Before I could go and Google "Abney and Teal" he had sent another PM with some screen grab pics.
Could I , or would I considder having a go at making some of these little guys for his 3 year old daughter? She loves them, but there are no Poc Poc's out there to be bought.
Some sample screen grabs.
Of course I could not say no..... the story of my life?
So I found some wood, which is off the front of an old Oak drawer I had rescued from a skip in Southampton a couple of weeks ago, I had other plans for the drawer, but this is as good a use as any.
About 20mm thick, aged, and furniture grade.... perfect.
I removed all the metal furniture from it and then proceeded to draw a few different sized outlines on a breakfast cereal box, cut out, transfer and then started cutting them out.
I had been looking on Ebay for a few weeks for a cheap Fret saw / Scroll saw for the last few weeks, and then yesterday Mickey came around for a cuppa and I mentioned it to him, and he loaned me his so that I could get started.
Drawer Front.
Prototype.... they are buggers due to the curve on the neck, and the fact the Fret saw really is made for cutting thin stuff and balsa for moddeling.
These little guys must take at least 45min to an hour each to complete right down to waxing if you add in all the process actions.... amazing how time flies. Getting the inner neck sanded by hand and getting the roundness fairly uniform takes time.
What I like is that these toys will be very much Tactile and also allow the child to create its own stories.
I then made a first one in Oak, and finished it right down to the waxing stage. This was while my mate Pete was turning himself some light switch pulls on the lathe.
Posed up next to the Prototype, I am happy with the look and finish.
I have made them between 70mm and 100mm high, so that they are a decent size to play with.
Here is the rest of the group cut out.
At this point we went off to fetch Fish and Chips for Dinner.
The rest will be finished when I get a chance.
