Wood Carving

Make Tools For Wood Rubber

Alexander Redevsky's work. Foto provided the author

Chicken or egg? What's primary and what's secondary? Nobody knows. In our culture, we're used to treating egg as a traditional ingredient of the Russian kitchen. Eggs, mocks, clumsy, omelet... But there's a master who's guessed not only the eggs, but the art of them, turning the shell into a thin circus. Eggshell recipe is a rare form of creativity. People who can create egg circus, units. Shortly before Easter, Master Sergei Baranov of Samara province and Alexander Ryzewski of Minsk spoke about his hobby.

Sergei Baranov, egg cutting master:

Foto provided Sergei Baranov

♪ I've been slaughtering the eggshell five years ago. A wife on the Internet accidentally found a picture of a circumferential egg on some foreign website. I couldn't read what was written in the article, but I was impressed by the deal. I thought I wanted to do that too. I tried. On the internet, I didn't find a rubber. Every master develops his technology and doesn't tell anyone his secrets. I've come up with my way of grading, too. Six months only worked in a basket. Eggs fought, broke, and nothing happened. The first whole heavy egg worked for the seventh month of work.

How many dozens went to my basket? I won't remember. That's awful. But I believed in myself, I was sure it would work. Others get out.

For the cutting, I use a gravier car that is commonly used for writing iron plates and a small napkin. These tools are enough.

In the egg shell, I am inspired by the desire to do something beautiful and to recognize other people so they can see and say, "That's right!" I don't want to cut it out for myself.

I keep ready eggs at home, give them to exhibitions, sometimes give or sell. The price for one egg is 5,000 rubles. Only in Russia. I was once called an exhibition in Germany, but I refused. It's expensive to go there, and it's hard to drive eggs, it's a big danger that they'll crack on the road.

One egg takes about three weeks. It's about 15 nights at four hours. A total of about 60 hours.

You know what's wrong? There are moments when the egg is almost ready and it's blowing up at the last moment. I call these eggs "shaded hope." I put them in a box, throw them out. About every third egg hits the last minute. I used to get really upset, and now I'm used to it. It's part of the job.

My involvement has nothing to do with my basic profession. I'm a mechanic engineer, and I've been rotten all my life. I've loved drawing since I was a kid. I've always wanted to do something from my heart. But you didn't have time in your youth, you had to work, your family. Now I have a free time in my life: the kids have grown up and the grandchildren aren't. It's time to do it. My wife, Angelica Kotenji, shares my passion. She's making an egg dryer.

I've never met other masters, but I've been on the Internet. In Russia, I know three other people who do eggs. One lives in Siberia, the other in Podmoskovier, the third in the south. It's not common. Not everyone can take a long, short job. My hobby doesn't make sense.

Alexander Ryzewski, egg cutting master:

Foto provided Alexander Redevsky

♪ By 14 February, I decided to make the wife an unusual valentine. She and I have lived together for a long time, and every year I try to give an extraordinary gift to surprise her. I remember that morning I woke up and thought I had no new ideas this time. Inspiration came by accident. Opened the fridge, saw the egg, took the drill that was used to work with the glass, and cut two earrings on it from two sides. It was my first job.