Monthly Archives: January 2020

“Norman?” is that you?

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Wow two post in as many days! a new record! Well really just part of one of those resolutions you make to yourself around this time of year, to do something more, or do something less! Well one was to do more painting of mini’s, more playing with mini’s, and actually posting more about it! I also vowed to try and take pictures of and categorize my entire collection here…lol we’ll see about that, I will try. So here goes the first “mini post” of 2020.

It seems that my breaking from the tradition of never taking commissions for painting a few years back has led to more and more commissions, mostly for friends and many times to try painting figures that I would not paint for myself but I feel may be interesting or a challenge to paint.

This is yet another unit for Chris Armstrong’s ever-growing Byzantine SAGA warband. This time it’s a “warrior” unit of 8 Mounted horsemen. They are painted as Normans in Byzantine service but I kept the paint job a bit more “generic Norman” so they can be used by Chris as mounted Medieval horsemen in many roles.

The horses and the riders are from Gripping beast and have had some modifications to their poses as well as hand made steel spears added. Shields are hand painted. The next unit up for Chris’s Byzantine army is a 4 horse Cataphract unit.

An Ax at 1-1 scale

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OK, about time I posted something up here, not that I haven’t been busy but I’ve just not had anytime to post stuff! Well I still don’t have much time but even a small post will make me feel better…

My project for part of November and most of December was prepping for the Holidays and working 6 days a week which doesn’t leave you much time to paint, build, or play! Now I added to that work load the decision to make my daughters Christmas gift, well one of them. My daughter is a avid camper and hiker, while growing up with us, and now many times with her friends. Several times over the last couple of years she has borrowed my camping ax to use and hinted that she could sure use one of her own.

The condition my $5 ax came to me in!

While up in Washington camping last year my wife and I stopped at a little church bazaar and I picked up an old, rusty, beat-up Estwing camping ax for $5 and thought I would try and restore it for her. Little did I know what a project it would become!

Estwings come with a ring type compressed leather handle and it was completely rotted. cutting it off reveals the steel “tang” The new handle was cut to shape, split, and routed out to mate to this tang using two part epoxy.

I like to push the envelope sometimes and this project was no exception, I got into acid etching using vinegar, lemon, and a battery charger, engraving with Dremel tools, gun bluing, as well as expanding my woodworking skills by custom making the handle out of a chunk of south American “Ipe” wood. This wood is dense and super hard, 3 times as hard as oak! So dense that it doesn’t float in water it sinks!

I’m pretty proud of the handle its shape came out great and is a joy to hold. I also added about a 1 ½ “ to the normal length so as to add a bit more leverage and force in the swing.

My daughter loved it, ran out Christmas morning went to take pictures on the wood pile, and post to twitter, kids!

Into the steel of the ax I etched and ground images of trees, mountains, lakes, and activities we loved to do when camping.

Now she says “Dad I need a second ax to go camping with so I keep this one nice!” oh well I guess I’ll start checking swap meets for another bargain ax….