Recent Finds #2 and More Relics of the Old Whaling Days

Earlier in the month, Anne and I took a drive down to Mystic, Connecticut to experience B.F. Clyde's, the only steam-powered apple cider mill in the U.S. It was a lovely fall day; perfect weather for apple cider and cider donuts! Amply nourished, we commenced a lazy automobile tour of the area, and ended up poking around a few antiques stores and a fun Goodwill store in Groton, Connecticut. The Goodwill visit yielded the glass-domed dried weed arrangement pictured above for a more than reasonable .99 cents, and a very old pad of manila paper for .50 cents: perfect for any project calling for old-looking labels or tags!

A local antiques shop made for some entertaining browsing, but my purchase was limited to a small corked bottle of mysterious oil, procured for $2.99. I desperately wanted it to be an old bottle of whale oil to enhance my modest collection of nautical and whaling related artifacts, and it might well be, though it was unlabeled, and the thoroughly stuck cork will prevent me from ever truly knowing!

I thought the little bottle rather closely resembled some I had seen in a whaling display at Mystic Seaport. The display featured a wooden box containing bottled samples of oil taken from each whale captured during the 1875-1878 voyage of the whaleship Ohio:







Curious to glean a bit more information regarding what a bottle of whale oil might look like, I searched the online object collection of the wonderful Whaling Museum in nearby New Bedford, Massachusetts, and was intrigued by an entry for a bottle of "Spermacity [sic] taken direct from the cooling tank by the cooper on the last voyage of the Charles W. Morgan". Below is a picture of the bottle, courtesy of the Whaling Museum:





The Charles W. Morgan is the only surviving wooden whaleship from the 1800's. It is on permanent display at Mystic Seaport, where it is currently undergoing a thorough restoration. Though the Whaling Museum's aluminum foil-topped bottle of "spermacity" might leave something to be desired aesthetically, I was greatly impressed by the powerfully evocative nature of such an artifact; I couldn't help but imagine the cooper's urgent desire to preserve a little bit of that slippery stuff that had been the Morgan's very raison d'être, on what he knew would be the last of her 37 successful whaling voyages.

Thusly inspired and, as ever, not much of a stickler for authenticity, I determined that, for my own enjoyment, my little bottle of mystery oil might easily be transformed into an artifact of the old whaling days. The real value of any artifact on display, whether authentic or not, is it's power to vividly evoke a sense of the time or circumstance during which the object originated. That old "spermacity" bottle in the Whaling Museum might actually contain castor oil for all I know, but it's very existence captivated me and, in turn, led me to further investigate records of the Charles W. Morgan's final voyage (peruse the actual logbook from her last voyage here). The potential for an object to tell a story and inspire exploration and learning has long been a source of interest to me; indeed it was the impetus for my creation of the National Museum of Hospital and Pharmaceutical History, but alas, I digress...

My .50 cent pad of antique manila paper proved the perfect material on which to type up a label for my little bottle of "whale oil". The label reads, simply: "Oil from the last whale taken by the Charles W. Morgan, 05/21/1921". Serendipitously, the glass dome that had housed a display of dried weeds was perfectly suited to the protection and enhancement of my new artifact, and was made ready by merely removing the weeds and adding a flat disk of cork for the bottle to sit upon. The result:



Thank You for joining me, and happy autumnal days to you all!!!

The Gentle Art of Scrimshaw!

Greetings, FinderMakers! If you have followed me from the get-go, you may remember some earlier posts that reflected my interest in mammoth ivory and old piano key ivory and their use in scrimshaw. I am pleased to finally offer this third and final installation in my "Urban Scrimshaw" series: An easy-to-use tutorial that will have you scrimming like a salty old sea dog in no time! The image above is a scrimshawed whale tooth from the Nicholson Whaling Collection at the Providence Public Library, an excellent resource for inspirational images and information! The image below shows some old ivory piano keys I pulled from an abandoned piano.



Before we begin, I have two requests of you, kind reader: First, please do go back and read my earlier posts on mammoth ivory and piano key ivory, as the latter is the material of focus in this tutorial, and that earlier post will provide you with a solid pedestal of knowledge upon which your crafty new skills may be proudly installed. Second, please know that I myself am no "salty old sea dog" in the scrimshaw department; My scrimshaw schooner has only just sailed out of the port and I have plenty to learn as this journey unfolds! My own drawing skills are sorely lacking, and so I have adapted a solvent-transfer technique to the art of scrimshaw to aid in the process of creating a clear, recognizable image, so even if you can barely draw a smiley face, you'll still have a pretty good shot at making a beautiful piece of scrimshaw if you follow along with me!



Above are some of the items used for this project:
- an old ivory piano key (or other suitable material, like a piece of mammoth ivory)
- a pin secured in an x-acto knife holder
- some black ink
- acetone (nail polish remover)
- a little block of beeswax
You will also need a regular black and white photocopy of the image you want to etch onto your ivory.

To begin, I shall explain that the basic procedure for producing scrimshaw simply involves scratching an image into the surface of the ivory with a pin, then applying ink (or, in the olden days, "lamp black," soot collected from oil lamps), which soaks into the scratches and is wiped away from the unscratched surface. The first step in our process will be to seal the surface of our piano key, as it is somewhat porous and, if left unsealed, may soak up some of the black ink that we apply after the design has been scratched in, leaving an unwanted inky black cloud on the key that will be impossible to remove.



To seal the key, I place a buffing wheel on my dremel tool and start it spinning. Then I touch the spinning wheel to my little block of beeswax so that the wheel picks up a little wax. The wheel, now loaded with wax, is run all over the surface of the piano key so that the wax gets worked into it. Afterwards, you will see the hazy layer of beeswax on the surface of the key; just rub it with a clean cloth until the excess surface wax has been buffed off and the key looks nice and shiny. If you don't have a dremel tool, that's ok; just rub a little block of beeswax thoroughly over the surface of the key, making sure not to miss any spots. When you have built up a thin layer, buff the key with a clean cloth until it looks shiny... it is now all sealed and ready for the next step!

Now you will need to decide what image you would like to scratch into the surface of your key. I found one of those clip art books full of Victorian-era illustrations at the thrift store; it is a great source for appropriate images! When you find something you like, scale it down to fit on the piano key either on your computer (photoshop, etc.), or directly on a black and white photocopy machine. The solvent-transfer technique only works with standard black and white photocopies, so if you scale your images on the computer, you will need to print them out and then bring your printout to the copy shop and make a black and white photocopy of it. If you are using an image that involves text, the transfer technique applies a reversed image onto the surface of the piano key, so you will need to print out your image in reverse if you want it to show up correctly after it is transferred. Below is a section of my photocopy sheet with some appropriately scaled images; I chose to use a horse head with some leafy swags.



Next, trim your image out and decide where on the piano key you would like it to go:



Place the image face down on the surface of the piano key and moisten a cotton ball with nail polish remover. Holding the slip of paper firmly in place with one hand, dab the soaked cotton ball onto the back of the paper with your other hand. The acetone will free the photocopy ink from the paper surface, transferring it onto the ivory! Make sure the paper gets plenty damp with acetone (it will become translucent) and then, after a few seconds (but before the paper begins to dry) peel the paper away from the key-- your image will be transferred!





If it doesn't work perfectly, don't fret. Just wipe the image off of the piano key with your acetone-soaked cotton ball, reseal the surface with beeswax, and try again with a new photocopy image (you can't use them twice, so it's a good idea to print out several copies of the images you want to use!)



Now that we have a nice template transferred onto the piano key, we can start our scrimshaw! The dark parts of the transfer will be the dark parts of the competed scrimshaw and, as you will recall, the black ink soaks into the lines we have scratched into the ivory surface, so we can now start to scratch lines into the dark areas of the transfer. This is best accomplished with the tip of a pin or sewing needle that has been tightly screwed into an x-acto knife holder. I use wire cutters to nip about a 1/2 inch of the sharp tip off of a sewing needle, then place this in the x-acto holder with about 1/4 inch protruding, then screw the holder down so the needle tip can't move.



You will probably need to experiment with what type of lines end up looking the most appealing to you: shading can be accomplished by scratching in "crosshatched" lines, or by varying the distance between the lines that you scratch into the ivory surface. You might also like to try a fatter sewing needle versus a thinner one to vary the size of the lines. Sometimes a "stippling" technique is used: The needle tip is pushed into the ivory creating fields of tiny dots that comprise darker or lighter shaded areas depending on the number of dots applied. Detailed stippling can yield images that look nearly photographic! In the photo below, you can see that I have scratched away almost all of the black photocopy transfer image; it is now time to apply the black ink!





The ink is applied with a cotton swab that I dipped into the ink. Let the ink dry (only takes a minute) then wipe the dried ink off the ivory surface with a slightly damp paper towel; the dried ink will stay in the lines you scratched, and your image is now revealed! Now wet a piece of paper towel with a little acetone, and rub the surface lightly to remove any leftover bits of the photocopy ink.



Now go ahead and seal the surface with beeswax again just like you did in the beginning; this will seal in the ink so it wont bleed if you should get the ivory wet again. If you see some areas that need to be scratched more, then you can do so now, after you have sealed it the second time. Just add in some more scratches and repeat the inking and sealing process. You can keep doing this until you are pleased with the way your image looks!



If you don't have access to a black and white photocopier, you may achieve similar results in the following manner: Scale down your image to the appropriate size on the computer and print it out. Then draw over the dark areas in your image with a sharp pencil (I use a mechanical pencil). Next, place the image face down on your piano key and rub the back of the image with a spoon, bone folder, or similar hard, blunt object; this will transfer the pencil outline faintly onto the surface of your ivory! The picture below is a piano key with a scrimshawed sperm whale I did using the pencil transfer technique... it turned out nicely!



And a few more:





I based the Kachina drawing above on this actual Hopi carved cottonwood root Kachina, called "Ahote":



Thanks so much for joining me, and please do feel free to contact me if you need any clarification or additional info!



(please note: scrimshaw imagery and art, piano key scrimshaw, etc. property the artist, copyright Paul Baxendale 2009/2010)

Mushroom Shelf Tutorial!

I'm ever so sorry for putting this tutorial off for so long! Alas, I was nudged into action by a reader who had been patiently waiting for this since my first mushroom shelf post back in December (yikes! I'm so sorry!) Please accept my most sincere apologies and lets do just jump right into this!

One's active participation in this tutorial is rather dependent on access to suitable mushroom specimens, and while I regret that I'm unable to offer any specific advice on where to go looking, do just keep a keen eye in the trees (up and down the trunks, specifically) the next time you are out on a ramble through a forested area, and your diligence may well be rewarded. The correct sort of mushroom (there are actually a handful of different varieties that work) is typically espied growing from the trunks of trees that appear ill of health, or perhaps even dead, however there are never any guarantees of finding the mushrooms. I have been in areas that I thought must surely be lousy with mushrooms, but was unable to locate a single one, while at other times I have been surprised to find an abundance in what seemed an unlikely locale.

Examine the mushroom images in this post; any mushroom that appears shelf-like and feels solid and woody may be used. If the mushroom looks shelf-like but feels soft and mushy to the touch, or can be compressed between the fingers (feels spongy) then it will not be useful. In the image below I have climbed a "stairway" of mushroom shelves up to the top of a dead tree. I am pounding them away from the bark with my boot as I descend. Remember that these mushrooms feel, essentially, like wood, and are generally firmly attached to the tree bark. Using a hammer to pound them off will damage the mushroom, but pounding them with a fist or boot heel, or grasping firmly with two hands and applying firm downward (or, if that doesn't work, upward) pressure, will generally free your prize unharmed. I might also just add that it is a good idea to gather your specimens judiciously; these mushrooms play an important role in the forest ecosystem (mainly, aiding in the decomposition of dead or dying trees) so it is better to take just a few and leave plenty behind to continue their work in the forest.



Now that you have a few specimens to work with, I urge patience; let them sit in a dry place for 4-5 days (no more than a week, as bugs will take residence in the mushrooms rather quickly). I advise against washing the mushrooms; they aren't really very dirty, and the added water will hamper your drying and curing efforts. If necessary, just brush the mushroom off well with a big, soft dry paintbrush. After the resting period, open up your kitchen windows, turn on the kitchen exhaust fan, warm up your oven to 250 degrees, and place the mushrooms directly on the middle rack in the warm oven and leave them for 3 hours. After three hours, turn the heat up to 325 and let the mushrooms bake for another hour. Your abode will have taken on a very mushroom-y aroma at this point; make sure the windows are open and plenty of fresh air is circulating through the kitchen and home. This heating period is sufficient to drive out any insects that may have taken up residence in the mushroom and, as a critical procedure in the successful preservation of your prize, must not be skipped! Turn off the oven and leaving the mushrooms within, allow everything to cool back down to room temperature with the oven door cracked open a few inches.



It is now time to trim your mushroom shelf. Note that your mushroom has spent it's life on the trunk of a tree, and so its back will be curved at the point of attachment. Since it's new point of attachment will be against a flat wall, you must cut away the curved portion before we can continue. The image above shows the cured mushroom with a red line indicating where the cut will be made, and the saw I like to use to make the cut. The saw is nothing fancy or expensive; in fact it is the cheapest mitre saw available from the hardware store (seven dollars maybe?) but works very well. Please do not, under any circumstances, attempt to use any power hand tool (circular saw, jig saw, etc.) for this procedure. The mushrooms, with their irregular surface and shape, are difficult to hold steady and almost impossible to clamp; they are tough and have an irregular "grain"; any attempt to make this cut with any tool other than a nice slow, steady hand saw could result in disastrous injury or worse! Keep it simple! No power tools for this part please! Before making your cut, study the image below representing the side view of 2 mushroom shelves mounted on the wall, the aim of which is to convey the necessity of making your cut at a 90 degree angle to the "shelf" surface of the mushroom, so that when it is mounted on the wall, it sits straight out. If you start cutting without visualizing this, then you may make your cut at an unfortunate angle, and when mounted flush against the wall, the mushroom shelf may either point downward (bad, as nothing will stay put on your shelf) or upward (not as bad, but still not good).



Now, keeping your saw blade straight up and down at a 90 degree angle to the shelf surface of the mushroom, grasp the mushroom firmly and slowly begin to cut into the mushroom at a point that will allow all of the curved back portion to be cut away; the picture should help visualize this. Go slow, remember your angle, and use steady downward pressure as you saw. Easy does it! If you aren't used to using a hand saw, practice on some scrap wood first, and for safety, go ahead and wear a heavy leather glove on the hand that you are grasping the mushroom with.



Done! It only takes a few minutes! The photo below shows the raggedy back portion we wanted to get rid of, and our new mushroom shelf with a nice, flat back. Nice!



Now we need to address how the mushroom shelf will attach to the wall. I like to use these hangers often referred to as "keyhole hangers" that my local hardware store stocks-- yours probably stocks them as well; if you don't see them, just ask! These work well because once mounted to the mushroom, they are completely flush with its back surface, and allow the mushroom to be held tightly against the wall using a common drywall screw as a hanger. You may be able to devise another way of hanging, but remember that it must not protrude out from the back of your shelf, or the shelf will not be held against the wall securely. If you opt to use the keyhole hangers, the next step is to trace the shape of the hanger onto the center of the back of the mushroom as pictured below. Then, using the tracing as a guide, I use a tiny sanding drum on my dremel tool to grind out that area to a depth of about 1/8", or enough so that the hanger sits flush with (or slightly below) the surface of the shelf. If you don't have a dremel tool, you may be able to use a sharp knife or woodcarving tool to cut around the diameter of the tracing, then carefully chip out the middle part. I scooped the area directly behind the actual keyhole a little deeper than the rest to accommodate the screw head from which the shelf will hang.



The image below shows that the shape of the hanger has been ground out with the dremel tool. I then paint that area with some acrylic paint (here I used blue for visibility) to seal that surface. It is important to make sure that no bare mushroom surface remains when we are done, because a bare mushroom surface presents a point of entry for mushroom hungry bugs! Maybe you noticed that one of the hanger depressions is sideways on the flatter mushroom; Keyhole hangers work best straight up and down (the keyhole slips over the screw head protruding from your wall, then the shelf is pulled down until the screw head is "locked" behind the narrow part of the keyhole) but they also work sideways, though maybe not quite as securely (keyhole slips over screw head protruding from the wall, then the shelf is pulled sideways slightly until the screw head is locked behind the narrow part of the keyhole). If your mushroom is too thin to accommodate the hanger vertically, then go ahead and put it on horizontally.



The image below depicts the hanger being affixed to the back of the shelf using wood screws. A little glue may be smeared on the screws first for added security, if you like. When the screw is screwed all the way down, and starts to feel tight, stop screwing! If you keep going, thinking you will get it really tight, you will probably end up stripping out the hole, and your screw will not anchor the hanger to the mushroom effectively! If this happens (indicated by the screw suddenly turning very easily even though it is all the way in) back the screw out, fill the hole with wood glue, then put the screw back in and leave it until the glue dries; it will be fine. I bring this point up because, although woody, the mushroom is not as dense as real wood, and is more prone to stripping when the screw is over tightened.





Almost done! Now it is time to completely seal the surface of the mushroom. I use a clear, matte finish, lacquer-type spray from the craft supply store. I have also used clear krylon protective spray from the hardware store (in the spray paint aisle). You may experiment with gloss or satin finishes as well; I found that the matte finish doesnt darken or discolor the mushrooms as much as a gloss finish, for some reason, and leaves the surface looking just as natural as it looked growing on the tree. It is probably worth gathering a few extra mushrooms (maybe the less perfect looking ones) to try different sprays on. Go outside for this, and spray every surface of the mushroom thoroughly. Spray the top, the bottom, turn it and spray the back. Dont be shy; it is important that every crack and pore gets completely sealed-- apply a heavy coat, and allow it to dry for an hour. Then go out and apply another heavy coat of spray. Let that dry, then apply a final, lighter coat over every surface of the mushroom. Let the mushroom dry according to the directions on the spray can-- probably 24 hours. When I am spraying my mushrooms, I really saturate the surface with the first coat, and the surface looks dark, but lightens back up as the coating dries.



To finish the mushrooms, I like to trace around the back of the mushroom onto a piece of marbled paper. I think felt might also be nice. I then trim around the outline, and glue the paper backing onto the back of the mushroom using a thick white craft glue. After the backing is dry, the keyhole shape can be cut out easily with an exacto blade.



Finished mushroom shelves!



Following is an alternate mounting technique that you may like to try, and is especially effective for mushrooms that are too thin to put the keyhole hanger on the back of. This technique lends a unique "mounted trophy" appearance to your mushroom that you might like as an alternative to the aforementioned method! First, obtain a small wooden plaque in a shape you find pleasing (I like oval or rounded rectangle shapes for this) from the woodcraft aisle at your local craft store. You may paint it or stain it any color you like now, though I left this one bare. Position your cured, cut mushroom on the plaque as pictured below, and trace the outline of the mushroom onto the plaque in pencil.



Now drill two holes near the center of the mushroom outline you pencilled onto the plaque, a few inches apart. On the back of the plaque use a countersink bit to countersink the hole you just drilled, so that the screw heads will be flush with back of the plaque.



Now, carefully hold the mushroom firmly in position against the front of the plaque, exactly where you outlined it, and carefully screw a 2 inch screw through each of your pre-drilled holes from the back of the plaque into your mushroom. The mushroom should now be held tightly against the face of the plaque by the two screws. Now affix a keyhole hanger vertically in the back center of the plaque, following the same instructions used for mounting the hanger directly to the back of a mushroom, then apply a paper or felt backing to the back of the plaque to finish things off! Following is the back of a completed plaque-mount mushroom shelf (I stained the plaque dark mahogany), and the example shelf after the shelf has been screwed on, but before the heyhole hanger has been affixed.



A completed "plaque-mount" mushroom shelf!



My, but hasn't this been an exceptionally long tutorial (I think that's why I was putting it off!)? I Thank You most sincerely for hanging in there until the end. I hope by now you have some nice mushroom shelves to display your curios on! If not, get out into the woods and keep a sharp eye out, then be sure to come back here and follow this tutorial when you've found your mushrooms!

In regards to what sort of curios you should display on these shelves, I must warn that, as the shelf surface may be somewhat irregular, and the shelf itself is affixed to your wall but by the head of a screw and hence not infinitely strong, it will be quite unsuitable for displaying, for instance: a heavy chunk of the Berlin wall, Aunt Maude's expensive heirloom vase, your favorite antique Chinese porcelain Foo dog, etc. More appropriate choices might include: that tatty old taxidermied sparrow you found at the flea market for 3 dollars, a large dried Fly Agaric mushroom you found in the woods (while harvesting mushroom shelves!), A piece of fan coral from your vacation on Sanibel Island, the odd looking piece of Cholla cactus skeleton from your trip to the Southwest....

Thanks For Joining Me!

FinderMaker Recommended Reading

I really am indebted to my tillicum across the pond, Joff, for introducing me to Annie Dillard's The Living, an epic, historically based work of fiction following the lives of a group of early settlers on the Pacific Northwest coast during the late 1800's. It is easily the most engaging and well written story I have ever read; I wish I could have read it more slowly, or that the story could have just continued infinitely! Shortly after finishing it, I was perusing the online exhibits of the Whatcom Museum of History and Art (much of the story is set in the town of Whatcom, WA) when I ran across the photography of Darius Kinsey, who photographed logging operations and some other snippets of life in the Pacific Northwest around the time that the story is set. Viewing his photographs added a wonderful new dimension to the experience of reading The Living! Following are some of Mr. Kinsey's photos, courtesy of the Whatcom Museum and the University of Washington's digital photo collection:

Homestead on the Olympic Peninsula, WA, 1906 (UofW)

Cedar stump house, 1901 (UofW)

31 people posed inside of a giant cedar stump, 1902 (WM)

Loggers felling a fir tree, 1906 (UofW)

Two women pose outside of a hollowed cedar stump shack. (WM)

Cutting shingle bolts from a cedar log, 1902 (UofW)

Cedar trunk with a 20 foot diameter. (WM)

I've also greatly enjoyed reading The Lure of the Labrador Wild by Dillon Wallace, and his follow-up to that book entitled The Long Labrador Trail. The first is a true account of two friends who, in 1903, embark on a remarkable journey from New York City up into the wilds of Labrador, hoping to rendevous with the Nascaupee Indians during their annual hunt for migrating caribou herds. The Long Labrador Trail is a continuation, of sorts, of the first story, and is equally engaging... a fine read for a lazy indian summer afternoon. Clicking the highlighted titles should take you directly to the free Project Gutenberg online versions of each book! Following are some photographs of the two gentlemen who embarked on the Labrador expedition, Leonidas Hubbard and Dillon Wallace, and their trusty guide George Elson...

Leonidas Hubbard awaiting departure from the shore in front of the Hudson's Bay Company at North West River, 1903

Dillon Wallace, Leonidas' friend and author of the book, awaiting departure, 1903

Elson and Wallace landing the canoe onshore along the Susan River, 1903

Wallace and Elson relax by a fire after lunch.

Wallace and Elson proudly display the head of a Caribou they killed.

Dillon Wallace portaging supplies with a goose hung at each side.

George Elson and Dillon Wallace take a rest and discuss the journey.

All above photos are courtesy of the Labrador Heritage Society via the Virtual Museum of Canada (Click on the latter for more photos and info about the Hubbard expedition but... read the book first!)

And one final note... food and wine pairings are a familiar idea, but might I suggest this... book and incense pairings! The perfect olfactory experience may be paired with any of the three aforementioned volumes by acquiring a "Seven Scent Incense Sampler" from Incienso de Santa Fe. For a mere $7.75, this set supplies seven different all natural wood based incense logs-- Juniper, Pinon, Cedar, Alder, Mesquite, Fir Balsam, and Hickory. Any of these may be ignited throughout the stories to complete the impression of.... sitting by a campfire eating cooked lake trout after a hard day of canoeing, working hard to fell a giant cedar in a clearing amid smoking stumps and piles of wood debris, spending an afternoon in a Native American longhouse upriver mourning the loss of a great chief...



The Seven Scent Sampler comes with a simple burning platform, but I am quite fond of my Pacific Northwest Ceremonial Longhouse, pictured above; it is only $7.00 and is supplied with a good quantity of Pinon logs to get you started!