David Wirth taught himself to carve one summer when he couldn’t afford his favorite pastime--fishing. He pulled out his filet knife and a block of wood and whittled himself a fish. Since then, he’s been carving all kinds of fish for all kinds of commissions; he’s even in the World Fishing Hall of Fame in Florida. One of his smaller and more exquisite pieces is the seahorse, carved from extremely hardwood.
Wirth cures his own wood for approximately three years. This creates a really strong color in the wood, a process most people don’t take the time to do. He selects the particular piece of wood he'll use by looking for the animation that can be found in it, as well as the color being appropriate for a seahorse. Once the wood is selected, he begins work with the chainsaw. This roughs out the shape and allows him to get a basic design down in a short amount of time. Then a high-powered grinding disc is used. This gets the shape of the piece nice and smooth. Any potential problem areas are addressed at this time, such as sealing cracks to prevent any future splitting.
Using carbide bits, which are normally used for work with metal, the details are added to the seahorse. Their bodies have a very distinct look, and Wirth prides himself on his work being as accurate as possible. When needed, he will use hand-held carving tools to get even the finest of details to look just right. Once all the details are complete, the sanding process begins. He uses increasingly finer levels of sandpaper until the piece is so smooth, it almost doesn’t feel like wood anymore. Then, there five to eight layers of tung oil are rubbed in by hand. Between each layer of oil, there is another layer of sanding. This achieves a finish that Wirth likes to say is so smooth "a fly couldn’t land on it."
His pieces last as long as a piece made from copper, even if it is being shown outdoors. His work is striking and very realistic, a true reflection of his devotion to the sport of fishing and his respect for marine life worldwide.
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