Another fish

[chunkolini]

I have made lots of these but I enjoy making them.
I sent my customer a link to my favourite fish book and he chose the species, a Short Big Eye, very imaginative name. But great shape for this kind of thing. For a change it is to be polished and clear coated, I have found a company who can do it properly with a guarantee but very pricey. They did my big shoe beautifully.
I scaled up the drawing with my OHP
about 2.3m long.

Then bend up and roll the spine belly and ribs. And roll the sides of the head, so much easier with slip rollers. I used to jump up and down on them over a gas cylinder.

Then for the eyes and mouth. The customer wanted 'it' to be a She and look happy but not to anthropormophised. Luckily my new lady friend called me just as I was setting up to do this and put me in happy state of mind (aaaah). I was pleased with the eyes and mouth.

Next the fins, not much fun on the hottest day of the year, but looking very good.

Most of the fins were finished today, pop them all on in a day or so and job done.

 

[eSCHEn]

Love the face, think you hit the client's brief dead on there

 

[Maker]

That's awesome. Can we have a close up of the eye?

 

[Kent]

I was thinking" how do you make a fish a she"? then I saw the eye and learnt how

 

[captain-destructo]

i like the helping hand on the bench

 

[Gareth J]

Is the head a compound curve? If so, how and wow! It looks so smooth.

 

[chunkolini]

Not a compound curve, just rolled in one plane, then laid up on the body and the line to cut drawn with a felt pen. Get that wrong and it is a distastrophe. I usually draw it on and cut a bit bigger than needed then check again before finishing it to size.
Eye closer in. I did add a couple more of the radial bits. Made using half a ball with a ring sat around it.

 

[Gareth J]

Well, it looks pretty curvey both ways to me so something you've done has done the trick! ... I wonder if anyone has ever hydro-formed a fish sculpture...

 

[chunkolini]

The shape? I have been intrigued by this for years.
I curve it in one plane, then lay it effectively over a triangle; so it should be a section out of a cone.
Maybe the curve of the lines around the perimeter give an illusion of a compound curve,
I will try a straight edge on it if I remember.
I have thought of hydroforming but then you need a closed 3d structure and I cant be arsed with that.

 

[CRB]

Nearly sexy.

What you manage to do in effectively two dimensions does not need hydroforming. If you see.

I can see what you have done. I know how you have done it...but....

I love your stuff MrC it is quite simple, but when seen is quite beautifully simple.

 

[chunkolini]

Simple because I only have basic fabrication skills.
I got the fins all fitted today, the exciting bit when you spend a few hours joining all the component parts together.
I put a straight edge on the head and there is a bit of a compound curve going on. Weird maybe heat induced distortion tensioning the skin.

And 3/4 profile

 

[eSCHEn]

Fan, or should I say fin, bloody tastic pal. That looks the absolute dangly bits!

 

[mike os]

next time you are making one of these let me know... im coming to watch

 

[chunkolini]

For Maker and my Pal Kath who put a big smile on my face when I was making the face.

Mike OS you are welcome anytime.

 

[CRB]

?How is it being mounted?

 

[chunkolini]

A simple box section H frame on the floor with two uprights, one between the front fins and one in front of the ventral fin.
I might cut a few slots in the rear leg and give it a bit of a curve.

 

[CRB]

Cantilever under the front fins, there must be a proper name for them, would give it a floaty feel.

I understand it may be a bit late for a design change.

Pectoral.

 

[chunkolini]

Trouble is the front fins are quite flexible, it needs to fix to the main body.

 

[CRB]

Better description would have been, to cantilever the body between the pectoral fins, but hide the structure behind the fins.

 

[RichardM]

very nice Mr C, you'll be getting an English wheel soon.