Nativity Scene

So a friend of mine had seen some of my work and requested I create a nativity scene for some figurines she had which were to be a gift for  a family member of hers that actually collects nativity scenes. I was flattered with the offer and got it under way that very day. Here is the figurines set I had to work from (Scottish Design) and some basics for the build.

The first step was to create the basic structure of the actual stable...I used broken branches for the logs

Next, I used spray foam to create the hillside the stable would be built into and began to cover that in actual soil, rock and moss.

This is a trial fitting i did of the figurines to be sure I was heading in the right direction....looks good to me.

Finally i painted the landscape, added in more soil and rock, glued in the greenery, built and stained a frame and felted the base. That looks fairly darn good, if I don't say so myself.

My friend was very happy with the piece and I hope it has a place of honor among the colection that is now resides with. 

Restomod Cafe Racer

Geeze...I have not been keeping the updates coming. Anyway...Here is the 2 Wheeled post I teased about.

I have a passion for motorcycles and after a tragic "acid mishap" (long story...but not my fault) I decided to give her the makeover she deserves. From red 1998 Honda Superhawk to custom blue restomod cafe racer.

Here is the starting point pic (before acid) and the finished product for comparison.

 So first thing I needed to do was strip the bike down to the basics and remove all the damaged equipment. Here you see the fairings, nose and clutch cover removed.

Next pic shows more of the tear down and me mocking up a new cats eye "cafe" tail.

Once I had the tail fairly ironed out it was time to start the seat design. I wanted to veer a bit from the traditional cafe seat and decided on a split seat and back rest pad.

The electrics, new headlight and brake and clutch lines were all damaged so on with the new equipment. I went with a 7" LED headlight and Spiegler Lines

Big step next, Paint!! After shopping around a bit I found a painter that thought he could handle the job I had requested (hot rod auto body shop owner with custom paint exp) but he charged a higher price than the others. I decided to give him a go at it none the less. Here is the before and after on the paint work...(at least this first time)

Although the pic looks great, I was not happy with the work. There was numerous imperfections in the paint work and he had avoided fully painting the entire pieces in body color and the stripe. After two more times I finally got back an acceptable product (but not anywhere worth the amount I paid or the extra time and effort I had to get it to "ok".

Here are the finished pieces installed on the bike...starting to look like I had intended. I also added in some custom LED turn signals from Gregg at http://greggscustoms.com/ I really like his work and they are so bright it is amazing. I'm changing every bike I own over to these.

I took my custom seat pans over to Steve Gowing for a new pad and woven white vinyl covering which turned out amazing. Mad props to Steve. www.stevegowing.com 

Rims were sent over to Colorado Powder Coating for a nice splash of white. Mark and his team are my go to guys for powder coating and they did not disappoint!

The final finishing touch was me fabricating a mount for the new "gauges"

Nothing like taking a bike you love and making it even that much better.