...I'm going to be renovating forever!