Ann’s Dragon hand

I did say I was going to tell you about the dragon hand you may have noticed at least once in a recent post. So no travelogue today as we look back at what Ann got me working on for our Diamond exhibition celebrating our 75^th anniversary. It would be part of the exhibition at the guild sale (which Coincided with the exhibition of guild work at the museum in Almonte). I know two shows at once, can be confusing.

During the summer, Ann asked if I could make a dragon hand for a project for the diamond exhibition.  We met at the guild social, I brought jute covered wire, its unlabeled but is either 14 or 12 gauge, and made an amateur for her.  She considered it, then asked if it could be a  bit bigger. Ok, on that! Mark 2 dragon hand was bigger and could thus hold more diamonds.  She deemed it worthy, so unlike Goldilocks, I got it right in 2 tries!

You have seen me playing with wire armatures before, so if you had questions or want more info on armatures and wire gages look back through the blog posts. What i want to show you today is something I haven’t seen anyone else try.  Ann’s Specification was dragon hand, with poses-able fingers, and claws, that could hold the diamonds Ann was making.

Early this year, April I think, I had been surfing around the internet, on the other side of the planet, and doing a bit of on-line-shopping. While looking for other things I spotted claw tips!!, well the seller did not realize they were selling claw tips, but I knew they were as soon as i spotted them! I ordered 100 in Bronze and 100 in gun-mettle (sort of a charcoal blue/ gray) then later, in October, I made another order of 100 silver.

You can buy a few of a stud, an assortment of various studs or a pack of 100 studs. I figured 5 toed dragon or 4 and a heal claw, with 4 legs per dragon and maybe tail or spine spikes. That would mean the minimum per dragon would be 20 claw tips and however many spiny or tail spikes.  I could probably get a maximum of 4 dragons per 100 spikes. I could not decide between the bronze or the Gunmettel black so, as i said, got them both.

1.1-1.3)  Aliexpress vender was Sunfordfashion Store

I was going to make some samples but by august Ann asked if I could make her a dragon hand. Ah ha! I have just the thing I want to try out!

2.1) 3 bags of studs in Gun-mettle black, Bronze and silver

Lets have a  closer look at the claw tips. its mettle and made of two parts; a screw back and the talon, where the screw inserts.

3.1-3.3) Close up of stud and backing

Now that you have seen them don’t you just think they would make the most perfect claw tips?

Do you recognize what they were originally designed for? Let me give you a hint; punk jackets? Stud collars? Ok maybe not something everyone looks at and goes OOOH those are cool.  I never had a leather jacket with studs or a spike collar, but the jacket still sounds cool. Originally they were screwed through the leather (or Pleather) from the back.

The studs come in lots of shapes, sizes and colours. so this might make a useful option for other projects.

4.1) Various available shapes for studs.

I should show you an example of the expected use of these lovely studs

4.2) I think this was listed as an jacket available on etsy. I guess the shoulder spikes would keep your purse from falling off. (Added design feature?)

Now that you have seen what the expected use for the studs, i suspect you can already see where I was going with this. I made the armature so that each toe ended in a loop. let me see if I can find the a bit too small armature to show you. I think I saw it in the bedroom, I have no idea why it was there. No its likely off with Miss Mer somewhere else in the house now.

When I created the armature, i arranged a loop at the end of each toe. Through which I put the claw shaped stud. around the space between the screw and the claw, I wound floral wire.  I then wound the floral wier ends up the dragon finger to both keep the claw affixed and give the aluminum some added strength.

5.1-5.4 shows the claws inserted into the wire loop then used steel floral weir to keep it secure.

Its not the pettiest of armatures but it worked. If or when I do this again. I would add a drop of crazy glue and give it one more twist to tighten with a screwdriver.

Last online shopping with Ann, I tried World of Wool’s “Carded Core Wool Sliver”. The previous shopping spree had provide carding wast core wool. Its sort of clumps, that may have tried to escape the carder or maybe refused to leave? It works a charm after a quick few passes on the hand carders. (for that, I actually used the full size wool carders not the pet brushes.)

6.1 this is one of the two options from world of wool for core wool

The jute cover on the wire made it easy to warp fiber over the armature, well easier than a bare weir armature.

6.2 adding core wool from ankle to mid forarm

As I added fiber I considered joints, tendons  and tried to figure out the anatomical important bits for a dragon. Ann had oked 4 claws rather than my original 5 clawed idea.

6.3 working wool down fingers

I started to create a webbing between the fingers to make up the palm.

6.4-6.6 adding the webbing between the toes

I had considered the need for a tendon for the heal claw and started to block it in.

6.7  adding tendon to back toe

I had been over at Elizabeth’s, helping her set up the first draft of the Guild workshop schedule. That done it was back to my messy computer desk. please ignore the messy desk, i do as long as i can.

6.8-6.9 adding more structure to the foot

i had a lot of fun adding more anatomical features.

7.1-7.2  adding more structure to the foot and ankle

I was pleased with the shape and covered the hand in black. No matter what colour diamonds Ann made, everything goes with black!

As I said earlier, someone else may have thought of studs as claws, and I just haven’t seen it. I hope this will spark an idea and send you careening off in some new and exciting wet or dry felting direction.

NOTE: my main suggestion is that next time, I think I would add a drop of crazy glue with the floral wire and screw. it should  keep the claw tips from any rotation (one tip has loosened a bit and rotates out of perfect alignment, but it hasn’t let go!)

Aug.19^th social I took the claw in to get Ann’s Ok.

8.1-8.2) Ann playing with the dragon hand

Dragon was showing interest in her sheep……  the shepherdess looks nerves but Dragon was very careful.

8.3)   08-19-2024 progress to this point shape is good, claws look grate, needs more detail than flat black.

she liked it, but wanted more detail.   Ok I can do that, but first I need to photograph the set up for the Guild show in Almonte (which you have already seen!) and there is still guild sale and library work to do, and I have to get the Mer’s ready for the Almonte show too. We will continue with the dragon hand next post.