Am a new carver and was wondering if anyone who uses artificial eyes for bears could tell me where to find them???? When I got my saw there was abbreviated video by Jerry Faber. He used a spade bit to make eye cavity then pounded eyes in. The only ones the local taxidermists know about have flat backs that must be glued in. Don't have enough saw control yet to make small circle eyes.
I think what you seen was the eyes that were marbles. I use the one inch clear on my big bears and the 3/4 on the med., and the 5/16 on the small. Some put in colored marbles and I do to on some things. On all my clear I put alum. foil behind them first then glue them in with white glue that dryes clear. When the light hits them they shine. Thats the way I do things. Lone Wolf
Darcie eyes also I don't know there website maybe steve can find it . Also pearl art supply has some eyes . and usualy your local hobby or craft store will have some sort of eyes I LIKE THE AMBER COLORED EYES FOR BEARS .
oops..am new to this website too!!! didn't realize i didn't have to respond to each message individually. thank you all for info...guess i'll have to go shopping!
you can buy solid colored marbles yes like you played with . I buy them in bags of a hundred . from the old time pottery , drill a 9/16 hole put a little silcone in it and then the marble done. I use taxidermy eyes on realy nice carvings . I also use a plug cutter to make a nice hole about a 1/4 inch deep and then take the die crinder and trim aroud the eye and shape it a little .
My wife, Marie and I have never used marbles or such; what we do is shape in the eye lids or cavity surrounding the eye then take grinding stones which either fit a die grinder or laminate trimmer with 1/4" shaft or stones which fit the smaller Dremel type grinders and grind/burn in whatever size eye or pupil to fit the carving. You can buy several different shaped stones and then if you use a dressing stone such as used to dress grinding wheels on chain sharpeners, you can create many different sizes/shapes to be used on any size carving. This seems to work very well and kinda keeps the carving looking natural.
I won't take credit for this process; one we learned from veteran carvers like AJ and the Barkers. This also allows you to select the probable sized eye you think will look best and then just first touch it lightly to the carving on both sides to see if you have the proper size and placement before you go for broke.
Hope this helps you a little; I think it's worth a try. I'm sure you will see other carvers out there doing a similar process.
