Scrimshawing Delight

P

Piercyexclusive

AzB Silver Member
Silver Member
So I was sitting around the hospital doing my weekly dialysis and I started to think about scrimshawing and was wondering,

Are there allot of people who scimshaw on cues...

I am not talking about computers doing the work, I am talking about an actual person doing the work? you know by hand with a needle and such.

now Ive done some in the past but would like to know if anyone knows a cuemaker that actually does it by hand and doesn't pass the work to anyone else?

Also if the cuemaker does the scrimshawing does it affect the price for the better vs if it was sourced out to someone. what's your feeling on this?

what's your favorite style of scrimshawing (technique)?

I know I've seen cues that were scrimshawed on but were mainly out sourced to another individual to do the work. so that's not what I am talking about. Im talking about the cuemaker themselves doing the work without the aid of machines.

if you have, could you put pictures on here of some?
I would love to see some hand made scrimshaws from cuemakers themselves. I love scrimshawing and would like to see some from the masters of cuemaking. remember just pics of those who do it by hand.
 
Bill Schick has always done his own Scrimshaw work. I think it really set him apart form other cuemakers early on. These days, with guys like Bob Hergert doing absolutely amazing work, I don't think it hurts the cue when he is doing the work as apposed to the cuemaker.

To my knowledge, scrimshaw is never done by a machine. The work done by CNC or Pantogragh is referred to as engraving. Bill Schick does both scrimshaw and engraving in his cues. Ron Haley does some incredible engraving work.


Bill Schick scrimshaw:
Handle-002.jpg


Bob Hergert micro scrimshaw in the Andy Gilbert cue "Lord of the Rings":
285_Nitti_s,_Judds,_LOTR_Cues,_Doll_Groupings_for_Sale_140.jpg
285_Nitti_s,_Judds,_LOTR_Cues,_Doll_Groupings_for_Sale_142.jpg


Ron Haley engraving:
file.php
 
day one of scrimshawing

....everyday I will scrimshaw on a piece of ivory or something until the whole thing is completely covered with scrimshawing... I just love scrimshawing. I will also post them up..
I do everything with just a sharp pointed object...
I will post the tools I use and what I drew.

I would love for people to post scrimshawing pics of cues, remember no machine work just hand done.
I'll start today.
 
Worminator said:
Bill Schick has always done his own Scrimshaw work. I think it really set him apart form other cuemakers early on. These days, with guys like Bob Hergert doing absolutely amazing work, I don't think it hurts the cue when he is doing the work as apposed to the cuemaker.

To my knowledge, scrimshaw is never done by a machine. The work done by CNC or Pantogragh is referred to as engraving. Bill Schick does both scrimshaw and engraving in his cues. Ron Haley does some incredible engraving work.


Bill Schick scrimshaw:
Handle-002.jpg


Bob Hergert micro scrimshaw in the Andy Gilbert cue "Lord of the Rings":
285_Nitti_s,_Judds,_LOTR_Cues,_Doll_Groupings_for_Sale_140.jpg
285_Nitti_s,_Judds,_LOTR_Cues,_Doll_Groupings_for_Sale_142.jpg


Ron Haley engraving:
file.php
Click to expand...

there is a machine that does help with stipple work....some are not done completely by hand now a days.

here are a few links to some tools used to scrimshaw...

http://www.paleotools.com/which_airscribe.html
http://www.chippingaway.com/WoodCarving/PowerCarvingTools/TurboCarverSystem.htm

Also engraving tools can be used for scrimshawing
 
Also if you want to send something for me to do for this thread post the picture and see if I can do it. and I will post the final result..

this is all for fun for me thats it.
 
here are my tools and stock ....

I'm not going to go really elaborate on my scrimshawing for those who turn in pics for me ...
this is cause I want to get one done a day for fun and so that I have something to do while
in the hospital on my day to day visits now.

I will however get the overall look and when I have more time elaborate on it some more later down the road.

thanks for the future pics of cues and for pics for me to do for me to kill time in the hospital.
 

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Wow, those are some beautiful cues.

As usual, you've got some interesting stuff going on there Marshall. looking forward to seeing your photos, and everyone else's, too.
 
here's a simple one of a wolf...
I did this...for day one

this is scrimshaw work nothing else.
 

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Worminator said:
Bill Schick has always done his own Scrimshaw work. I think it really set him apart form other cuemakers early on. These days, with guys like Bob Hergert doing absolutely amazing work, I don't think it hurts the cue when he is doing the work as apposed to the cuemaker.

To my knowledge, scrimshaw is never done by a machine. The work done by CNC or Pantogragh is referred to as engraving. Bill Schick does both scrimshaw and engraving in his cues. Ron Haley does some incredible engraving work.


Bill Schick scrimshaw:
Handle-002.jpg


Bob Hergert micro scrimshaw in the Andy Gilbert cue "Lord of the Rings":
285_Nitti_s,_Judds,_LOTR_Cues,_Doll_Groupings_for_Sale_140.jpg
285_Nitti_s,_Judds,_LOTR_Cues,_Doll_Groupings_for_Sale_142.jpg


Ron Haley engraving:
file.php
Click to expand...

The picture of the Schick cue was taken from Roy Malott's website. www.indyq.com

If you want to see the rest of this incredible cue which I was fortunate enough to do in person go to Roy's website. It's an amazing masterpiece.

Scrimshaw is engraving. It's done by using a needle to scratch the material in order to remove a small amount and then the material is colored so that the color remains in the scratches.

Sandra Brady is the goddess of scrimshaw on cues but there are several others who are as good or better.

Last year at the ICCS cue maker's round table they had a lively discussion about whether a cue should be given higher regard when the most dominating feature on it is scrimshaw work done by someone other than the cue maker.

The Birds of Prey cue shown here was a topic as Bill Schick, the cuemaker, did all of the scrimshaw himself. The question was raised as to whether such a cue solely done by one person should have a higher status than a collaboration.

I think that there is nothing wrong with collaborations as long as they are labeled as such. That way someone might be a fan of Sandra Brady's art or Hegert's but not particularly of any given cuemaker so they they decide to collect cues which Sandra worked on.

Jim Stadum from Samsara was particularly disdainful of cue makers who send out their cues to be engraved elsewhere. Personally I think it's just part of the new world of communication and collaboration. The only people who should really care are the cue maker who should give credit to the artist and the collector who should be informed of the collaboration so he can factor that into his buying decision.

I think that there is a certain "pride" and accomplishment factor that is felt by makers like Bill Schick that just can't be had by makers who send their work out.

I know for me I can feel a little personal pride in the cases we do which are heavily tooled because I was the art director of sorts but I can never feel as personally proud as I would if I did all the tooling. I look at the finished case and feel tremendous pride and gratitude towards my tooler but I know in my heart that if it weren't for him then the case wouldn't be as "special". So I provide the canvas and he provides the art. It's a team effort and the results are great.

So at the end of the day what will stand out? Will future historians and Antique Roadshow appraisers give more weight to items fully crafted by one person or will they judge each piece on it's merits as a standalone item.

Stradivarius had a workshop with many workers and apprentices who actually built the violins. Many of the world's great artists have created their works through the use of assistants and apprentices throughout history.

So for me it's something where I look the piece itself without regard as to how it came into being and judge it solely on it's merits as to whether it moves me or not. I think on some level if a cue maker puts out a cue where everyone goes nuts over someone else art on it then there has to be twinge of regret somewhere deep down that the cue is secondary to the decoration on it.

But I don't think of that when I look at the cue. I just judge it on it's merits.

And some scrimshawed cues I have seen are just plain stupid. Sorry but they are filled up with imagery that barely ties together. And some like most of what Paul Mottey has done is so artfully arranged that I can sit there with the cue for hours reveling in it.

That's my 4cts
 
It's true that there are machines which duplicate scrimshaw. The very best laser engraving machines are capable of doing any image so that it's indistinguishable from hand drawn. Of course the image used had to be hand drawn by someone.

The brand of cues which came out a few years ago had designs on them that appeared to be hand-done scrimshaw. If you look at knives you can often find knives with machine-engraved designs that are indistinguishable from hand-scrimmed ones to all but the most expert eye.
 
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If I were a collector I'd pay more for a cue with artwork done by the cue maker than I would pay for a cue sent out for the art work.

I don't look down on the practice of sending the cue out... I just admire and value more (it is a value judgement) the cue maker who also has the artistic skill to do the artwork in addition to the artisans skills necessary to build a monster cue.
 
JB Cases said:
It's true that there are machines which duplicate scrimshaw. The very best laser engraving machines are capable of doing any image so that it's indistinguishable from hand drawn. Of course the image used had to be hand drawn by someone.

The brand of cues which came out a few years ago had designs on them that appeared to be hand-done scrimshaw. If you look at knives you can often find knives with machine-engraved designs that are indistinguishable from hand-scrimmed ones to all but the most expert eye.
Click to expand...



I love what i do and I love drawing on paper but scrimshawing is difinately a different feel and experience, but none the less love it to.

A few years back I had a guy commission me to design a cue to be built for him to take to another cue maker who would do it for cheaper and It took about 2 weeks to do it and in the end when I was done, I asked him if I could give him his money back instead of the drawing. I loved the design so much I just had to build it.

I did Eventually give in to his price and sold him the cue.

It's like I cann't bring myself to have someone else build any of my designs I don't know why but I just can not. I tried to but it never left my hands nor did it leave my computer.

It's the same way I feel about scrimshawing on a cue. I jut bring myself to have someone else draw on it. I may not be the best but I will try me best.
 
I was kinda up late do I done some more scrimshawing on the stock and heres one that was emailed to me it was just the face of a mandga cartoon of Naratu changing from human to beast....he wanted me to catch the impression....I hope I did that.

will work on more tommorow...
 

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A link to ithttp://www.queperfect.biz/EW0565Roses.htm you can see more of his work at the left toolbar.

cheers
Chrippa
 
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