Sunday, February 1, 2026

Slide of the Month: Mayan Scream Whistle



February 2026

Time to make: 3 hours

Finishing: 3 hour

Original design:  Bill Macfarlane

3D file: Maya Deat* Whistle (Easy Print, Very Loud) by Tacblades

Note: the name has been changed with google in mind (If you know you know)




It's dark and cold ... there an eerie sound in the distant. Is it a scream? Is it a wail of a wild animal? No it's a Mayan scream whistle. I got to admit I never heard of one before I saw one on an episode of Tracker and yes I've never seen Ghostbuster Afterlife which also mentions it.

I first printed this on a resin printer which required a lot of supports to print. That was a big mistake because I couldn't effectively remove the supports from inside the chambers. Once I cured the print, it became a paperweight as I could not blow into it. To the FDM printer next and within a few hours I had a working whistle. Next I gave it a black wash, with multi surface hobby paint, to bring out the detail. I added some loops to the back to finish off this slide.

Thursday, January 1, 2026

Slide of the Month: Vacation Slide


  January 2026

  Time to make: 3 hours

  Finishing: 1 hour

  Original design:  Bill Macfarlane












So ever wonder what a carver like me does on vacation. Well there's nothing like sitting out in front of our room with my wife in the early morning enjoying my tea and letting the wood guide me. Incredibly relaxing.

This will be the first in a series of Vacation slides. Now I'd love to say this slide was influence by the surroundings but in truth it's based on a planter (maybe its a cup?) I saw somewhere.

Carved from basswood I brought with me and sanded. When I got home, I finished it off with some golden shellac.