A cap-badge carved from bone?

[Joseph McLaren]

I'm not a fan of showing too much metal if I'm wearing daywear, but I've been wanting a Balmoral in green lovat or fawn, and would like to sport a McLaren clan cap-badge.

I've just asked a bone-carver for a quote to have one made from 'bovine ivory'. It'd be a slightly stylised and simplified version of the usual crest, but I've a feeling it could look good.

Do you think it's a good idea? Are there any implications to consider? Has anyone thought of this before?

[Bugbear]

That's an interesting idea.

I've seen bone buttons with scrimshaw; kind of makes me think of that.

[Joseph McLaren]

I hadn't made the scrimshaw connection, I'd been watching YouTube videos of someone making traditional bone fish hooks in Hawaii (a lot of people wear them as pendants I think) which are very simple and smooth, but I love scrimshaw! Thanks Ted!

[Ryan Ross]

Sounds like an interesting idea to me. A good one, too, I'd say. I hope to see a picture, once the badge is finished.

[Bugbear]

I very much love scrimshaw, too.

In ceramics I use a similar technique or it's opisit... I'm having trouble remembering how to spell it but it's spoken masheema,*mishima- or *the reverse, scraffito (*corrected spellings) Good luck, and hope it goes well.

[Joseph McLaren]

I know there's a technique in oil painting where thick paint is scratched at to reveal another colour beneath, called scraffito, could this be similar?

I shall be sure to put up pics of the badge when and if it comes into being!

[Bugbear]

Exactly, "scraffito" and I spelled it all wrong.

The other method, which is more like scrimshaw, is to scratch designs into the leather hard clay, cover it with an underglaze, then trim off the top layer. The underglaze, just a colored slip usually, is left in the design and the surface is basically smooth.

I need to go look up how to spell that word...

I'm also going to correct that post a little, so I don't look like an idiot.

[Paul Henry]

Ted,
the word is "mishima" something I used to do a lot of, I really enjoyed using a cobalt carbonate mix with slip in the incised lines, then scrapped back, it looked slightly pink, fired it was blue back and glazed it had a strong line with a lovely blue haze around it, just the thought of it makes me want to do some more in my next firing, which should be at the end of next hopefully, if I carry on throwing, but I need some fo them for Christmas.. so I had better be busy!

[Bugbear]

Ted,
the word is "mishima" something I used to do a lot of, I really enjoyed using a cobalt carbonate mix with slip in the incised lines, then scrapped back, it looked slightly pink, fired it was blue back and glazed it had a strong line with a lovely blue haze around it, just the thought of it makes me want to do some more in my next firing, which should be at the end of next hopefully, if I carry on throwing, but I need some fo them for Christmas.. so I had better be busy!

Thanks Paul. I used to use a lot of mishima on pieces I threw on the wheel. I would also use the scraffito and mishima together on a single piece.

There is also wax resist, and scraffito on the glaze... All kinds of things.
Hope it goes well.

[JSFMACLJR]

I'm not a fan of showing too much metal if I'm wearing daywear, but I've been wanting a Balmoral in green lovat or fawn, and would like to sport a McLaren clan cap-badge.

I've just asked a bone-carver for a quote to have one made from 'bovine ivory'. It'd be a slightly stylised and simplified version of the usual crest, but I've a feeling it could look good.

Do you think it's a good idea? Are there any implications to consider? Has anyone thought of this before?

Just make sure that the crest badge conforms to the blazon (description) of the Chief's crest, and that the buckle, strap, and motto are not omitted, as the crest belongs to Donald MacLaren of MacLaren and Achleskine and is his personal property.