# the evolution of a spalted deadwood fork



## bj000 (Jul 21, 2011)

f u H


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## marcus sr (Jun 5, 2011)

very nice,that perspective in the lasy pic makes it look hooooooge lol


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## mckee (Oct 28, 2010)

it looks huge on the last pic!


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## bj000 (Jul 21, 2011)

it is HUGE.. this was going to be my SITH entry before i got a response from hedgewolf.. i had given him a choice of materials and while i waited for him to reply i started this.. He said he had big hands so i cut out a design template out of paper.. and fit it to the huge dead fork i had.. then hedgewolf said he wanted the hdpe,. so i started working on that and made pretty much the same design in hdpe.
so now i have this gigantic natural fork.. its going to be great man


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## bj000 (Jul 21, 2011)

HUGE


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## marcus sr (Jun 5, 2011)

lol mate you dont do things by half!!!! whens hagrid picking it up lol???????


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## bj000 (Jul 21, 2011)

marcus sr said:


> lol mate you dont do things by half!!!! whens hagrid picking it up lol???????


lol It will be really stable , i imagine. Got an amazing grip and it will only get better once i dig into it some more.
I bet i will end up giving it away to some giant eventually.


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## marcus sr (Jun 5, 2011)

what finish you gonna use mate? thats crying out to shine in a nice gloss


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## bj000 (Jul 21, 2011)

im going to just poly it cause that is what i have here. on my next batch of slingshots i plan on trying to wax them and or oil them.. i actually put olive oil on one of my naturals yesterday.. it keeps soaking up more and more olive oil and now its taken on a green tint.. looks cool.
but anyways, yeah , i will post the finished product asap. i am going to finish shaping it today and take a pic then.


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## keef (May 27, 2011)

Nice work my friend!.. What kind of wood is it?..Looks like it may be a maple species?

Fit it with some mega bands and give those shoulders a good workout!!

Cheers

keith


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## bj000 (Jul 21, 2011)

yeah maybe it is maple. its pretty tough.. what is funny is that a month ago i couldn't pull double theraband gold on my gamekeeper. after spending so much time working on slingshots, and mostly all by hand except a bit of rotary tool use.. i cut everything with coping saw, i rasp everything to do the shaping, rotary cool to clean up the rasp marks, and then sand paper for a few days worth of sanding.. i am a lot stronger now.. its pretty crazy. i could easily pull triple gold now.


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## keef (May 27, 2011)

I Like the handtool thing...It gives you a far better understanding of the process (Not to say I wouldnt want a workshop with some powertools!)

Handtools are the business though, and always remember that 2 minutes of carelessness with a handtool can ruin your catapult...10 seconds with a powertool will do exactly the same thing..!!!

Keith


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## bj000 (Jul 21, 2011)

i agree. i like using the rotary tool but the shaping and sanding need that delicate touch of handtools. its too easily to go too far with my rotary tool. i made the mistake once and that was all it took to see that i need to slow it down.


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## bj000 (Jul 21, 2011)

i just finished shaping the handle..


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## strikewzen (Jun 18, 2010)

jesus BJ i think you can turn pro now

just a side note, since i collect many wooden weapons from japan they told me not to use olive oil since it might go rancid in the long run

so i asked what they used they were like the bland is secret blah blah but major soaking oil is teak
and i bought a bunch of camellia oil for maintenance, if you want some camellia i can send you in late september (they are in poland i'm not there now)

http://www.bokkenshop.com/product_p/001-tc100.htm free for you lol
and i have almost everything on the site lol including the 2000 dollar wood sword that's why i am anal about oil


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## bj000 (Jul 21, 2011)

how much is the oil in USD?


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## bj000 (Jul 21, 2011)

oh my god, i have never seen these bokken before.. they are so beautiful!


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## strikewzen (Jun 18, 2010)

from the drop down currency converter it's at 27 something usd without shipping, you can just use tung or walnut oil if you want, don't buy it there have extras you can have free


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## bj000 (Jul 21, 2011)

i love the tonfas.. holy crap, thanks for showing me this site.. i had no idea what i was missing out on. i could make stuff like that! i got nice trunk of white birch and its screaming out for me to turn it into some kind of wooden sword or something..
thank you so much .. very inspiring. i will be sure to show you if i come up with something.


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## bj000 (Jul 21, 2011)

strikewzen said:


> from the drop down currency converter it's at 27 something usd without shipping, you can just use tung or walnut oil if you want, don't buy it there have extras you can have free


alright for sure! thanks!


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## bj000 (Jul 21, 2011)

check it out.. 
i will make these into wood swords.. bokkens , i guess.
i have had these logs for a while but i didnt know what to do with them until now.
i think the first is elm, and the second is white birch.


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## strikewzen (Jun 18, 2010)

wooden swords are ... another topic all together, the type of wood, the grain alignment, drying process to stabilize it so it stays straight forever, the impact resistance, the semi slide satin feel on the handle, the curvature, the "blood grooves" that makes a swish sound... ( on my top model the swish is not heard when swung correctly, it is heard when the cut is not on a plane)
and the egg shape ergo grip... sigh........

god i read like a thousand articles on these, and bought a huge collection, still don't quite get it


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## bj000 (Jul 21, 2011)

holy jumpins.
i still think i will at least make some clubs. if i cannot produce something to be proud of with those logs, i can at least make some neanderthal clubs.


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## keef (May 27, 2011)

The elm one would almost certainly be able to be split carefully down the middle, and spliced to make a cool flatbow.. Check out th primitive archery section of paleoplanet.com ..

I make bows and elm is one of the best...

Keith


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## bj000 (Jul 21, 2011)

i will have to look into that too. I am totally drowning in ideas. Honestly , i hate to say it, but i would like to be prepared to hunt for myself and protect myself once society crumbles ( if it does ). i just want to be prepared. making a bow is at the top of my list.
i watched a few vids on making a bundle bow.. seems like a good alternative if you do not have anything else.. but i want to make myself a real bow and real arrows.. i just need to know i can if i had to.. 
all this survival and hunting stuff is all new to me, but i must admit that it has taken over me.


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## marcus sr (Jun 5, 2011)

if the catty is handled regular that will offset the olive oil going rancid,if its just oiled an left somewhere to look pretty then it will become rancid an stink to high heaven.for bokkens its usually oak,theres a misconception that bokkens are training weapons they are not,they are a weapon in there own right,musashi had many victories against opponents with a live sword,as to the clubs lol,a shilelagh might be more subtle lol


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## El Topo (Jun 8, 2011)

bj000 said:


> check it out..
> i will make these into wood swords.. bokkens , i guess.
> i have had these logs for a while but i didnt know what to do with them until now.
> i think the first is elm, and the second is white birch.


cool idea!!
btw: this red tube standing on the table... is it what I think it might be?


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## strikewzen (Jun 18, 2010)

El Topo said:


> cool idea!!
> btw: this red tube standing on the table... is it what I think it might be?


hahahah hahahahhaha now i get what he's smiling about


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## NaturalFork (Jan 21, 2010)

Wow that came out amazing!


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## bj000 (Jul 21, 2011)

El Topo said:


> check it out..
> i will make these into wood swords.. bokkens , i guess.
> i have had these logs for a while but i didnt know what to do with them until now.
> i think the first is elm, and the second is white birch.


i forgot to stash it away !
cool idea!!
btw: this red tube standing on the table... is it what I think it might be?








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## El Topo (Jun 8, 2011)

bj000 said:


> check it out..
> i will make these into wood swords.. bokkens , i guess.
> i have had these logs for a while but i didnt know what to do with them until now.
> i think the first is elm, and the second is white birch.


i forgot to stash it away !
cool idea!!
btw: this red tube standing on the table... is it what I think it might be?








[/quote]
[/quote]

you got my sympathy!


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## marcus sr (Jun 5, 2011)

bj000 said:


> check it out..
> i will make these into wood swords.. bokkens , i guess.
> i have had these logs for a while but i didnt know what to do with them until now.
> i think the first is elm, and the second is white birch.


i forgot to stash it away !
cool idea!!
btw: this red tube standing on the table... is it what I think it might be?








[/quote]
[/quote]
its one a them new fangled ammo holders


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## bj000 (Jul 21, 2011)

lol yeah its a red acrylic ammo despenser.


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## bj000 (Jul 21, 2011)

i hope i am not the only one hahaha


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## The Gopher (Aug 25, 2010)

if you're looking for a drying oil, the least expensive will be boiled linseed oil. just be careful how you dispose of the rags, because it is a drying oil it creates heat when it is reacting with the oxygen in the air...can spontaeously combust if a rag is thrown in a corner or something.

Watch out, bow building is just as addictive as slingshots! I've been building bows for several years now before getting into slingshots. I've got bows, arrows, slingshots, quivers, etc, in every corner of the house.


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## Dan the Slingshot Man (Nov 21, 2010)

That's a beautiful slingshot, the wood has a very nice grain


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## bj000 (Jul 21, 2011)

The Gopher said:


> if you're looking for a drying oil, the least expensive will be boiled linseed oil. just be careful how you dispose of the rags, because it is a drying oil it creates heat when it is reacting with the oxygen in the air...can spontaeously combust if a rag is thrown in a corner or something.
> 
> Watch out, bow building is just as addictive as slingshots! I've been building bows for several years now before getting into slingshots. I've got bows, arrows, slingshots, quivers, etc, in every corner of the house.


uh oh.. lol.. i love how slingshots introduced me to all kinds of ways to manipulate wood. this has really opened my eyes to a world i had no idea existed. for lack of a better word, tool making is awesome.


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## Chepo69 (May 1, 2010)

You have no friends in the NFL or NBA would be a nice gift lol!


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## bj000 (Jul 21, 2011)

Chepo69 said:


> You have no friends in the NFL or NBA would be a nice gift lol!


i dont watch sports. i am not sure what you mean hehe.


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## strikewzen (Jun 18, 2010)

i think he means those players have very large hands

you know what they say about large hands...


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## bj000 (Jul 21, 2011)

oh , of course.. i have a good friend who is a fridge of a man. He would appreciate it. 
He is like my oldest friend. He has seen me grow from a street kid into someone who can control his own life. I was thinking about making him something else, but he would love this too..
i might just keep this for myself because its so awesome and make him one another time.








i have put so much time into this one already. the most out of any of the other slingshots i have done, and i am not even close to finished.
its very possible that it will not be so big once i am done even though i really dig the hugeness of it.


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## bj000 (Jul 21, 2011)

bj000 said:


> i dont know what this wood is. It has caused me a lot of headaches but by the end of today it should be amazing.. i will post a final few pics tonight before i poly it.


here is where i am now.. i still need to sand it up quite a bit


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## monoaminooxidase (Jun 20, 2011)

looking good there, might be a real beauty once its sanded and polished and everything.
as for finish, i recently tried and made some wood polish. (tried it out on marcus sr.'s sith for the first time - i hope it works)
1/3 beeswax,
1/3 linseed oil
1/3 turpentine
heat it all in a waterbath (small pot in a large pot of water on the stove) until the wax is melted and everything blends together nicely.
i'd be careful while heating though, not sure how dangerous the mix in itself ist combustion-wise, but i put some on a rag and that burnt like s***t! the heat needed to blend it would be below 100°C i suppose, so if you don't drop it on the stove it's ok.

ah there's probably a thousand forum entries on wood finish already... and i have no experience how well it holds, but it's easy to mix and will hopefully seal the wood from water, which linseed oil alone will not. Since some members here (including marcus i think) use oil and beeswax, the combination can't be too bad, and the turpentine hopefully helps to bring it deep into the wood...

hah i remember seeing a tomahawk somewhere with a pipe built in - the handle of this fork might be big enough to have one of them interesting ammo holders carved into it XD


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## bj000 (Jul 21, 2011)

yeah i think that's a good idea. i like the idea of mixing different finishes like that. i totally want to try the beeswax . i will shop around in a few weeks once my wells replenish . Wood finish can be awfully expensive.


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## marcus sr (Jun 5, 2011)

bj000 said:


> yeah i think that's a good idea. i like the idea of mixing different finishes like that. i totally want to try the beeswax . i will shop around in a few weeks once my wells replenish . Wood finish can be awfully expensive.


old gypsy method of wood protection was veg oil,no thats not a joke,leave for at least 2 days then rub the entire thing with a simple wax candle,buff with wire wool,repeat as required


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## keef (May 27, 2011)

I agree with Marcus, but substitute that veg oil for Olive oil ( as its antiseptic and mould resistant)...If you can get hold of natural beeswax, melt it with the olive oil and put a heap of coats on polishing between every one..

Keith


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## alfshooter (May 11, 2011)

After finishing with oil (olive, etc), I will draw brightness with a steel spoon, the polished finish is very good.
The fork is precious and your excellent work.


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## bj000 (Jul 21, 2011)

i rubbed a few coats of olive oil into a natural, let dry and now it is drying its second coat of polyurethane . i think it looks cool.


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## bj000 (Jul 21, 2011)

a bit more finished.

and then after oil.. next poly and polish

the last two pictures:
i used crazy glue, then sand, and polished again.. crazy glue makes a wonderful finish. i am going to use it more often


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## monoaminooxidase (Jun 20, 2011)

helluva fork, looks really great. It's so big though, but even if you should find it too big to shoot, mount it on the wall, it's an elephant catapult.
Nice to see it evolve over the weeks this topic is running.


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## Jack Ratt (Sep 18, 2011)

Looks great. Maybe you can start making anti aircraft catapults, lol. It would make a great window piece for a slingshot exhibition. Superb work.


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## mckee (Oct 28, 2010)

how have you made the colours like that?


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## bj000 (Jul 21, 2011)

monoaminooxidase said:


> helluva fork, looks really great. It's so big though, but even if you should find it too big to shoot, mount it on the wall, it's an elephant catapult.
> Nice to see it evolve over the weeks this topic is running.


it really is more of an art piece than shooter, thats for sure..


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## bj000 (Jul 21, 2011)

mckee said:


> how have you made the colours like that?


its spalted deadwood..


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## atom (Jun 24, 2011)

stunning work bj top quality


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## bj000 (Jul 21, 2011)

atom said:


> stunning work bj top quality


Thanks atom. I just got home from work and put it in my hands, and it really is something special.. it feels so good to hold.


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## atom (Jun 24, 2011)

what bands you gonna use ?


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## bj000 (Jul 21, 2011)

I will use some thick latex that LGD sent me. maybe 6 cm wide?


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