If you are like a lot of folks I meet at the fine art and craft shows I do,one look at me and your first impression is " No Way ". This guy can't be the one who does those eggs. All right,so I am big,an ex-Green Beret and ex-Trucker;Does that mean these weather beaten hands aren't gentle enough to cut an egg shell? I guess not since I've been doing it for many years. What started as a hobby is now a full time occupation and one I truly enjoy. Only problem is,my 40 hour work week,before I took my early retirement,has now turned into 100 hour weeks. So much for retirement. When I'm doing my shows and time is at a premium,my wife likes to tell me " Hon,I'm so glad you retired,otherwise you wouldn't be able to spend 20 hours a day cutting those eggs" and unfortunately she's right. But I love what I'm doing and enjoy seeing the looks in peoples eyes when they gaze at my work and wonder " Are they really eggs."
Yes,they are real egg shells and no they aren't cut with a laser. I can't begin to tell you
how many times I've said that during a show.They are all cut by hand,using a high-speed handpiece that revolves at over 400,000 RPM's,using the same burs a dentist would use. I also use dental sanding discs for the sculpting. Besides cleaning,nothing else is done to the shell before or after cutting.
I got started cutting egg shells when I received a modified dentist drill to use in my engraving and was told it probably was gentle enough to engrave an egg. Always one for a challenge,I had to try. I soon found out you could engrave an egg shell with it and that got me started. Since that first egg,I've ventured into filigree and sculpting and
I would have to say I am still learning. There is always something new to try and something new to learn. I guess that's why I enjoy doing this so much-no matter how long you cut eggs,you'll never learn all there is to know about it. Be it something learned from a new egg design or different way to cut,or the lessons learned from eggs
that didn't make it and shattered after many hours of work,every day and every egg presents new challenges. I know I'll never finish every egg I start,mainly because I am my own worse critic and will toss that shell if it doesn't look the way I envisioned,but I also know there are plenty more eggs where that broken one came from and, the Good
Lord willing,plenty more time to cut.