Annual Westcoast Camp - Denniston Incline part four

When we go over to the west coast camping, we always try and tie in some sort of craft activity, which is actually the real reason we travel over. Next year we will be making a knife - check out the link at the top of the page. Anywoooo - this year we invited local coal sculpture artist Kevin Strong to show the boys what is possible with coal. Here they can be seen selecting the molds - various animals and things. His biggest mold was a coal truck being loaded with coal from a digger - and he needed to use a Tonka truck as his model to make the mold . . . ^^ Sadly some 20 years back a guy called Mullholland??? died - and he had the knack of carving coal - just like today's people do with our treasured greenstone. Examples of his work are on display at the Coaltown museum. I would give an arm and a leg for his expertise to have been passed on to another generation . . . .

It is great science to get the mix just right. You take 3 spoons of this - add that - stir 5 times clockwise - then 2 times anti-clockwise, followed by 2 subtle up and under's - then 7 times clockwise, then add the crushed (not cut) black stuff . . . . . . .
Hmmmm sounds like I have been watching to many HP movies and / or been detained by Professor Snape to much. Love the concentration on the faces - this is serious stuff here . . .











Having passed the potions test, it is now time to pour our elixir into the prepped molds. A bit tricky as you do not want air bubbles inside the rubber, so there were comical efforts on how to extract these from the rubber mold. Just as well giggles was not present or the effort would have been derailed with comical laughter and comments ^^













ok - pouring has finished - so we now wait for them to set. Again a watched kettle never boils so we had to divert the attention with a couple a games - the scissor game became a great hit.
This particular game is a mental challenge and tests their power of observations. Funny how they struggle with a basic Kim's game - but this one could keep them occupied for hours . . . . .
Eventually after some frustrations and hearty laughter everyone got "it" and the game died - but I can report that the youth introduced this game to the rest of the troop at the following Scout troop night with great success.

Voila - the almost finished product, just needs a coal paint job to make it really coal color black.
Isn't it looking way cool or what????? I still have mine from 4 years back and it has not lost any of it's luster - so I can recommend that you give this fun activity a serious go.







Michelangelo never worked so hard as this bloke - a rare masterpiece. All sculptures came out really well, and everyone was really proud and happy with their chosen molds. One even made a clucking brooding chicken for his wife - nice touch Sir G.H.!! Hope she enjoyed her gift ^^














The final installment will come tomorrow - and somehow I have to archive the 1 gig lot of pictures. Just as well that my family finally pooled their resources and bought me a 1 TB external HD for my Birthday!! ahuuuuuuuuuuuuu
Hmmm speaking of birthdays - oh wait - that's for tomorrows blog ^^