Carving help- Chamber's York

[DrRed]

I'm pretty happy with the tang and rear pipe carving.





Not completely happy with the carving behind the cheek piece. 



This is the way it looks now. I made the mistake of following the curve of my gouge more than my drawing and I think the main c scroll curves in too much on the right side. Does anyone else think so or am I being too picky? I think I can fix it and I photoshopped some pictures of what I was thinking.



This shows the new contour of the c-scroll.



This shows the previous carving photoshopped away.



Finally this shows the proposed new cuts and revised design.
I think I can do this without messing up what I have. What do you guys think?
Should I leave well enough alone or try and make the improvements? Any other ideas?

Thanks,

Bob

[Jim Filipski]

DrRed,
 Hey have you been doing this awhile? ...This is not your first attempt?

Looks pretty good from here: I'm not too opposed to your original Butt stock carving but yes you can improve it by your sketches.
 Wish we had a bit more side lighting to see the details better in your butt carving so we can judge better. Curves are best when not brought to the circular. More correct increasing or decreasing in radius as you go.
Just my 2 cents
Jim

[Jim Kibler]

You're doing some good things.  There are some areas for improvement.  Behind the cheek piece, I think the biggest opportunity for an improvement on the design are the lobes that extend to the heel and toe.  The angle these are are off, especially in the area approaching the heel.  They should angled a little more toward your large C-scroll to create somewhat of the illusion they are growing from it. 

[A.Merrill]

    Practice your next cuts on a $#@* peace of wood, then go for it.  Al

[DrRed]

Jim:
I see what you mean by the lobes and the angles. I'm not sure I can fix them at this point. Any ideas?
Maybe on the next rifle.

Bob

[jwh1947]

Just my opinion, but I see the original presentation as a graceful rendition of a classic design with your personal, contemporary flair.  I'd let it alone and stain the gun.  Many might like this rendition as well as the other.  It's nice work.  Wayne

[smart dog]

Hi Bob,
Yes, you can follow Jim K's advice.  You will have to settle for the lobes having a bit more of a break or space between the tips. For example, on the upper lobes by the heel of the plate, trim off the top edges of the curves so the apex of a curve is angled down a little.  That will open up a gap between the next lobe but it simply define the individual lobes or leaves better.  Then scrape away the incised lines separating the leaves so you can curve them more as if they flow from the scroll.  I don't see any reason you cannot do that and I think it will look better.

dave

[rick landes]

I think I would work on making sure my curves were all w/o/ flats and then slightly undercut the relief areas. The tang has an indent in the center that looks off centered to my eye from the pic.
There are a few areas that have small chip outs in the curves. Those would bother me the most.

Before I changed anything in the cheekpiece. I would carfully draw in what I was after. That way you can see what you thoughts will give before using the various cutters. Look at a few live leaves to get a better feel for the flow of the leaves.

That all said, for me it is best to leave something like this for a few days and then come back with a fresh perspective. Also take the piece and flip it upside down. A view from a new direction will do wonders for you.

I learned that trick from my wife who draws pencil portraits. She always flips the piece to see what is "wrong".