The long awaited rain in the Campbell River area gave opportunity to stay indoors today
I always feel a little guilty that I'm not outside when the sun shines
We have a large garden, which takes a lot of up keep
Actually there's no reason I couldn't made driftwood stuff outdoors!
I let what wood I have collected, guide what the finished boat will look like
I've mentioned before, my first attempted looked like I'd tried too hard
These were never very pleasing!
This piece is already angled, so a tug boat seems the obvious choice
Safety first, I hold in place ready to cut (Love my thrift shop Workmate)
The rough edge looked great but it would be difficult to attach a cabin
The level surface won't distract from the great shape of this piece
This piece of wood already has some color so I'll use that
I mark the line to cut using the previously trimmed would to get an accurate angle
Next I select a flat piece of driftwood for the cabin roof and cut to size
Depending on the size of the boat, determines how I will join the cabin to the hull of the boat
One of my prized tools is my hand drill
Purchased on line this allows pre-drilling of delicate pieces of wood
Driftwood can often be unstable
Numerous times the wood will split (Usually followed by a selection of choice words!)
I often use a piece of bamboo skewer as a dowel to connect the two pieces
Drill both piece carefully, cut the dowel to size
Hammer into place and a spot of good glue does the trick
My work contains lots of recycled elements (is that an admission I'm a hoarder?)
Select some nails (I like rusty nails to add character)
Adding the details is the fun part
Cheap eyelets made great portholes (I've used washers in the past too)
I use 19 gauge black wire to make eyelets to secure wire detail or hold twine details
My set of pliers are another must have, in my tool kit
The Elmer's Tacky Glue is always at hand
The best brand for my craft at least
After a couple of hours, a splash of acrylic paint, drilling out a base and...Voila!
I love it! The natural tones and unpainted finish let you admire the beauty of the woods natural qualities.
