Tea Time

Tea Time? You’ve got to be kidding me! No self-respecting Cowboy worth his salt would brew up a cuppa Orange Pekoe without running the risk of having his bedroll short-sheeted and while he’s not looking a burr carefully placed under his saddle blanket. However, here in the make-believe world of the Out West Ranch just about anything goes so old Crusty there can enjoy his aromatic beverage without worry about being bucked across the east section.
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About the only thing new on this figure is the teapot. I carved the spout seperate and attached it with a small wooden dowel as I knew it would break off if I didn’t do that. I drilled a couple of holes on each side and inserted 1/8″ dowel for the wire bail. Sticking the wire directly into the pot without that wouldn’t be very strong. To finish it off I drilled a hole in the lid and inserted a decorative nail for the handle. The cup is made from tin and the tea-bag tab is a piece of wire with a metal tag soldered on. It’s held in place by the epoxy I filled the cup with to simulate Tea. Crusty’s cigarello is made from a piece of coathanger wire. Some might use a piece of wood but with the wire I know that it will never break.

(The Next Day)

Old Crusty got his makeup on yesterday so he’s all ready for his trip to Kansas City cause he’s heard that “everything is up to date” there and he’s a guy who want to be au courant with whats happening! Hopefully, he’ll do some networking and get hired on at another spread. One thing for sure….with that “Equalizer” strapped on to his leg any ribbing about his choice of cup contents has suddenly came to a complete halt.
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This was a pretty quick project and the kind I think I’ll do more of. Big involved scenes are challenging but they don’t sell very well. There’s not too many collectors out there who can devote a complete table or desktop to a piece but they can find room to display a single figure.
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Anyway, I hope you like him.  Comments appreciated.