Large Bellamy Eagle–Finishing Up

 

I’ve decided to finish the eagle in gold leaf. The smoother the surface the better with gold leaf. But I really don’t want to do any sanding and lose the crispness of the carving. So the first thing I did was to dye the wood with a water based dye. The water raises the grain. Once dry I go over it lightly with a red scotch pad to get rid of the whiskers and make it smooth again. As you can see, basswood does not take stain or dye well. I stained it in case I decide to age it. Any worn away paint or gold won’t have bright, clean, new looking wood showing through. 

Continue reading “Large Bellamy Eagle–Finishing Up”

Large Bellamy Eagle

It’s been a long time since I posted something. I’ve been busy carving commissions, all of which are eagles I’ve already posted photos of me carving them. ZZZZZZZ…. Finally, I’ve caught up with orders and I’m going to carve something for myself, a large Bellamy Eagle I’ve never carved before. Though, it will be for sale if someone wants it.

I first saw this eagle at an exhibition of John Bellamy’s work. It is large and impressive. I’ve wanted to carve one ever since, but haven’t had the time. I now have the time. Let’s get to work.

Continue reading “Large Bellamy Eagle”

Improving the Air Arms TX200 Safety

tx200hc3-1920x1280

The Air Arms TX200 is a great air rifle, but is does have a couple of issues. The most common problem is the failure to cock or it cocks but the safety doesn’t catch. The internet is full of talk of this problem. In an earlier post I show how easy it is to fix.

One issue that is not easy to fix is the poorly designed safety. The photo above shows what the safety looks like on a stock rifle. Cocking the rifle automatically sets the safety to the “ON” position. That’s probably a good idea, but most firearms don’t work that way and it takes some getting used to. I’ve missed more than one squirrel because I forgot to push the safety off before squeezing the trigger. After some practice it becomes automatic. But what if you can’t take the shot and you want to continue looking for something to shoot at. Every other rifle I’ve ever handled allowed you to put the safety back on.

This rifle is British made, and is of the highest quality. What were they thinking when they designed the safety? Amazingly, it doesn’t seem to be a problem for most owners because no solution or aftermarket parts have been designed or sold to make the safety functional. I got tired of waiting for someone else to come up with something so I sat down and figured it out.

Continue reading “Improving the Air Arms TX200 Safety”