Recently, I reconnected with a Navy roommate from 1969. We were stationed in Iceland. In spite of all the years gone by, memories of the experience continue to be bright and like it was just yesterday. Thanks to a US Navy Facebook group, Dean, just happened to inquire if I was the guy he knew while stationed in Iceland.
A few posts and we were on the phone and catching up on a whole lot of living gone by. While conversing, I began to develop the idea for this carving. Dean and I shared a room but also months of great experiences while in Iceland as well as a week in London together.
Back then, my carving was referred to as "whittling." There was no flair to the pieces just a fun shape cut out of wood. My new main hobby at that time was photography. I drove Dean crazy taking black & white photos and slides. With a photo lab at our disposal on base, I spent many days and nights in the darkroom. I was the guy with the camera on his neck, the bag of gadgets on one shoulder and the tripod hanging on the other.
However, fifty years later sticking my camera in the faces of the guys paid off. I've shared a great many slides and Black & Whites on Facebook and my blogs. Together, Dean and I have opened the door to our pasts.
With the flood of memories and great stories fresh in our minds I'm sure this piece will be as special for Dean and it is for me to be able to create it and give it to him. Dean and I were Communications Technicians. Dean was a radioman and I a teletype operator. Interestingly, we never really knew exactly what the other actually did. In fact I just learned that Dean knew Morse code, and from what I understand, learning to take Morse code is no small task. Hence, "The Ditty Chaser!" These guys learned to take code at a rapid pace which meant they all had to learn to type as well. Dean was smart, he learned to type in high school. He was well ahead of the game.
Here's how "The Ditty Chaser" came to be....
The ideas for "The Ditty Chaser " came together over several days. But, the idea of having a guy sitting at a table typing something he was listening to just didn't seem all that unique at first. I added a comical twist that brought the ideas to fruition. A radioman can take code and type at a high rate of speed, however, this sailor is "hunting and pecking with two fingers," hence the strained look on his face. Only a true "Ditty Chaser" would appreciate this sailors delima.
The 4"x3"x7" block of tupelo is outlined and ready for the band saw.
The radioman, radio, typewriter stool are ready for the roughout stage of the piece.
I started this piece out a little differently. I "warmed up" on the simple pieces before starting the radioman.
Back in the 60's we did have electric typewriters but we learned on manual typewriters. In this case I opted for the manual "mills" because of their look. The radio is also taken from the same era.
The table legs and base are the only things not hand carved for this piece.
With the accessories ready, the main character is roughed out.
Final piece reduction and fine sanding is the most fun stage of a piece. I manage to refine the details
and enhance the finish texture.
All the pieces required a fair amount of fitting and alignment. I needed to pay particular attention to just how high the table and his stool needed to be. His hands had to be just above the typewriter as if he's "hunting" for the right keys.
On figures I tend to inlay their feet into the base for a stronger mounting. No, they are not platform shoes!
I wanted the sailor to be wearing his white sailor's hat for this carving. That meant the sides had to curl due to the headphones.
At last, all the pieces have had their final smoothing and have been readied for dowels to be make their gluing to the base stronger. Below, you can see the dowel holes and feet cut outs for the pieces to be positioned and glued in place.
At last, the "paint studio" is readied. I moved painting my pieces from the garage to inside the cooler house. The paints were thickening too quickly in the heat. It typically takes me a day or two to complete the painting of a piece.
Looking over his shoulder you can see his 3rd class petty officer's "crow." on his arm That was Dean's rate at the time.
Ah, the look of total frustration! Trying to listen to high speed Morse code can get the better of the best Radioman. It's been said that in "A" School some of the trainers said they could read code coming from the sound of a running fan! (Note: Back in the 60's A/C wasn't in all of our spaces!)
Yes, I just had to write something on the paper in the typewriter!
"The Ditty Chaser"
Here's to the very special group of men and women often referred to as "Spooks!"
Spook:
A species of
carefully selected and highly trained
members of the US Navy and US Marine Corps
who do things they can never
talk about for people
they do not know with little recognition from those they
have served.
