Got Wood!

Wow...It's been forever since I blogged!

2011-09-22T21:01:00.003-04:00

Hey Folks!

I have, yet again, neglected to blog about my crafts. Yes, this makes me a lazy-bum. At least in the blogging department...

In the crafting department though, I have kept busy. Wedding gifts, various necklaces, warning signs, taking inventory of my stock, planning a new look for my website, etc... In other words, I don't lack anything to do in my workshop related areas! *smile*

I had the chance to play at making wooden trivets, they came out looking great. I tried to refine my burning on cork, with no success. If I don't try, I won't learn or succeed or get better. Simple as that.

I'll leave you with a picture of one of latest signs I made for someone that has a fatal allergy... Until next time!

Marc

Still Got Wood....

2010-11-12T10:37:00.008-05:00

Hello folks!

Let me start by saying I am ashamed. It's been two months since I blogged and for that I apologize profusely. I am blogging now so it’s all better now!

But on the other hand, I am kept very busy with orders for Yule and Christmas and will event get to vend at the Yule Craft and Spirit Faire in Ottawa on Dec 11-12th.

So, in my humble opinion, It's a fair trade off...

For quite a while now, I was shopping around for a small, solid and versatile lathe. Not having much room in my workshop, all 3 requirements are essential to me. The funny thing is I found the one I think will fit the bill by pure chance. Coincidence? Methinks not...

While being in a hardware store, a good friend mentioned he had seen one that might fit my needs so I went and had a good look at it. (see picture below)

The model above (HAUSSMANN 4-In. Mini Wood Lathe) looked ok, but I was not very enthused by it for a few reasons...

First, it was lightweight. I mean, VERY lightweight. to the point I would have been afraid of the whole thing shifting while turning harder woods. This would mean bolting it to the bench and take most of my workspace.

Secondly, you can only turn a 4 inch diameter piece on this one, meaning only very small pieces could be made and would restrict my versatility with my creative process.

Thirdly, and most importantly, it only has 3 speeds. This means I have to work within the confinement of those 3 speeds. I prefer to be able to adjust the turning speed of the piece so I can practice some techniques I read about....

I was about to walk away, after making all those mental notes, when I dropped my eyes to the floor and saw the one in the picture below:

Now this model pushes the right buttons for me! Comparing with the points above:
Firstly, the base is cast iron! Hea-Vy! I tried to lift it and I needed both hands so that was reassuring as I know it won't move around while turning.

Secondly, you can turn pieces up to 10 inches in diameter. Major improvement there and you can even buy chucks and faceplates and change them within 1 minute flat.

Thirdly, the speed is fully adjustable. Nuff said there.

On top of that, it has a small light you can flex where you need the light. Never hurts to see where you are removing material...

It also has a longer and better moving rest for holding a chisel, meaning this gives you more flexibility while turning. And it only costs an extra $100.00 for all those advantages. What's not to like, huh? *smile*

Now I just need to save enough money to go get it and start making bowls, plates, plaques, tea light holders, candle holders, boxes, and many, many, many more things...

Until next!
Herne

In the workshop now... And later!

2010-09-30T09:39:00.003-04:00

Hello Folks,

This is a quick blog entry to once again to give thanks all my patrons and the ones who believe in me, especislly Wifey who put up with a lot of sawdust and the ongoing projects coming from my workbench. Without you all, my crafts would not be out there and I would not be pushing my limits on every project. So for that a great THANK YOU! *smile* Also, please note that as of the 1st of January 2011, most of my prices will increase. Why, you ask? Darn simple reason! Complete strangers coming up to me and telling me I'm not charging enough for my crafts is one factor. Realising that I spent so much time making things that I was paying myself LESS then $5.00 an hour, before all costs were taken into account, being another good one. Now is a REALLY good time to place an order while the prices are still unchanged and Yule is coming fast! I will be taking my business to a new level in the coming year so keep an eye out! Herne

Another Festival come and gone...

2010-08-09T10:37:00.003-04:00

Hello Dear Readers!

Another Kaleidoscope Gathering has come and gone and this means I have work, in the form of commissions, to do from talking to wonderful people that were present at the event. This year was different in a few ways:

1- Me and Wifey were able to rent a van to go to the event. The van was much needed as the quantity of things to bring was not small; vending tent, kitchen tent and of course sleeping tent, food supplies and kitchen implements, etc...

2- We were camping right behind our vending tent, which meant we saved ourselves the long and arduous packing of the stock at night and reinstalling everything in the morning right after breakfast. That one in itself was the biggest blessing of vending this year!

3- There were a lot of shaded areas, to my great delight. There was a great area filled with great pine trees which provided cool shade all day long.

4- Our new vending tent was put to the test and passed admirably. The only thing I will modify on it will be to add zippers to the back screen so as to be able to have a good airflow.

5- It was sunny until the very last day. No rain meant people moving about during the day. We managed to pack almost everything before it rained lightly on us.

6- People loved that I could make on the spot commissions, thanks to a very good friend of mine who gave me his pen torch which came with attachments. i was not willing to bring my wood burning machine and I had borrowed the pen torch as a trail this year. The pen torch will certainly make a comeback next year!

7- There was an interest this year for lower priced items. The economy being what it is this year, I had the forethought to prepare more of the smaller items like earrings, round boxes and kitchen utensils. This was very appreciated by all, especially with the introduction of signs with well known pagan quotes like "Witches are crafty people", "Pagan and Proud" and "Have you runed your day yet?". These signs were a great success and the positive feedback means I will produce more of them in the near future, so keep an eye out!

Now that all the camping and vending gear is put away, that my memories are filled again for another year of festing, I slowly make my way back to my workbench to clean it up and work on those commissions...

Until next!

Herne

The reason(s) I have not been present as much lately...

2010-06-18T10:33:00.002-04:00

Hello Folks,

Boy, has it been a long time since I posted on here!

The reason(s) is/are simple: I am in a way, victim of my own success. *smile*

I have received, in the last few months, quite a few orders, both through my website and privately. This in itself is a good thing but what I need now is 48 hour days to have time to make stock for the KG festival coming in a few weeks time.

I am planning a few new items for this year as well a bringing back items I ran out of last year.

More likely after that festival I will be more able to write about my crafts...

In the mean time, be well, be good and be happy!

Herne

What makes a good craftsperson, In My Humble Opinion

2010-04-13T07:52:00.008-04:00

I have been so busy I have neglected to Blog. *slaps own wrist* Shame on me, I know. but I am making a slow comeback to it so keep watching.

There are people out there that look at my crafts and think "I wish I could do that". What they don't realise is that they can!
What I'll do here is give you tips and insights into how I got to my current level, which I don't even consider very high yet (I know I need to practise some more with new techniques and tools).

What you see above is a decorated chopping board I did when I first started my adventures in pyrography. Why a chopping board you ask? Simple answer to that one. I got it for a very low price, it was a flat surface and was large enough to do the project I had in mind, in this case a Greenman surrounded by oak leaves.Note that before I did this project, I had never done anything as complicated, having mostly worked with full lines, dark areas and no shading practice whatsoever. Gutsy, I know!

The first thing I did was to clean the surface really well. Any bumps or notches on the wood will come back later and haunt you good. I started with rough sandpaper and slowly upgraded to finer sandpaper. I usually go through 4 different grains before I deem the surface ready to work with.After I am satisfied I am ready to move on, I then measure the surface and print a picture that fits within those same dimensions. Depending on the size of the image, you may have to give this a few tries to get it right. Even after many years of doing this, I still have to make corrections. Failure is a good way to learn by the way. Once the image is done and printed in the needed size, I then transfer it with carbon paper by tracing the lines very gently. When using carbon paper on various woods, less pressure is a lot more later. Carbon can be difficult to remove from a surface as I discovered the first time I used it: I had to sand down the piece of wood for 30 minutes to remove the pattern completely. I have not tried it yet, but graphite paper, I am told by many sources, is a better way to transfer images and is a lot easier to remove.
Now that the lines have all been transferred, I go back to the printed sheet with the image and start adding shading with a pencil just to give me an idea of where I want to go with the burning. Then I get a pice of scrap wood (way too many around according to Wifey...) and practice the various lines and shading I will need to complete the project.

After I am happy with the practice run, I then go ahead and go lightly over the lines with a small skew tip to demark all the areas to burn. Only then will I get working on the shading. This will help me to not go over the lines I made and stay well within the areas. Now when shading, the key thing to remember, just like carbon paper, is that less is more. What I mean is that the more burned the wood is, the harder it will be to make a correction, especially on soft wood. The best way to remove a mistake is to use an exacto, chip carving or razor sharp blade and scrape the area in question. This will be cleaner and much faster then using sandpaper, which will be harder to control where it stops when going over an area.

One thing I learned ealy when doing a proper image is that the tips you have may not seem like the right shape at the time. When you do dark images, it doesn't really matter. You burn a completely dark area. When you do shading on the other hand, you may need a variety of tips for each little areas you have to work on. The key is to practice with each tip in order to learn what you can do with them. You may start discovering new techniques from what you already know...
Once the project is now completed, you are ready to preserve it. I rarely use varnishes. They smell and can sometimes remain sticky for a long while. I prefer using linseed oil as it looks more natural and lasts a long time. Vegetable oil would be more recommended for things to use in the kitchen, like spoons and bowls.

After a few years of practice, I am now able to do something like the plate above with a lot more ease then when I made that chopping board over 5 years ago...

So, what will you practice on? *smile*

One of my dream tools...

2010-03-26T09:47:00.005-04:00

My most sincere apologies for not posting lately but life has a way of happening. I find myself having more of a social life and as a direct result, I neglected a few things in return. My bad. But today I am making a come back and will endeavour to blog at least twice a month, if not more, on things touching my passion for crafting...

"One of these days, I'll buy myself a good lathe..." is what Wifey hears from me quite a lot. I am a dreamer. A BIG dreamer. I want to try everything that has to do with woodworking. Ok, almost everything. As much as I'd love to make my own lumber, I am not sure if I actually want to go down that route. Mind you, if I want to pick up wood turning as a skill, it might come in handy after all.

Old fashion pole lathe, made from what was available from the land.

A lathe is a tool that has been in existence for quite a while and can be used to make many things. The first thing people think of when I mention a lathe is furniture. Sure, you can make furniture with a lathe and I would like (eventually, one day, soon I hope!) to make our own dining set. But there are so many more possibilities. Let me give you a list of things that can be made with a lathe and hopfully this will give you an insight into the world of wood turning...

Boxes.

Round boxes available from Lee Valley. Made with a mechanical lathe

With the right amount of skill, round boxes can be made. I have seen them made out of pine, birch maple, walnut, even various plastic and metals. The great thing is you can make the boxes to suit your needs, meaning you can make them as big or as small as required. Or even go as far as making them stack on top of each other... You get the idea!

But better then that, you can combine various colors or materials and obtain some very unique results. Or you could go the traditional (some say purist!) route and use wood that has a very pronounced grain and let the wood speak for itself.

Candle holders

The possibilities are endless when it comes to candle holders. You can find (read make in my case, once properly equipped, of course) a multitude of them online, of various styles and materials. Some of them are made with multiple joined sections and reach over 6 feet in height!

ToysLathe made Wooden tops

A lot of folks forget that back in the old days (older then I am is what is implied here), all toys were handmade. Many of them had turned parts like car wheels and headlights. Others were completely turned, like tops shown above.

Tools

Many a tool requires a handle. Files, screwdrivers, chisels but to name a few. Handle making was a skill considered to be invaluable by many people who lacked the time or the right tools to do so.

Kitchen

The list goes on here: bowls & plates of all sizes, salt and pepper shakers, butter containers, etc... Too many things to enumerate really!

Furniture

Legs for tables and chairs were made in various size and shapes, but most required a turned component. From sophisticated to rustic green wood pieces, a lathe can be a very valuable tool from which to make the lowly milking stool to the rocking chair as seen in the movie the Patriot.

Everything else you can think of!

There are so many things possible to be done with a lathe, I can't even think of them all!

But one thing I know: One day, hopefully sooner then later, we will have our very own Magical Cottage and when that happens, I'll start making things to decorate our place and things to use around the place....

One day!

Marc

I didn't get where I am today...

2010-01-01T16:12:00.002-05:00

... by giving up after the first try. It is amazing what a person can do when they put their mind on something. Look at me as an example. A few years ago, I was struggling to make my very own rune set using only the knowledge imparted by my father (who was at the time a taxidermist and part time crafter) and the raw materials I had on hand. What I learned was to visualize what you want your project to look like, then to make it look like your vision.

No matter what the tool in your hand is, you will learn from what others taught you in the past but nothing will be as good as a first hand experience. My first hand experience at crafting properly taught me this; if the project feels hard to accomplish, I am doing it right! What I mean is, by making numerous mistakes I learned what not to do the next time. Like Thomas Edison said once, “There's a way to do it better - find it.”

So on that rune set I wanted to make, I missed the mark on many, many occasions. Let me go into more details to make it more clear for everyone. The material I chose was a piece of antler. Hard material, can be polished to a great sheen with little maintenance can last almost forever. The idea was to make discs by cutting the antler transversally and then pyrograph the rune symbols on them. Sounds simple right? Not if you use the wrong tools. And I do like to try hard things first.

At first, I tried cutting the antler with a regular wood saw from a tool kit given to me by my wonderful in-laws. The first thing I realized was this; without a vise to hold the piece of antler, my hand holding the piece got cramped real fast. On top of that, because the piece kept moving in my cramped hand, the discs were cut VERY unevenly, to the point where you could see and feel all the teeth marks from the saw. That meant using more sandpaper to remove all the marks. To create a single disc took me an average of an hour using that method. After my fourth piece, I just put the project aside and reflected on how to accomplish my goal in a better and easier way.

That is how I came up with the brilliant idea of using a rotary tool instead. Great concept, once I discussed it with Wifey to convince her that the tool in question was a necessity. So off we go into town and get me that wonderful new toy. After a quick lunch, we rushed home so I can resume cutting discs out of antler and continue the making of my rune set. I set myself up with a cutting disc, got my antler, put on a face mask (Yes, I remembered that antler can cause a lot of dust that can be bad for the lungs and got a mask that same day.) and started to cut a new disc, in the high hopes it would be a smoother process. The amount of dust generated was phenomenal, never mind the smell produced by the antler being cut at high speed. I managed to cut about two discs when Wifey kindly asked me to stop using that tool, on pain of sleeping in the bath that night. Considering we only had a stand-in shower, I readily complied. Because I did not have anything to collect the dust properly, it was all over the room I had been working in. A good hour of cleaning was required to make peace that day.

The good news was that the newly cut discs were a lot more acceptable to look at. The really bad news was without a proper dust extraction system, the rotary tool was out of that picture. The next part nearly made me stop. To my consternation, when I attempted to use my soldering iron on the pieces of antler I had made, I quickly realized the tool was not hot enough to burn into the material. Another small failure on my part there to not verify how much heat was required to burn on antler. So instead of continuing with antler, I put the pieces away and made a set out of wood, which turned out to be a lot easier to deal with and a lot less messy.

A few years after this, I moved back to Canada (From England that is) and participated in my first outdoor festival selling my wares. I had the good fortune to be right next to a wonderful couple, Brad and Julie, who went to various events in their gypsy caravan in the back of their truck. That alone is a sight to behold! I must say I was (and am still) impressed by what Brad could make, from knives to besoms to various types of drums so I started to ask questions about everything he made, building momentum the more questions I asked. This is how I learned of a type of saw that could be used to cut antler easily. As soon as I could, I went and got the saw in question and lo and behold! The antler was cut very cleanly and without too much hard work or sanding to clean up the pieces. I also now had a small vise to hold the pieces of antler. After sanding and polishing the pieces to fine tune them, I proceeded to then burn the runes on the discs, with my new soldering iron that went much higher in heat then my previous one. It still took a long time but at least now I got the results I wanted and obtained a usable and great looking antler rune set.

Since I had a set made out of wood in the interim and was happy with it, I brought the antler set for sale the year after and quickly sold it to a gentleman who had been looking for a rune set that was different from the normal sets found in the area for a long time. I kept in touch with that person and the set is well cared for and appreciated by everyone who sees it in use.

The more research and experimentation I do, the better my project look. I often get told at events how much better I have gotten since the previous year and it is a nice reminder that perseverance pays. I now experiment with various materials and projects and try to come up with new ways of doing things. So far, I fail very few times. That is because I failed loads at first and kept trying.

I will leave you with the encouragement to not give up at anything you attempt, just persevere and a solution will present itself eventually. In my case, it took a few years. For you, it may take longer or shorter, but I can assure you the end result will be worth the wait.

Herne

Boy scouts in UK are being robbed of good values...

2009-09-10T19:45:00.007-04:00

Wow it's been a long time since I blogged!

And I am sorry I have not blogged more recently but things are very busy in the way of crafting new things! So thank you to all my patrons for asking me to do those wonderful projects!

Now on to the real reason I decided to blog tonight: Something awfully wrong happened in the UK: They lost some of their common sense!

The boy scouts over the pond are now being told: Stop carrying your trusted boy scout knife!

Now I admit freely I was never a boy scout. But... I learned to hunt, fish, trap, hike, canoe, etc... And one golden rule I was taught was this: Carry a knife in case you might need it. Keep it sharp, keep it clean and keep it accessible in your pack or belt case.

In all my years when I went alone in the outdoors, I used a knife for my own needs quite a few times. Now I can say with absolute truth that I used whatever knife I had on me at the time for others more then for myself. A tough cord need cut. A screw needed tightening. A stake needed sharpening to plant it in the ground. A fish needed cleaning. Name it, I most likely done it with one of my knives.

Now I'm thinking that instead of instilling the usefulness of such a tool, that decision they made about scout knives will make things worse. Yes they have knives aplenty in that country. I must admit I have seen any abuse from them,but yes I can see them used to mean ends. I'm thinking it is a certain lack of teaching the value of a knife instead of making it more and more taboo. While I lived in UK, I heard stories of people being asked to put out of sight their knives whilst hiking or teaching bushcraft. How daft is that I ask you?

I always carry a knife on my person, be it a multi-tool or a regular pocket knife. My knife allowed me to help someone fix their bike a little while back. The person was impressed a bit by what my knife could do for them so they started to ask me where I got mine and what kind would be suitable to carry around. This is the one I carry around more often then not. Small, compact and useful, exactly what a knife should be.

I really irritates me to see this reaction about scout knives. Extremely so. All those boy scouts will now be shown and given a knife as a mark of their advancement but will never "be ready" to face any possible situation. As the article writer mentions, those boys are now being put in a bubble and over protected... Not good for any society I say...

I leave you to think on this and wish you a good life with a sharp knife in your pocket, ready for anything...

Herne

A passion I would like to share with all... Mushrooms!

2009-07-03T22:13:00.002-04:00

Good Evening all.

Here I was, not wanting to craft or watch tv, listening to the rain falling in a long monotone sound when out of the blue I think the following random thought:

"Mushrooms are gonna grow aplenty after that rain..."

Ok, yes, I know I have random moments sometimes (often times?) but when I'm on the prowl for wild mushrooms, I wait eagerly for the next rainfall. And it had been a while since I blogged (shame on me, I know *slaps own wrist, not too hard*) I felt my Muse kick me up in the behind and get me to talk to you about wild mushrooms. In fact, I think I'm gonna write a blog here and there about them to share my love of the tasty fungi that can be found around the world.

My first blog on wild mushrooms will be more of an introduction really, just to talk common sense and possibly intrigue you enough to come back for some more information.

Now the first reason that I go a-hunting the little buggers (sometimes, NOT so little!) is that there is a large variety of different flavored mushrooms. The second one, it's free food! Thirdly, it's FREE food! Fourthly, It's a fun hobby: you get to go play outside, it can be done alone or with a group of people!

There are groups of people, sometimes amateurs, sometimes veterans, within almost every city that you will see gather together before going for a walk in the woods. Ever wonder why? They are treasure hunting of course...

Now the strip above may contain some funny element in it, but I keep it as a reminder: It is a good thing for people to be wary of mushrooms you see in the wilds as too many people thought this or that mushroom looked just like the ones they bought at the shop... Only to suffer from either severe cramps, skin changing color, or worse, painful death...

Now I want all to understand this: I am no expert. But I can help and provide provide basic information on various Fungi available out there. I will always try to identify a species from multiple sources just to be on the safe side..

** There is one golden rule to follow: If in doubt, don't touch it!

Collecting mushrooms and eating them is an extremely serious endeavour. The first step I will recommend is to get yourself a good book on the mushrooms that can be found in your country. After that, read all of it, no exception, no skipping, no thinking you seen it before. Then, read it again! The more you read it, the more the various types of mushrooms and information about them will stick in your mind.

After that, once you feel ready to go out there to look for mushroom to supplement your larder, take picture of or simply discover while walking in the woods, you'll need some basic tools:

1- Your book! (preferably wrapped in airtight bag, in case it's rainy).
2- A small pocket knife/multi-tool to help you collect the mushrooms
3- A small ruler/measuring tape to help measure your findings
4- Loads of airtight bags to keep each species separate!
5- A small basket or backpack, big enough to carry your mushrooms without crushing them. I favor the basket method if I don't go in an area that is too dense with trees.
6- Most important of all: your common sense!

Equipped with all that, and with multiple excursions, you should be able to find and safely eat wonderful wild mushrooms!

As the picture above shows, no one is too old (or young, with parental supervision, of course) to go and collect mushrooms. If you have a digital camera, and you find a mushroom worthy of taking a pic of, do so! Create for yourself a small archive of where and when you found it: chances are next year there will be some more there!

As can be seen by the picture above (No, it's not a Photoshop Job, I verified for that), mushrooms can grow to a gigantous (Ok, maybe not a real word, but sounds cool) size. Sometimes, it can be quite the opposite. You just never know what treasure you will find.

Here are some guidelines that are very good to follow when you think about mushrooms collecting and eating. I would recommend you save them and print them to keep around if you want to start eating wild mushrooms:

1. Unfamiliar Species:

Check and re-check your identification, especially looking out for a similar poisonous species. If still in doubt, ask an expert or throw it away.

Herne's Tip #1: I like to go with a small camera and a small 6 inch steel ruler, just so I can take pictures and study them later, as mushrooms don't last forever...

2. Examine each specimen:
Always check each specimen in case a different species has got in amongst your collection of edible ones. I have seen it happen more then once.

3. Keep your collections separate:
Do not mix edible and non-edible species in a collecting tray if you are collecting for the pot. It is a good idea if collecting for the pot to only collect edible species and not other species for identification purposes.

Herne's Tip #2: I usually bring multiple plastic bags, sealable ones preferably, when I foray just so I can keep all varieties separate. No chance of contamination then!

4. Check the spore print:
A simple operation, leaving a cap on some white paper for darker mushrooms (brown or paper bag for light colored mushrooms) and covering them for an hour or so. This will help check your identification as many types of mushrooms have a specific type of spores to them.

5. Do not eat raw wild fungi:
Some wild fungi are poisonous if eaten raw, e.g. Wood Blewit, Lepista nuda, the Blusher, Amanita rubescens or species of Helvella. Always cook your collections before eating them. Common sense really...

6. Retain an uncooked specimen:
This is a very sensible idea. Keep one example of what you have eaten in the fridge. In case, you do poison yourself, this will help others identify what you have eaten and therefore know how to treat you. Different species contain different toxins, therefore treatments will vary.

7. Only eat good specimens:
Many poisoning cases occur when edible species are eaten in poor condition. Only eat good specimens!

Herne's Tip #3: As soon as I see any trace of discoloration on a mushroom I picked, I throw it out. Thus far this as prevented me getting ill, unlike some other people I once knew and collected the same mushrooms I had that day...

8. Keep your collections in the fridge:
This keeps your specimens in good condition and fresh for longer.

Herne's Tip #4: I will also place them in separate open plastic containers if I have multiple variety of wild mushrooms. This will insure good food etiquette in your fridge and prevent contamination of the other food in there. Common sense again really...

9. Experimenting:
If experimenting and eating a new type for the first time, only eat a small amount. Different people react to fungi in different ways and it is safer to test your own body out gently!

Herne's tip #5: I have a friend with whom I shared a slice of Giant Puffball with who got really ill after ingesting it. She knew she had some mushroom intolerance from time to time but neglected to mention it... Always ask your guest if they have any reaction to any mushrooms first before serving them, even if you have had no reactions.

10. Alcohol:
Avoid drinking alcohol with species you haven't eaten before and with certain species, e.g. the Common Ink Cap, Coprinus atramentarius.

Herne's experience #6: There are a few species that can easily send you to the hospital in a hurry if ingested with alcohol, read about those as much as you can.

11. Fear:
Do not feed wild mushrooms to people who don't want to eat them. Fear can make people sick.

Herne's Tip #7: I would never let anyone force me to try a mushroom I did not want to try. But do inquire as to how they prepare them and compare with what information you can find. This has proven a very good practice to me: A few friends of mine were cooking wild mushrooms they picked that same day but while discussing where and what they picked, they let slip they used a single basket to collect them (both edible and poisonous kind).

I kindly informed them that I would not eat any of those mushrooms for fear of poisoning. Turned out I was right that time: They went to the hospital that very night, with severe cramps and heavy sweating while their system slowly digested said mushrooms... Not my idea of a relaxing evening .

12. Susceptible people:
Do not serve wild fungi to young children, old or sick people. Their resistance may be lower and cause them some serious issues.

13. Greed:
Do not eat large quantities of wild mushrooms in one sitting. This alone can make you sick.

Herne's Tip #8: Very Mea Culpa on this one. No major effect except for me visiting the "Aulde Worshipping Altar" (toilet in plain speak) all night through... Not pleasant, but definitively my own fault as the mushrooms in question were soooo tasty... Live and learn and grow wiser from it.

So as you can read from above, eating food from the wild can be dangerous to oneself. But with a little bit of proper research, common sense and your trusty book on mushrooms handy, you will discover extremely interesting and tasty mushrooms!

Until next,

Herne

Why I love Wednesdays...

2009-06-17T08:57:00.003-04:00

Hello again!

IT'S WEDNESDAY!!! WOOHOO!

Ok, some folks who know me will go "What in Hel?" and wonder if I lost my sanity...don't worry folks... I lost it many eons ago!

I love Wednesday for quite a few reasons actually. One main one is because I know I have done half the week at work. I know, I know... Hump day is like a boost of energy when I hit lunch at work. But the main reason is it is Comic day for me. Anyone in America who collected comics will get the reference. Except that instead of buying comics, I read them online!

The main one I focus on is titled Girl Genius, by Studio Foglio. I met Kaja and Phil Foglio a long time ago when I was still playing Magic the Gathering trading card game. I was in the USA for a convention and learned they were signing cards for one day. I had a nice chat with the pair of them and followed their work over the years until I stumbled on Girl Genius. It is a story that is in the Steampunk style, similar I find to a cross between Jules Verne and many a sci-fi movie. It's got it all; action, romance, weird concepts... Go read it!

Another one I like reading is Sinfest, created by Tatsuya Ishida. Just to give you an idea of what the cast is like; God, the Devil, a pig, an angel worshiping God, a devil worshiper, and a self centered (little) man and a girl who thinks very highly of herself. There are a few other characters that pop in from time to time, Buddha included! It makes me giggle a lot...

Another one I read is called Sorcery 101. It is not as flashy but it keeps me coming back. Vampires, werewolves, magic... Need I say more? The plot is good and took a few turns I was not expecting... So reading it, I keep doing!

The next one in line is PVPOnline. Picture a group of gamers working for a gaming review magazine... Oh and add wacky personalities in the mix and you have a winner! Scott Kurtz has a way to keep surprising me in a comic. A really good one for gamers this one!

Yet another one I follow is called Brat-Halla... Yes I have the title right! Inspired from the Norse pantheon, picture the gods as...Kids! This one makes me go through a whole range of feelings, from laughter to extreme sadness. Some chapters are really funny!

Being a gamer at heart, I could not pass Goblins up. For all players of D&D out there, picture goblins but... Gaining levels! The characters have depth and are well constructed and the story is great.

These are the one I read regularly, there are a few more I read on a monthly basis when I don't feel like doing anything constructive in wood or antler.

I hope I get you addicted to at least one of the above comics and enjoy your day!

Herne

Kubb! A new hobby for me...

2009-05-29T21:12:00.017-04:00

Guess what I did last weekend....What, no clue? I'll tell ya... I went Kubbing! (pronounced Koobing) And no I'm not trying to say Clubbing! =)

Kubb is a Swedish game that is now reaching international status. The game didn't catch as much in Canada but it is slowly growing again and hopefully we will see more people playing it in the future. There are a few variants that can be found online.

Above: all the parts needed to play Kubb

A little while back I was looking for more games to make and I found one, completely by accident mind you, that is mostly played outdoors but can be played indoors as well. I was looking more for a board game but my curiosity got piqued. I saw pictures of it being played on grass, sand and even parking lots! From the youngest to the oldest can play it and it can last from 5 minutes (like I found last time I played!) to at least an hour, if not more.

The picture above shows the set up of the game.

To figure out who starts, you can use the traditional flip of a coin or any such method. The object is simple yet can be hard to achieve; you need to knock your opponents Kubb (the 5 pieces standing at each end of the field, see picture above) with one of the 6 Sticks provided for that purpose (bottom right, again, see above picture).

Above: fully decorated set of Kubb

You must bring down all your opponent's Kubbs before you can go for the King. Once the King (biggest playing piece, the one in the very centre) is down, the game is over. Just keep in mind that if you make the King fall before you're supposed to, you lose!

Above: Proof that Kubb can be played anywhere!

Now what got me exited about the game is this one rule; after you knock down one of your opponent's Kubb, they must throw it on your side of the field, where you raise them up and then they try to knock it down themselves. That means if they miss, you get to throw your Stick from the closest Kubb to the King they failed to bring down!

Above: People playing Kubb in winter! Notice the young woman is
throwing the Stick from a Kubb the opponents did not knock down.

One good tip; Try to place your opponent's Kubb close to the King to make it difficult for them to hit it. The closer to the King the better I found.

Above: Swedish students playing Kubb with...Logs!

I strongly encourage you to look into this game. It is not expensive, can have up to 12 players, from a low age to an high age. What could be more fun on a nice day with friends and family then to have a good time?

Herne

Why do I make board games...

2009-05-26T21:04:00.010-04:00

...was a question that was asked of me today at my super-secret daytime working place. Ok, maybe not so secret. I just don't want to tell. *grin*

So this co-worker of mine turns to me and asks me that question. He knows I'm pagan, more specifically a follower of Norse traditions, but he didn't get why I enjoy making wooden board games, thinking that I was mostly about worshiping and such... Well I just explained to him quickly the reason behind it; it's fun to make them play them and share them!

My first commission for a board game, a Tafl Board!

Yes, worship is important to me, but there is more in life then that. I value traditions, especially older ones, that can bring people together for good reasons. One of these is playing games. My father started me early playing Chess before I actually learned to play Draught. Then it was Backgammon. In school and college, I advanced, so to speak, to other types of games like Reversi, Go, Stratego, Risk, Axis and Allies, and many more from there.

Now I find that a lot of people around me have forgotten to slow down and relax and just be with people without watching television/movies or playing World of Warcraft and the like on their computers. From time to time, me and my wife get a game of backgammon going, with the lights turned down a bit and a glass of red in our hand. Granted I'm told I'm very lucky on my doubles but hey, fair's fair, right?

When I can convince her to play it with me, we play Tafl, a viking board game for 2 players, where one player attacks and the other defends. The rules are simple but the strategy is fiendish; The attacker has twice the amount of tokens then the defender. All the pieces move like a rook in chess. Sounds simple, right? Well it's not! LOL My wife, I'm pleased to say, can beat me fairly regularly at that game! And I'm considered an intermediate by most folks I play the game with. Why I like to make this one is because vikings would play it often in the long winters and the bigger boards (18x18 squares, also known as Alea Evangelii) could take a few days to play!

A portable Nine Men Morris Board I made,
with runes in the playing spaces.

Another game I like to play (and teach to others when I vend at fest, I'm always up for a game!) is Nine Men Morris. There are many version of this game, but my favorite is the Nine Men one. I do make smaller the versions for kids (3 men Morris, Trip-Trap-Troll, Tabla Lusoria, pictures to come in a future blog, I promise!) so they can learn to play the game, sometimes with the help of their parent. It uses simple rules and can be played anywhere and even young ones can get quite proficient at it. One of the variants a friend introduced me to is using Runic dice, which are sometimes used by some people to practice divination. It throws a nice twist in the game, to say the least.

Details of a recently comissioned Tafl Board

In the near future, I'll be making a bigger variety of board games. I especially want to start making them with more then just pyrography (woodburning), I want to use inlay, staining and other means to get different looks. This will also allow me to customize a lot more then what I did in the past.

Well that's it for now... Just be patient and keep looking, you'll see more coming and not just on what I make! I'll try to make an effort to talk about other things as well!

Herne

What have I been up to lately

2009-04-28T21:43:00.008-04:00

I know I am not posting very often but I am looking into that slowly so bear with me please gentle readers of lovers of crafts…

This time I’d like to show you something I should have started to make a long time ago; smaller sized boxes that are easy to store. How many times have you looked for a small container to store paper clips, tacks, loose incense or even your favorite jewelry? These smaller boxes fit the need perfectly!

With enough surface area on the lid to put almost any picture and a band thick enough on the side to put a Personal name or ingredient name, they are very easy to customize. The realization came when I was looking for a practical container to store the tips for my wood burning machine; they are many, very small and very sharp. The original container was a small see through plastic thing that I kept losing even though it was right in front of my eyes all the time.

Before I lost my sanity every time I wanted to change a tip, I bought a few of these boxes and tried to keep various parts in them to see how it would go for me… And lo and be hold! I can now locate all the parts I have put in those boxes without having to second guess or use my non-existant x-ray vision. *smile*

I am planning to get a few more to store my loose spices (salt, ground pepper, mixed herbs, etc…) in for when we go camping this summer. I will have another one or two at my day job to keep my tacks in and rubber bands. I have a few more ideas I will try out (once I have the time to do so!) and will post the results of those experiments once they are completed...

Until next I post!

Herne

Why I have not posted in a long time...

2009-04-10T10:33:00.007-04:00

By golly!

Between my daytime work, my crafting and a myriad of small other things getting in the way of other things, only NOW can I find some time to write a new blog! Since I have started to work some extra time at my day job, I could use a 36 hour day to do all I want in a day... But the money is good and money is still a part of our life to get food on the table. Thankfully I love my job so that helps tremendously.

I have a multitude of projects I want to work on, but quite sadly I have to start making priorities if I want to keep up with things!

I will be working on, once I am done my super-duper-uber-mug of coffee, the following this weekend:

Add final touches on a Tafl / 9 Men Morris board game.
Make a small customized pentacle plate.
Make game pieces for board games.
Make a Senet game for a very lucky young lady, including the game pieces for it.
Do website updates.
Redo stock inventory list.
Take pictures of my latest creations.
Upload pictures to Facebook.
Upload pictures on website.
Work on a jewelry box design.
Work on a plaque design for a hunter.
Work on new plate designs, like the one below:

If I can do two thirds of all that, I'll be well ahead of the game!

So off I go, to play with wood once more and to listen to music like Tyr, Dead Can Dance, Tragically Hip, Mediaeval Baebes and the like as I plough on...

Until next I write, much sooner this time!

Herne

My new Rune Set...

2009-02-18T10:22:00.005-05:00

I have finally done it... after waiting for so long... I got wood, cut it, shaped it, burned it... and my first, yes as in not had one to call my own before, Rune Set!

I decided that as an Asatru, I needed to learn more about the runes, this for many reasons. The main reason is that I use the runes quite a lot in my crafting so knowing about them is a plus, especially when you make personal bindrunes for people.

Another good reason is that I have been asked a few times at festivals I vend at to do a reading with runes; I will admit I am not confident enough to do so, even if I can name all the runes and their main meanings.

Above is what my new set looks like. I made it out of Red Oak because of the coloring and the grain of the wood, which I find very pleasing to the eye. You can obtain a very fine mirror finish on this wood with a little bit of patience, using very fine sandpaper. I used a 60 grit sandpaper to start with then I used a 400 grit to do refine the edges as I have reached that stage and the picture above shows them slightly unfinished. The great thing is the more I use them, the better looking they will become!

To make sure I use them and practice my reading of them, I draw what some people call an "Odin" rune; a single rune reading for the day. As I progress, I will proceed to do full readings, meaning I will be using all the runes, in a cast method. This method allows to read runes within runes; once cast, I will be able to see runes made from the stick crossing or overlapping each other.

Until next I post,

Herne

Time to start this blog properly!

2009-02-07T11:55:00.003-05:00

I'm going to start this with the kind of craft work I like doing. I love to work with my hands mostly, even though I work in an office at the present. Give me a piece of wood to play with and a very,very long time can pass before I lift my head from it!

I do mostly pyrography work, but I do delve from time to time in carvings, as can be seen on my website: www.hernescraftes.com. I also work in antler and bone, preferably pieces that have been shed naturally or found outdoor.

I'm not sure I can truly explain it, but it feels like I am in another world once I focus on a project I work on... Nothing else seems important...ok I'm lying... food is necessary and so is drinking fluids. And the effect is enhanced when I listen to some music while working.

Right now I am working on a box with a beautiful design I will post here once I have completed it. The project has so many different shades in it I have to keep changing the area I work on so I don't do too much of one color/shade at once! It is a very nice challenge, one I love taking with more ambitious projects all the time. Perfection comes with practice, right? *big grin*

An extremely good friend of mine lent me his pyrography machine so I could finish a few projects faster then usual; up until now, I was using a soldering iron-like pen to do all the work you see on my website... yes, I know... I have LOADS of patience to have done those thing that way! Just look at my current profile picture for an example =).

Herne

This is my personal blog...

2009-01-24T21:24:00.000-05:00

... meaning I will be talking about things I love, things I hate, things in between and many things that catch my interest... So be prepared for variety!

Keep an eye out...you never know what I'll post on!