Poor Man's Kovalovsky

Post by **john elder** » Fri Apr 30, 2010 6:47 pm

Well, it's Fair Time again and so i busted a hump making this 14/0 presentable enough to enter...only started it a year and a half ago :-] ...got side-tracked by the fly rods. In any event, I had this one wood I had bought with a passel of other wood from the fellow that was moving...color was perfect for a Micarta look-alike, but I could not find out what the heck it was! I finally found this fellow at the third hardwood store I went to that knew immediately..."roasted soft maple'! Apparently, it's baked at high temp and ends up the color of cocoa, with maple grain pattern. Lighter wood for contrast is yellow-heart. Tons of work to do yet, so I will report in when things move along.

Post by **Brian F.** » Fri Apr 30, 2010 7:15 pm

Hey, that thing looks familiar

Looks pretty good already!

Rick H · Post by **Rick H** » Fri Apr 30, 2010 8:08 pm

Way Cool John! I didn't know you were a woodworker. Very Nice! Keep 'em coming...please.

Post by **john elder** » Fri May 14, 2010 3:27 pm

A few more adds...the guts are coming together...now, let's hope that they will all work when I get it all in one piece...not a sure bet when it comes to gears! They are made of Micarta, BTW...just no way to get wood to behave in all grain directions. Handle is Cocobolo. I cheated and put a small spring from a ballpoint pen in the channel of the catch that holds the hinged door over the drag.

Rick H · Post by **Rick H** » Fri May 14, 2010 6:55 pm

Uhhhhh...What Spring...I don't know anything about any darned spring! If the thing acts like there's a spring in it...It's probably just some wet poplar or willow formed to act as a spring! BEAUTIFUL WORK!

m3040c · Post by **m3040c** » Mon May 17, 2010 12:16 am

Well John, as usual you are creating a historic piece in the likeness of a historic piece. Great work so far. My mouth is watering to see the completed work.

Now I will save you some time, just paint it all silver and it will look like a original standard model.

I would like to commission one for Larry Lauve.

Post by **john elder** » Mon May 31, 2010 7:21 pm

As usual, the gears don't work worth a hoot, but the drag and clicker came out pretty good. I quit...

Rick H · Post by **Rick H** » Mon May 31, 2010 8:01 pm

NICE JOB John! Forget the gears, it's work of art!

m3040c · Post by **m3040c** » Tue Jun 01, 2010 12:48 am

Hey John, I bet if Zane Grey was still around you would be getting a phone call from him.

Great Job, I AM LOVIN THIS THING.

Post by **Brian F.** » Tue Jun 01, 2010 12:59 am

Very niiiiiiice

Post by **john elder** » Sat Jun 12, 2010 7:46 am

Okay...in the show and got an Honorable Mention, so that's good. It did as good as it should, given the level of competition. Over 400 entries this year in 23 categories. I'll post a pictorial or the show as soon as I can get them edited..

Rick H · Post by **Rick H** » Sat Jun 12, 2010 8:51 am

CONGRATS John! I didn't notice it earlier, but yer a stickler for detail. You even put the Maker Marks on the cover plate! Can't wait to see the pics of what you were up against.

Post by **john elder** » Sat Jun 12, 2010 9:59 am

Well, that was a late add, Rick...finally got the stones to try the lettering...not my forte...and if you screw up, it's tough to do anything about it other than to remake the part! it's far from perfect, but passable...and I spelled Kovalovsky right...so I got that going for me

Rick H · Post by **Rick H** » Sat Jun 12, 2010 10:15 am

Ya...not easy on wood. There's that tendency to run or bleed, depending on what you use. REALLY GREAT JOB John.

Post by **john elder** » Sat Jun 12, 2010 10:44 am

well, it's carved...enhanced a bit by stain...and the problem is that if you slip, you can't put the wood back

Here's a link to the assorted pics...lots of pieces and editing the pics was a pain, so some might be too small, but it's a start:

http://s672.photobucket.com/albums/vv85 ... in%20wood/

you can click up individuals or go to upper right and hit slide show to do a quick look at all.

I didn't do a pictorial on foods this year...the big new adds were deep fried Pop Tarts and Klondike bars

Rick H · Post by **Rick H** » Sat Jun 12, 2010 11:06 am

"DEEP FRIED POP-TARTS!" Egadds...I'm gettin' OLD.

Rick H · Post by **Rick H** » Sat Jun 12, 2010 11:13 am

"Fair"?...You coined this a "FAIR!"

John...Looks more like a "Fine Arts Museum" for woodworking. I want that Kayak!

Post by **Brian F.** » Sat Jun 12, 2010 1:16 pm

Good going, JE, and congratulations!