Purpleheart Sea Turtle

WOW .. I think there might be a market for little carvings like this.

Tell us the finishing process !!!!

welcome to lumberjocks

-- work from your heart and your spirit will live forever

I usually overwork my finishes. I’m addicted to sanding, I guess. I took this thing all the way to 600 grit and then used a rotten-stone slurry to beat it up some more. Finally, after I cleaned up the huge mess, I put it to my buffing wheel and some carnauba wax. Doesn’t take much of the stuff to make a glorious shine. Only thing is it’s not a hand-happy toy. Touching is hard on that finish.

This is very very cool turtle . If you like sanding so much did you want to come visit for a couple years, I have lots of fun waiting for you.

-- Jim from Heirloom Woodshop Southern Oregon

Some turtle there. What tools did you use for carving it? I work with purple heart and it is tough as stone. Did you use power carving tools or carve by hand?

-- Greatness is not found in possessions, power, position, or prestige. It is discovered in goodness, humility, service, and love.

a1Jim, everybody says that.
Good sandi paper goes a long way in shaping. I used a band saw, Dremel, Pfeil knife, files and some sweat.

I just love a good turtle and this is one cool little turtle. Welcome to LJ. Hope to see more of these type projects, they look very PHAT (Purple Heart And Tempting). ;2)

-- Jim

Awesome ! I know what you mean about the wax…I made some Tiger Maple projects and used that for a finish…they were beautiful , so of course people couldn’t keep their hands off of them despite my warnings. I can’t believe that you carved this …it is some tough wood to say the least ! Approximate size is ?

-- You know you're getting old when you know the difference between you're (you are) and your (belonging to you) AND how to use them in a sentence .

Great use of purple heart, love turtles.

-- Respect your shop tools and they will respect you - Ric

It’s about 3 inches or so in diameter. Probably 1.5 inches thick. And yes, it was pretty tough work, even with Dremel help.

I can’t say that I have ever seen anything like it. Very cool.

-- Gary, East TX -- The longest journey begins with a single step.

I have another couple of purpleheart projects on the bench. It’s muscle-work, but they turn out soooo purty.