Sorta Tech: the making of a non-functioning striping brush

This is an update on a project I had done a few years ago.
I had some s**** wood laying around and being loath to ever throw anything out that I might conceivably use someday(it's called "Pack Rat Syndrome)I decided to make something from it.
The pieces in question were a length of 1" hardwood dowel(left over from making a bar for my pattern paper roll)and a half empty package of tapered wood shim stock(used for squaring door frames and such).
My feverish mind determined that I could probably construct an oversized replica of a striping brush from these pieces.What I would do with it once it was done was not in the forefront of my mind at the time.(I have since found several uses for them).
As I am not well versed in the vagaries of woodworking(I flunked wood shop in high school)I had little in the way of tools designed for that.
A search through my tool collection(and various ***rted drawers)netted the following:Two well used(abused)wood files one being a half round and the other fully round,several body files in various stages of decay,and a couple of sanding blocks with ragge paper still attached.I have since added a couple more files,a miter saw,and a belt sander although I still prefer to use non power tools for the job.
Other essentials included a bench vise with soft jaws(a nice one that my wife bought me for Father's Day one year.I can tell it's a good one because it took a chainfall to hoist it onto the bench to be mounted),some wood glue,and some blue electrical wire(16 gauge).
I began by making some pencil marks on the dowel at about where I wanted the tapers and such to be.I also sketched the outline of the hair on the shim stock.
Not having a suitable saw to cut out the outline of the hair,I used my trusty pocket knife(an extremely sharp serrated SpyderCo folder with pocket clip)to rough out the shape.I finished it with the sanding block rather easily as it is only soft pine.
Next I turned to the dowel.Clamping it securely in the vise and using the round file,I filed down the wood to approximately the width of the file.I rotated the dowel 90 degrees and did it again;repeating this until I had worked my way around the dowel.I then turned it 45 degrees and did the same thing moving it until it was almost completely rounded.
I then filed the flat where the hair is attached with the body file;filing it on a taper and rotating it 180 degrees and doing the other side.(I found out later I had to cut one side in with a saw and file it parallel to the axis of the handle to make the hair sit parallel).
Then by taking the body file and filing and rotating the piece as I had done the radius,I managed to rough in the tapered handle leaving about an inch on the end.This served two purposes:it gave me a spot to hold the piece in the vise tightly without marring the other surfaces and it was filed down later to a point to finish the handle.
After the filing,I expended a great deal of energy with the sanding block and various grits of paper.
I then glued the two pieces together and when set,wrapped the electrical wire around(to simulate the real wrapping)and after some finish sanding covered everything with several coates of urethane.
Of what use are these things you might ask? A good question! I used one to make a hood ornament for my car to advertise my profession(and I can deduct the expense of making them LOL)and a couple for hat ornaments.I used several to make trophies(that is what the latest crop is for)and the rest I gave away to fellow stripers as momentos.As an aside the pics were taken just recently and I lost a couple transferring them to the computer.They also show power tools which I find don't work as well as doing it by hand.
So there it is in a nutshell.Hope you enjoyed it.
Ray

 

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The almost finished products

 

Ray do you ever sleep or do you work in your sleep? Its amazing to me that anyone could stripe everything that is close enough to touch and a few things that are not plus make all of the other stuff you make and still find time to breathe!!! You are amazing ! Thanks for the brush also my wife even let me put it in the living room I think its cause it was from you (if I would have made it she would have let me put it in the trash)

 

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Ray do you ever sleep or do you work in your sleep?

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He has special helpers.

 

[ QUOTE ]
Ray do you ever sleep or do you work in your sleep?

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Actually I only sleep about 3-4 hours a night.I realized many years ago that I really didn't need much sleep.I might nod off occasionally for 20 minutes or so and wake up ready to go again.
We never know how long we have on this planet so I try and make the most of every minute.I never thought I'd live to be 30 let alone 60!And now that I am I'd like to stay around a bit longer.
I've been asked if I've had any regrets in my life and I can honestly say that if I had to live it all over again,I'd do exactly the same things because every time I screwed up it was a learning experience.I've had my share(maybe more)of bad times as well as good and they have both shaped who and what I am today.
People laugh when I tell them that if I open my eyes in the morning and look down and see my chest moving up and down that I know anything above that is a plus and I'm very serious.Enough said;back to your regularly scheduled program.