Do It Yourself

[Attmos]

Is there a DIY thread? If not I think someone should start one. I would do it but I'm still really new here. lol

Anyway, I think it would be fun to show off, see, and talk about the various things people make for the hobby. I've already seen some really nice creations.

 

[KateM]

You just did
I'll contribute. Does not have to be bonsai related, right?
Here is a cherry bowl I carved.

 

[Attmos]

I just love DIY so.. I guess anything you want to show off would be cool, although I think bonsai related projects would be the most appropriate.
I won't say that a picture is required with every post, as fun as that is I find myself lacking the numbers I would need to make every comment that came to mind. lol

Nice bowl , the moon shape is awesome. Did you make it with a purpose in mind?

 

[Attmos]

I only have one thing to contribute at the moment. It is only bonsai related if you squint your eyes though.
It's a different kind of bowl.

I found a giant mass of a mineral called Chrysocolla, found near copper deposits. It's a wonderfully bright blue stone with red inclusions the name of which I forget.
They aren't great photos but, oh well.

 

[jeremy_norbury]

I made some benches...

DSC01065 by Jerry Norbury, on Flickr

I made a couple of jitta's
12250633 by Jerry Norbury, on Flickr

Second one - a cheap piece of hardwood

10137698 by Jerry Norbury, on Flickr

Second one during the making

10137701 by Jerry Norbury, on Flickr

10268279 by Jerry Norbury, on Flickr

10268299 by Jerry Norbury, on Flickr

Complete
11028580 by Jerry Norbury, on Flickr

Made my sons some cufflinks

DSC06274 by Jerry Norbury, on Flickr

 

[Wulfskaar]

I made this slab pot out of oven-bake clay as an experiment. I left it outside for a year before putting anything in it to see how it would handle the weather. It still seems perfect to me!

It was cheap, fun, easy, and fast to make. Got the terracotta-color clay at Michael's craft store. I made another, but it's very thin, so I'm not sure if that will work.

 

[Attmos]

I made this slab pot out of oven-bake clay as an experiment. I left it outside for a year before putting anything in it to see how it would handle the weather. It still seems perfect to me!

It was cheap, fun, easy, and fast to make. Got the terracotta-color clay at Michael's craft store. I made another, but it's very thin, so I'm not sure if that will work.

Yeah I love this kind of thing.

 

[RJG2]

My neighbor made a wreath out of my bougainvillea flowers:

Post in thread 'RJGII's threadless projects'

Aug 10, 2021

Speaking of bougainvillea, I dried the flowers from the last big show this one did last winter, and gave them to my neighbor - he's a crafty old guy, and made a wreath.

He was selling it at a little home craft same he did this spring:

• RJG2

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[RJG2]

Sheath for my cheap grafting knife (figured I should use copper wire, because hey, bonsai):

Post in thread 'RJGII's threadless projects'

Nov 18, 2022

Warning: I have no idea what I'm doing.

Had a couple scraps of leather from a "make your own belt kit" I got for Christmas last year; needed a holder for my cheap grafting knife.

Drilled some holes and got out some 20 gauge copper wire.

• RJG2

• 

 

[RJG2]

Daiza:

Post in thread 'RJGII's threadless projects'

Oct 26, 2024

Okay, here's a new one to me. Disclaimer: I am not a woodworker! Credit for the process goes to @ABCarve (as best as I could follow), here:


First I traced the stone's footprint and started carving with hand chisels. Also traced the outline with a razor, so I wouldn't overshoot.





I didn't have plasticine, so I kept going by feel mostly. After a bit of this, I decided my Dremel would be better for the job.



After a bit of this, I tried using chalk to find the high (low?) spots. This...

• RJG2

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[blackadam]

scrapwood susan with washing machine bearing


scabbard for my work in progress edc

They aren't great photos but, oh well.

You kidding, right? You defintelly should try carve that small bonsai pots from this material

 

[KateM]

Concrete pot for sedums

There is a mystery, in my picture storage it is in feet down orientation, when I attach it here it turns it over clockwise 90 degrees. Tried a couple times...

 

[Attmos]

Sheath for my cheap grafting knife (figured I should use copper wire, because hey, bonsai):

Post in thread 'RJGII's threadless projects'

Nov 18, 2022

Warning: I have no idea what I'm doing.

Had a couple scraps of leather from a "make your own belt kit" I got for Christmas last year; needed a holder for my cheap grafting knife.

Drilled some holes and got out some 20 gauge copper wire.

• RJG2

• 

That's a 'cheap' knife? A simple design, but looks like it's neo-Damascus steel, maybe even hand forged.

 

[Attmos]

Daiza:

View attachment 616015

Post in thread 'RJGII's threadless projects'

Oct 26, 2024

Okay, here's a new one to me. Disclaimer: I am not a woodworker! Credit for the process goes to @ABCarve (as best as I could follow), here:


First I traced the stone's footprint and started carving with hand chisels. Also traced the outline with a razor, so I wouldn't overshoot.





I didn't have plasticine, so I kept going by feel mostly. After a bit of this, I decided my Dremel would be better for the job.



After a bit of this, I tried using chalk to find the high (low?) spots. This...

• RJG2

• 

Very Nice! Never heard of Daiza so I'm glad you posted this. Great way to display.

 

[Attmos]

You kidding, right? You defintelly should try carve that small bonsai pots from this material

Good thought and as a matter of fact I have started carving pots out of stone. I didn't know how they'd be accepted so I haven't spoken of it or shown any yet, but with this new thread I might just do that, eventually.

 

[Attmos]

Concrete pot for sedums
View attachment 616035
There is a mystery, in my picture storage it is in feet down orientation, when I attach it here it turns it over clockwise 90 degrees. Tried a couple times...

No idea whats wrong but I like the pot.

 

[Carol 83]

Concrete pot for sedums
View attachment 616035
There is a mystery, in my picture storage it is in feet down orientation, when I attach it here it turns it over clockwise 90 degrees. Tried a couple times...

Looks fine to me.

 

[blackadam]

Im curious if anyone here tried put together automatic watering system (rather small, for windowsill) similiar to this thing https://www.420magazine.com/communi...ashing-machine-pump-and-dutch-buckets.446187/

I get my hands on washing machine pump and timer, could put those in some use
also have solar powered outdoor (in my case balcony) drip system in my mind if i succesfully overwinter my cherry (and get hooked even more) but this project (and me in raft contest) depends mostly on cherry survival

 

[Attmos]

When I started this thread I didn't actually have anything to offer, but I'd been planning several projects. I work with stone a lot and with my rudimentary tools, I've actually gotten pretty good at it.

This little piece was the first one I started and could be completed in a matter of hours, but I'm having trouble deciding how to move forward.

All the lights in my house are old school soft white, but they actually put out a very yellow light and I didn't have the flash on.. I'm not a very good photographer. lol I'll post a few pictures in better light in a bit.

Anyway, this is where I stand with this project. The pot is made of a plant fossil from the Devonian Period, collected on the bank of the Scioto River in Columbus, Ohio. I thought it might be fun to put a living plant in the remains of an ancient plant. It's far from a perfect circle but I've noticed that the best pots are not even close to being perfect.

It's very simple at this point, but I have a ton of different color stone I could use for feet and lip, or maybe a medallion on the side... I could do a wide lip, a thin lip of the same dimensions...

I could make protruding feet, or a simple ring with gaps for drainage.
..............................................

I wanted to present this as a finished piece, but I need help. Do you think I should embellish with more color, a lip, maybe a bottom ring above the feet...

Would this simple style be better with protruding carved feet, or feet that track the outer rim....

 

[Attmos]

And is the drainage hole too large? The pot is about 2 1/2 inches in diameter and about an inch tall.