This is excellent! Thank you, Rick & Jean! What I'm seeing is a gambar that is not so exquisitely shaped than what I had imagined. The single engraved groove (both sides) running up to the top is no more than a straight line: easy to carve. I note the sides running up to the "prow" are quite flat, as are the sides running to the "stern". If this is a acceptable example of a Bugis gambar, I see no reason for me to try and sculpt something more elaborate. Actually, I'm feeling relieved to see these pics - I can go ahead with my tools and limited expertise and expect my gambar to look at least as good.
One more request, if you please: What is the maximum width of the gambar? If I may use ship terms: How wide is the boat in the centre from gunwale to gunwale? This is important for me to know.
Scouring my woodpile for material for a new gambar, I was unfortunate in that I found nothing thick enough I could use. This week I'm going to have to seek out some bits of wood from commercial sources: perhaps Burmese teak, stinkwood or walnut.
For your interest: In 1985 I fashioned buttplates for a .357 Magnum Dakota revolver from Cape buffalo horn. This sixgun is an engraved clone of the Colt Peacemaker of 1873, with a 5 3/4 inch barrel. An article about the making of these buttplates appeared in our gun magazine "Magnum" in that year. Some time afterwards I made buttplates of stinkwood for a Frontier model in .357, and also buttplates of wild olive for a 7 1/2 inch barrelled Uberti single-action. These woods, as well as the buffalo horn, are a pleasure to work with. I will say no more - this was off topic (sorry David) - and please don't think I am blowing my trumpet, I just thought recalling these past projects, in the light of my wrongko project, would be of interest to you all.
|