Meet Stewball

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Mike Callihan

Mike Callihan

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Mike
I didn’t know quite where to post this project here or in the carver channel because he is a lot of both general woodworking and carving. Meet Stewball my first carved Rocking Horse. For those of you who are old enough to remember Peter, Paul and Mary you will know where his name came from.

Stewball is a replica of a tradition English platform rocker. His body is a basswood glue-up. The base is made of cherry. All the tack is leather and brass. His mane and tail are real horse hair and he has glass eyes.

A quick antidote while I was building him. My daughter joined me in my shop to watch as I was carving his head. She commented that she didn’t understand how I was able to do that. Being a bit of a smart-*** my response was, it was easy; all I did was carve away the all wood that didn’t look like a horse. She fell silent for a couple of minutes and then commented the difference between you and me is that you can see a horse in there, I can’t.

I have since made several other Rocking Horses of various configurations. Stewball is the only one still in my procession.



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TracyP

TracyP

Administrator , Forum Moderator
Tracy
Wow, I'll bet that really took some time to complete. It is a really nice piece of craftsmanship. And the stand is beautiful!!!:eusa_clap:eusa_clap:eusa_clap
 
Bas

Bas

Recovering tool addict
Bas
Corporate Member
Beautiful work Mike, that is a magnificent horse!. And your daughter certainly put you in your place :) What did you use for a finish?
 
DaveO

DaveO

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DaveO
WOW, that is spectacular. I agree with your daughter, some people have it others don't and you certainly do!
:notworthy::notworthy::notworthy::notworthy::notworthy:

Dave:)
 
Tar Heel

Tar Heel

New User
Stuart
Beautiful horse made by a, obviously, very talented guy. Here's to you and Stewball. :eek:ccasion1 I remember Peter, Paul, and Mary but don't remember the connection between them and Stewball.
 
Glennbear

Glennbear

Moderator
Glenn
Gorgeous work Mike, did you do the decorative painting yourself ? I ask because that is one of my greatest weaknesses. :wsmile:
 
DaveO

DaveO

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DaveO
Stewball -

Oh stewball was a racehorse, and I wish he were mine.
He never drank water, he always drank wine.

His bridle was silver, his mane it was gold.
And the worth of his saddle has never been told.

Oh the fairgrounds were crowded, and stewball was there
But the betting was heavy on the bay and the mare.

And a-way up yonder, ahead of them all,
Came a-prancin and a-dancin my noble stewball.

I bet on the grey mare, I bet on the bay
If Id have bet on ol stewball, Id be a free man today.

Oh the hoot owl, she hollers, and the turtle dove moans.
Im a poor boy in trouble, Im a long way from home.

Oh stewball was a racehorse, and I wish he were mine.
He never drank water,he always drank wine.

Peter, Paul and Mary 1963

Dave:)
 
4yanks

4yanks

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Willie
Really nice job. I associate "Stewball" with a Woody Guthrie song (about a faithful horse) by the same name.
 
Glennbear

Glennbear

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Glenn
DaveO said:
Stewball -

Oh stewball was a racehorse, and I wish he were mine.
He never drank water, he always drank wine.

His bridle was silver, his mane it was gold.
And the worth of his saddle has never been told.

Oh the fairgrounds were crowded, and stewball was there
But the betting was heavy on the bay and the mare.

And a-way up yonder, ahead of them all,
Came a-prancin and a-dancin my noble stewball.

I bet on the grey mare, I bet on the bay
If Id have bet on ol stewball, Id be a free man today.

Oh the hoot owl, she hollers, and the turtle dove moans.
Im a poor boy in trouble, Im a long way from home.

Oh stewball was a racehorse, and I wish he were mine.
He never drank water,he always drank wine.

Peter, Paul and Mary 1963

Dave:)
Click to expand...

:eusa_thin You were 7 years old when this song came out, I was in high school , how come you can remember and I cannot ? Or did you cheat and use Google ? :rotflm: BTW I did see them in concert a few times back then :wsmile:
 
Travis Porter

Travis Porter

Travis
Corporate Member
How do you seal or coat the basswood to make the finish hard so that the basswood doesn't dent as easily? I don't know if I made sense with that question....
 
Canuck

Canuck

Wayne
Corporate Member
Beautiful work there, Mike!!!:thumbs_up:thumbs_up:thumbs_up

(All I can think of is a possible commission to restore merry-go-round ponies for ya!)

I would think that carving a piece like that would take a tremendous number of hours. Your attention to detail definitely makes the piece one of kind!

Well done!!!:eusa_clap:eusa_clap:eusa_clap:eusa_clap

Wayne
 
Mike Callihan

Mike Callihan

New User
Mike
Thanks to all for the kind words. I'm glad I'm not the only one who can remember the words to Stewball's song. :rotflm:
With regard to the finish I first sealed the basswood with shellac and sanded him to remove the fur. I then sprayed 3 coats of satin white CrystalLac waterborne lacquer. I used my HVLP gun as the delivery system. The dappling was then applied using a course sponge, this time using satin black CrystalLac. I loved using the colored CrystalLac it was easy to spray and it left a hard beautiful finish.

The base was finished using the clear satin CrystalLac finish. I consider that a big mistake. While the finish was easily applied and gave me a hard smooth finish it looks plastic to me with a slightly blueish cast. The wood never really developed the patina that I love in cherry. I suspect that the CrystalLac is acting as a UV inhibitor, protecting the wood from the tanning rays. It was the first and last time I have used a waterborne lacquer on a project.

Thanks again, it is fun sharing here, Great group.

Mike
 
DaveO

DaveO

New User
DaveO
Glennbear said:
:eusa_thin You were 7 years old when this song came out, I was in high school , how come you can remember and I cannot ? Or did you cheat and use Google ? :rotflm: BTW I did see them in concert a few times back then :wsmile:
Click to expand...

Glenn, I wasn't even a romantic night for my parents yet. That was 7 years before I was born. Yeah, I Googled it, but I am a folk music junkie and am familar with the song and most of P,P & M's work. The reason you can't remember is that you were in HS in the 60's, I've heard those were some wild times :gar-Kr::new_Eyecr:drunken_s:new_color

Dave:)
 
Mike Callihan

Mike Callihan

New User
Mike
Hey! I was in High School in the 60's and I remember most of them, Kind-A-Sort-A. Well maybe not all of them. But you know what somehow I made it though without a lot of help from government regulations. :gar-La; :wconfused::wrolleyes:

Heck I even rode a bicycle without a helmet and the only seatbelt I ever had was my mother's right arm.

Mike
 
sapwood

sapwood

New User
Roger
Ole' Stewball is looking good!
When I saw the post, I started singing the song (hopefully no one heard :rolleyes:). It's was a very popular tune and numerous artists covered it.

Roger
 
P

PeteQuad

New User
Peter
Where did you find the horsehair, can you buy that somewhere or did you just steal it off a horse? :)

Beautiful rocking horse!
 
ErnieM

ErnieM

Ernie
Corporate Member
Mike
That is a truly amazing work of art. What talent you have! ... not to mention patience. Thanks for sharing this beautiful work with us.

By the way, I remember PP & M all too well..... thanks for reminding me how old I am.

Ernie :thumbs_up :thumbs_up :thumbs_up
 
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