Slide of the month Extra: Woody's Texas Long Horn

 

August 2023

Time to make: 2.5 hours

Finishing: 1 hour

Original design:  Woody's make your own













The Texas Long Horn is a popular theme in Scouting in America. Perhaps this is because of the steers at Philmont Scout Ranch or perhaps or perhaps it's that many find them an interesting subject to carve.

Carved from pine, the original kit came with an additional piece of wood to carve the horns. I decided to carve the horns from maple for additional strength. I also added some ears made from leather and super glued them along with the horns to the head. I painted it with hobby paints and gave the horns a black wash. The eyes are made from a two black plastic ball head pins. A couple of coats of poly finish the slide off.

Slide of the Month Extra: Philmont 3D Map

 

August 2023

Time to make: .5 hours

Finishing: 1 hour

Original design: dyp102 on Thingiverse

Modified by : Bill Macfarlane










I've been itching to get back to 3d printing and to do a topo map of Philmont. First I found a .slt file on Thingiverse by dyp102, and after preparing the model (slicing), it was printed using a Pursa 3d printer. Next I painted it with a flat spray paint especially made for plastic and works well with PLA plastic used on the printer. Next I used hobby paints to paint the slide using my 2022 paper map as a guide. Because the print is very thin, I wanted to mount the print on a background that would allow for a loop to be glued to the back of the slide. The background was made from pre-made thin plywood oval bought from a local hobby store. It was painted black with hobby paint and then the print was super glued to the background. I also decided to add some wording using waterslide paper. To finish the slide off, a couple of coats of poly were applied.

Slide of the Month Extra: Scout Masters Run on Summer Edition

 

August 2023

Time to make: .5 hours

Finishing: 0 hour

Original design: Dunkin/ Bill Macfarlane











So I did a slide called Scoutmasters Run On based on some lip balm Dunkin Donuts sold a few years ago. Last fall Dunkin did it again based on their cold coffee drinks so I just couldn't resist on for these hot summer days. 

After cleaning out the lip balm, I super glued the top to the cup and a wire loop to the back. Nice and easy for a great slide.

Slide of the Month: Leather Slide

 

August 2023

Time to make: 2 hours

Finishing: 0 hours

Slides N' Woggles Issue 2

 
Original design:  Greg Firestone/BSA






Early when I began making slides I ran across a series of slides called Slide N' Woogles by Greg Firestone. I kind of think it was a handout for 2 or three events. The handouts contained some original Slide of the Months and some of Greg's designs in each packet.  I can seem to find the Slide N' Woogles series anymore on the web but I was lucky enough to print out the patterns before the files disappeared. If Greg Firestone is reading this, thank you for helping encouraging me. 

The design is a BSA modern design of the Scouting fleur-de-lis and I've always been frustrated as how to bring this to a slide. The other day while flipping through my library of designs I happened upon Greg Firestones Leather Slide and I knew how to use the design. I taped the design and some carbon paper to the piece of leather and traced the design onto it. Then using a soldering iron, I when over the tracing burning the image into the leather. The slide is laced in the back with hole punched into the leather.

Slide of the Month - Turtle Shell

August 2023

Time to make: 2 hours

Boys Life "Slide of the Month"

Mar. 1987, p. 58

Original design: Bill Fleming








Warm summers, cold lakes and turtles, ah the memories of youth! There is just something about the simplicity of a turtle shell and yet each was a work of art.

Carved from maple with the design made using simple v-cuts. The slide was painted using several layers of thin hobby paint to give it a feeling of depth. It's finished off with a couple coats of poly.