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Thread: Carved Sea Otter
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9th March 2014, 04:50 PM #1Intermediate Member
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Carved Sea Otter
I recently bought this carving of a sea otter, it's 16CM long, and was wondering if anyone had any thoughts on who J W was? Not sure what the wood is but it does look like Huon pine. Any help/suggestions/ideas I'd be grateful for.
SimonDSCN0641.jpgDSCN0642.jpg
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9th March 2014, 06:24 PM #2Skwair2rownd
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Sure looks contented!! Nice find!!
You want to make it more realistic and drill his nostrils out a bit.Then you can sniff the duist and see if it's HP!!
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9th March 2014, 11:02 PM #3
Don't think its Huon, take a few more close ups (that are in focus ) and it may become clear. Colour
is similar but the grain doesn't look quite right but like I said another couple of pics might help.
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10th March 2014, 12:52 AM #4
Great carving!
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10th March 2014, 07:08 AM #5GOLD MEMBER
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No idea of the carver, I think that very few participate in carving forums.
Can you ask at a carving club? The maker might have a substantial reputation.
If I didn't know better (and I don't), my first guess was Yellow Cedar, a prized
carving wood from the Pacific Northwest (Chamycyparis nootkatensis).
The color and texture looks so much like my Frog Pie.
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10th March 2014, 12:12 PM #6Intermediate Member
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More otter photos
It looks somewhat like huon and as it says JW Australia on the bottom I made the assumption that it was Huon. I bow to those with more knowledge than I though. Of course the subject matter is more Canadian than Australian!
I've attached more photos of the otter which, hopefully, show more grain detail.
One other question, it was dirty when I got it so I gently washed it with a soft toothbrush and soap. It's now much lighter in colour but is also a little 'dull'. I definitely don't want to varnish/shellac it - it's a very tactile piece - and feel that wax would be too 'heavy'. That leaves oil, but which oil? Any suggestions welcomed.
Incidentally while washing it I floated it in the water and it floated just like a sea otter, beautifully balanced.\
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10th March 2014, 12:19 PM #7
That last batch of picture, I say it is of the Mahogany family.
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10th March 2014, 01:27 PM #8GOLD MEMBER
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I'm having second thoughts. When Otters lie on the surface, they curl their tails up
between their hind legs.
That suggests to me that the carver might not be entirely familiar with these perky little critters.
BTW, they float like corks. At night, the roll into the kelp fronds to keep from drifting away.
They will bring up a rock, roll on their backs and bash the seafood shell open.
They are carnivores like Orca.
Whatever. I have a piece of real mahogany. There is a Sea Otter dish in it. Maybe I get to it.
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10th March 2014, 04:12 PM #9Intermediate Member
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10th March 2014, 09:53 PM #10
No it's not Huon, more likely some good quality Pacific Maple or something like that (if its Aust timber). How hard is it? The darker bits I think
would be pretty hard but the light coloured areas you could probably get a thumb nail in. He's beautifully carved, very clean (carved I mean not your scrub job) Oil, something light like Camellia oil.
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11th March 2014, 06:45 AM #11GOLD MEMBER
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Tail position: in photos, I see some of both, mostly extended.
I guess I've seen far too many sea otter carvings done by Pacific Northwest native carvers.
As bowls/dishes, the tail is often curved up but as 2D artwork, extended.
Whoever JW is/was, they are very good. Good enough to have what looks like a press-printed label.
Question: are there no kelp forests and sea otters anywhere around OZ?
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11th March 2014, 09:24 AM #12
Plenty of kelp forests but no Otters
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11th March 2014, 01:40 PM #13GOLD MEMBER
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Thanks, CH. For the life of me, I cannot remember. Long time gone.
Sea Otters are really perky, comical players.
They eat all kinds of critters, like sea urchins, which chew off the kelp bases.
I have lived inland, 10+ hrs from tidewater, for far too long.