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Custom Sculpture & Sign Co.

127 Wampler St.
Nickelsville, VA 24271

276-479-0388 - Sign Shop

Hours are not fixed. Please call before you visit the shop.

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A person saw an eagle sculpture as a wall decoration in a store and wanted to purchase it, but found out it was not for sale. They took a picture of it and sent it to me to see if I could replicate it. Here are the steps I took:

Worked on a Native American today with my friend, John Wallin. We’re doing a collaboration carving.

A 5 ft. tall x 5 ft. wide custom concrete whale’s tail installed at a residence in Cape Cod, MA. Get in touch if you’re interested in one for your property!

This is a 5 ft. Whale’s tail with a welded frame made up of 1/4” steel rod and rebar with a skin of metal lath. Then, 3/4” thick vertical concrete mix from #buddyrhodesconcrete and finally, 2 coats of clear gloss concrete sealer. This my first time trying this vertical mix concrete and I really like it. One happy discovery I made was that I could sand this concrete after it set up and the sanded areas blended in with the non sanded areas very nicely. Great mix #buddyrhodes !

This is my third commission for a concrete whale’s tail. Each time I’m getting more comfortable with the process. I had my cnc draw out a template line drawing that I used as a map to bending the 1/4” steel rod. A lot of trial and error with each piece until it matched my line drawing. Then, I welded all the pieces together with a mig welder. Then, welded the metal lath to the rod as a skin. I feel like I’m getting better and better at welding with each piece. Next, I mixed up bags of Buddy Rhodes Vertical Mix concrete and applied it by hand to the metal lath and finished it smooth with a rounded trowel. Once it sets, I will seal it with a gloss sealer to give it a wet look. It is very satisfying to create a sculpture that will stay the way I made it, that will endure harsh weather with no future maintenance required. As opposed to wood that moves and changes and demands future care / maintenance. Finished pics to come. Stay tuned!!

More shots of this momma and cubs.

This a 5 x 10 sign made of aluminum composite board with aluminum frame and vinyl letters. The background gradient was sprayed. I fabricated aluminum flat bar into hanging brackets while my friend welded a post to a bracket. Then it was ready for install!

Mama and cubs carved in pine, for a cabin in Kingsport, TN. Thanks for looking!

Applying wood preservative to this Mama bear and cubs. Carved in white pine. Thanks for looking!

Mama bear with 2 cubs on this one…

This is a 30” x 11 ft. cherry stump full of burls that we debarked. Then, we carved a scrollwork design over the entire surface using imagery of vines, leaves and flowers. We utilized the hollows to create contrasting negative space. We cleaned out the hollows and made sure the water could drain well. Then, we saturated the inside and outside with an oil wood preservative and mounted it on a custom concrete pad. It took two weeks to carve and oil and is located in the garden of a residence in Georgetown, Washington DC. We used the following tools:

We used a chain hoist to erect this 11 ft. Cherry carving today. Tomorrow we’ll continue to fill cracks and do final touch ups before we apply the oil. Stay tuned!

Coming to the end of the paisley relief carving. We poured the pad and power washed the inside hollow areas in preparation for epoxy. The outside will get oil. Thanks for looking and sharing!

Making progress…

Starting a unique carving on-site in D.C. this week. I’ve never seen or done anything like this sculpture. It will truly be a one of a kind. Stay tuned!! Thanks for looking and sharing.

10 ft. Grizzly carved in pine heading out to it’s home in Big Timber, Montana. Thanks for looking!

Applying the finishing touches on this 10 ft. grizzly. A bear cub will be added to the base next… stay tuned!

This eagle is roughly 4ft. tall x 5 ft. wide and is carved from a red oak log. The wing tips and tail were add- ons reinforced with gorilla glue and timber screws. It was carved with 80% chainsaw and the rest smaller power tools. Next, it was put in a custom kiln for a week to season the wood. The cracks were then filled and the wood preservatives were applied to seal and color the wood. Thanks for looking! Check out www.customwoodcarvings.com to see more.

Working on a 10 ft. Grizzly. 2 more days and it will be ready to ship to Montana. Stay tuned…

Just got this big order of burr bits from #saburrtoothtools for an ambitious carving project in Washington DC that will require a team of us doing a lot of dremel work. Stay tuned!!

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Custom Sculpture & Sign Company

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Land Animals

Mother Bear and Cubs and clothes line Carving

Custom Sculpture & Sign Co. May 25, 2015 2 Comments

This design was made from 2 14′ pine stumps…

The kids were a big help with staining…

If you have an idea for a sculpture, visit http://www.customwoodcarvings.com and click the contact page to get in touch…

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CategoriesBears, Bears & Land Animals, Land Animals, Stump Carvings, Uncategorized

TagsAbingdon chainsaw carving, Abingdon tree carver, Abingdon Virginia chainsaw carver, Bear carvings, Chainsaw Art, custom wood carvings, kingsport tennessee chainsaw carver, Kingsport tennessee chainsaw carving, Kingsport tennessee tree carver, Nickelsville, Nickelsville VA tree carver, Nickelsville Virginia chainsaw carving, tree carvings, Virginia chainsaw carver, Virginia tree carver, Virginia wood carver

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May 22, 2015

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6 ft. Soaring Eagle with Soccer Ball

June 18, 2015

2 Comments

kent May 26, 2015 at 1:38 pm

all 5 kids look great,,, kent

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Marcia June 19, 2015 at 7:27 pm

A very whimsical piece of art.

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Land Animals
Birds
Sea Creatures
Misc. Design
Figurative
Architectural
Signs
Furniture

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Current Work
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