Slide of the Month Extra - Duty to God

October 2021

Time to make: 3 hours

Finishing: 1 hour

Original design:  Philmont / Bill Macfarlane

Days till Philmont 2022Countdown

 

One of the crew leadership positions is the role of Chaplain's Aide and it is the responsiblity of this youth leader to help the crew earn the Duty to God award.  They also lead the Roses and Thorns which is an opportunity for the crew to reflect on the good and bad of the day. I've always liked a slightly different version of this called Roses, Thorns, and Buds in which someone states something they liked, something they disliked, and something they look forward to the next day (or days).

Using southern yellow (pallet) pine, I designed this slide in several levels to represent the area near and far away from the viewer. (The trail being nearest and the sky being the furthest away.) I painted it with hobby paints. The lettering is done with clear waterslide paper and white waterslide paper so I could have white lettering (with a green printed background). A couple of coats of poly finish it off.

Slide of the Month - Eggs 'n Bacon

October 2021

Time to make:  48 hours

Finishing: 0

 

Boy's Life: December 1982, page 77

Original design: Kenneth Koob







MMMMMMmmmmmm....Breakfast in camp on a brisk October day! I can just taste the bacon just thinking about it

I was thinking about how to make this slide and came up with a new fangled solution for creating the slide. I started with a large button and spray painted it with metallic blue paint. That gave it the look of an old blue enamel camping plate. To make the food I used "puffy" paint which is normally used on fabrics. It is some interesting stuff that comes in squeeze bottles with some fine tips to draw with. Once you "paint" your design, you add heat from a steam iron and the paint expands "puffing up". 

Using a scrape piece of polished tile as a base, I started with the background of each - white of the eggs, darker brown of the toast in a square shape, and red of the bacon. I think you could also use parchment or wax paper for the base also.) Once it was dry, about 24 hours, I applied the other color on top of the died material - yellow egg yoke, tan of the toast, and tan of the bacon fat and let those dry for another 24 hours.  Next I super glued a coat hanger loop to the back of the button. Next I super glued the eggs over the holes on the button.  The square toast was cut dig and then super glued them the button. Lastly, I supper glued the bacon to the button.  

Slide of the Month Extra-Philmont Rich Cabins

 

September 2021

Time to make: 3 hours

Finishing: 1 hour

Original design:  Philmont / Bill Macfarlane

Days till Philmont 2022Countdown

 

It is said Joseph Risch (Americanized to Rich) fell in love with a young woman in Austria. The local priest in their home town agreed to marry them but, because the town could not support more people, forbid them to have children.  Hearing tales of America "Joe"  headed off for New Mexico to build a homestead around the late 1890s. Joe returned to Austria to to marry the love of his life Francis and she came to the homestead around 1910. The Rich Family lived on the land until the 1920's. In the present day, the land is owned by Ted Turner and allows Philmont to use the property.

A quick and easy slide to carve from southern (pallet) pine, painted with hobby paints, lettered with waterslide paper, and finished with a couple of coats of poly.

Slide of the Month Extra-Philturn Cook Shelter

September 2021

Time to make: 3 hours

Finishing: 1 hour

Original design:  Philmont Millennium 1 / Bill Macfarlane

Days till Philmont 2022Countdown

 

Over at the Philmont Millennium 1 site there are several photos of the early days when Philmont was called Philturn Rocky Mountain Scout Camp and one of the photo there was the Cook Shelter. This is my spin of the photo as a slide. One thing of note, (a mistake but I still like it) beyond the stone cook area sits a Scout. Somehow I thought it was a dark cast iron part of the cook area and yet it still works for me as someone sitting in the shadows.

Carved from southern yellow pine (reclaimed scrap pallet) the levels of the slide give this a sense of depth. Painted with hobby paints and sealed with a couple coats of poly. The lettering was done with water slide paper. 

Slide of the Month Extra -Philmont Ponil (Pistols)

 

September 2021

Time to make: 2.5 hours

Finishing: 1.5 hour

Original design:  Philmont / Bill Macfarlane

Days till Philmont 2022Countdown

 

Ponil was base camp back when Philmont was known as Rocky Mountain Scout Camp. It is one of the largest back country camps and features many programs including a chuckwagon dinner and if your lucky a pancake breakfast. Root beers can be bought at the cantina and some trout fishing in the stream. It is also where you will find "Cowboy Action Shooting" and have the chance to shoot 38 caliber pistols.

Carved from maple, this was a challenging slide to try complete. The pistols came out better than I expected but there always is room for improvement. I painted it with hobby paints and the lettering was done with water slide paper. A couple of coats of poly finish it off. 

Slide of the Month Extra - Philmont Rayado Ridge

  September  2021

  Time to make:         3 hours

  Finishing: 1 hour

  Original design:       Philmont /                Bill Macfarlane

Days till Philmont 2022 Countdown

 

I'm told the sun rise and sun set in Philmont are amazing and this view in Rayado Ridge has to be in the top 10! Rayado Ridge is a great leadership training camp where you can find these courses National Advanced Youth Leadership Experience (NAYLE), Philmont Leadership Challenge (PLC),  Wood Badge and many other courses.

Carved from maple, it was a really simple slide to carve as it is just an incline way from the land mass (in black) to give the illusion of distance. Next came the painting and, using hobby paints, I started by painting the yellow of the sun as a large circle. Using orange paint, I painted the outside area, furthest from the center, and then with a fairly dry brush dabbed the orange paint in the yellow area. When the paint was dry, I when back with yellow paint and put a drop in the center to make the sun. Lastly, using black paint, I paint the land mass giving the feeling of the sun setting. Nice! The lettering was done with a couple different kinds of water slide paper. The "Rayado Ridge" was done with clear waster slide paper and the "Leadership Camp" was done on white water slide paper printing the red lettering on a black background. A couple coats of poly finish it off.  I really love how this slide turned out!

Slide of the Month- Elephant (Cub Scouts)

September 2021

Time to make: 1/2 hour

Finishing: none

 
Boy's Life Dec. 1961 p.77

Original design:  Unknown











Hopefully we are all back in person now and as quite a few packs start at the beginning of the school year, lets get the Cubs off to a good start with a simple slide with simple materials.

The original Boy's Life slide called for using an old inner tube and while they are still around, finding a old inner tube isn't as common as it was back in 1961. I found something better and easier to work with in the scrapbooking section of a craft store. The best part is that it comes in a variety of colors and won't break the bank. Buttons are easy to find and you might just have a couple in a sewing kit at home. If you are going to do this with the Cubs, I would suggest making a template out of cardboard or heavy card stock so the Cubs can trace the shape on to the foam sheet before cutting. On to the building...

With the design outline on the foam sheet, I cut out the  shapes with a pair of scissors. (Note: I did make the tabs a little longer than the article call so I could adjust the size of loop and trim it accordingly.)

 Next came cutting the slits for tabs in the ear section which with the foam sheet is really easy. Fold the foam in half along the marked line for the tabs and cut along the line (easy peasy). Now pass the tabs through the slits and form a loop in the back by gluing the tabs together. I used contact cement but I guess you could use just about any kind of glue, staple or sew it together. The button eyes of the elephant, I also glued on instead of sewing them on, as suggest by the article, but once again it's up to you.

It's a quick and easy project for Lions to Webelo's!