Shell-42.jpg
This is what it will look like after a bit of sanding.
Shell-43.jpg
You can now sand the ends of the flutes a bit more. I roll up a piece of sandpaper and sand the lower parts of the ends of the flutes. Since I'm going to throw this shell away, I didn't spend a lot of time sanding it. For a shell you're going to use, you should sand it smooth and take it to at least p240 grit.
Shell-44.jpg
Here's the finished shell. It'll really pop with some finish on it.
Shell-45.jpg
And here's the finished shell against a piece of mahogany. Note that this is just a scrap piece of mahogany and it's not from the same board as the carving blank. But the match is not bad.
When you glue the shell to the ground, just use a small amount of glue - the one thing you don't want is glue squirting out everywhere when you clamp it down. It's better to have no glue around the outside of the shell than excess squeezing out all over. I just put a small amount of glue in the center of the shell and clamp it down. Otherwise, put a VERY thin layer on both pieces and clamp it.
As you get better, you can make the shell thinner, which will make it look even more like it's part of the ground. The risk you take (and it's not a big risk) is that the shell will break when you take it off the support board. It looks better when it's thinner, especially around the edges, but I didn't want to start you carving it too thin. This way, if you make a mistake, you can cut the blank down and keep carving.
Now, let's see yours.
Mike
Last edited by Mike Henderson; 11-06-2008 at 7:10 PM.
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