Pista ba´, the wooden figurine that travels the world. See how it got to Prince Charles

Csuri bácsi, as Vrabie Kovacs Zsolt is known, is a great storyteller. And not because of his age, as you might be tempted to think by his nickname bácsi(grandfather) next to the name. Those familiar with the Hungarian language know that it is respectfully attributed to older people. Uncle Zsolt is far from old, he is only 44. Bácsi has been called Bácsi since he was 23, at a meeting at the town hall where most of the participants were elderly. As a joke, a friend addressed him as Csuri bácsi (old man Sparrow) and that's how his name stuck. That's how you'll find Facebook or Instagram. We met Zsolt and his father Gheorghe Vrabie in Sfântu Gheorghe, where the company's workshop and headquarters are located. Gils Trade. It was the beginning of a short holiday and since the way to the chosen place went through the city, we said let's go in quickly to see how the CNC we bought from Rubiq CNC . Zsolt's charming storytelling kept us going much longer than we had intended.

The story of Pista ba´

Csuri bácsihas its name forever linked to Ba´ tracka wooden figurine that has already become a symbol in the region. And it is only natural, given that he is the one who created the old Szekler. The story begins in 2013 when Zsolt was forced to close his advertising production business after a serious injury in a cycling competition that kept him in a cast for three months. When he recovered, he worked for a while in advertising, but quit, wanting something else. Around Christmas, he said he needed to think of something that would attract attention and be marketable. Although he has a degree in languages, he is creative and has a penchant for craftsmanship. He came up with the idea of making a wooden figurine representative of the region, like the Matryoshka for Russia or the wooden clogs for the Netherlands. And so Pista ba' (Nea Fane) was born.

First he thought of making it out of plaster, then out of resin. But his father, with whom he has always worked and who is always by his side, suggested making it out of wood. He has always been passionate about woodwork, often working with pleasure in a friend's workshop. The model was designed by Zsolt, and at first they used leftover wood from friends. As the Christmas Fair was coming up, he set out to make some figurines to see how it went. The fair ran for 10 days, and he didn't sell anything in the first five. Then, closer to Christmas, he managed to sell the 15 figures he had made by hand.

The first surprise came in January, when a friend asked him to make a few figurines as gifts. And so it began! Friends told other friends and he started getting orders. The second surprise was at the Sfântu Gheorghe Days. This time he was prepared with 200 pieces, enough for 3 days, he said. He sold them all on the first day. He worked through the night to have something to sell the next few days, but ran out again. On the last day, the father worked on them in the workshop and took 10 of them and he sold them. It was the confirmation he needed. The ba´ track was ready to see the world.

Reaching all corners of the world

Zsolt proudly says that his figurine has made it to all corners of the world except Antarctica, Greenland and space. At first, he used to give discounts to people he knew would take the Pista ba´ out of the country, provided they sent him a photo of the figurine when it arrived. Then people started sending photos themselves and even asking for figurines when they were about to go somewhere new.

The trail has reached the White House and is in the possession of Prince Charles, the President of Hungary and other dignitaries. For each, Zsolt has a story he tells with great charm and stage play. It would take a few articles to tell them all. For example, to get to Prince Charles to hand over the figurine he spoke to everyone, including Count Kalnoky. Prince Charles has a house in Valea Zălanului, 40 km away from Sfântu Gheorghe, and when they told him he was there, he didn't know how to get there faster. In the car, he was asking by phone about protocol and rehearsing the speech he was going to give to the prince. When he arrived, the prince had already left. She decided to wait for him and got lucky. The prince came back and after many adventures, he managed to reach him and hand over the figurine. Accustomed to the traditions of the place, the prince thought it was a packaging for a hawthorn and knocked on it questioningly. Zsolt told him it was no such gift and admitted it wouldn't be a bad idea. He told the prince that if he made Pista ba´ a hawker, they would be business partners, which amused the prince terribly.

Another time, a friend in Vienna told him he was leaving for Siberia in 4 days and wanted a figurine. He asked one night on Facebook if anyone was going to Vienna. Within 5 minutes he got an answer, sent the figurine, the people met at the airport and within 4 days he had photos of Pista ba´ in Siberia. Once he left a christening to make 10 pieces overnight that someone in London had asked for and where an attendee of the same christening was leaving in the morning.

He now has a whole collection of figurines. He was determined to leave Pista ba' alone, but a man from Baca who worked in St. Gallen told him he had to make wives for them. That's how Asszon (Muierea), Pista ba´'s wife, came about. Then the hussar, the fireman, the teacher and other characters. But Pista ba´ remains the representative figure.

Buying CNC is a different story

Purchase CNC is the subject of another story. The success of the figurine has led to increased demand. Then came the demand for other small wooden or plywood objects: packing boxes, trophies, key rings for hotel room keys, trays of various shapes. They bought a small circular cutter, but gradually realised that a CNC would be just what they needed. Zsolt thought of buying it in Austria or Switzerland. When he got the offer from Switzerland, he saw that the amount was too much for his money. His father then came up with the proposal to ask for an offer from Wood IQ, from Dan Pruteanu. He had discovered him on the internet inthe film made by Wood Magazine at a trade fair and inspired confidence. Then they discovered that a friend in Sfântu Gheorghe, who has a factory with 70 employees, was using a machine Rubiq CNC for about 2 years and is happy with the equipment.

The offer they received by email gave them hope and they decided to pay a visit to the showroom in Comanesti. They arranged the meeting, they went, Dan sat with them and showed them the machine, explained how it works. They were inclined to buy the cheaper version with the vacuum table, i.e. the 1325Pro. At the end of the meeting, to Dan's surprise, they asked him to invoice them that they would pay him in full. Back home, the father had another idea. When he called Zsolt to tell him that he'd reconsidered and had another idea, he figured he'd changed his mind and wouldn't finance the purchase. The surprise came when he told him he wanted the best performing, 3 cutter (model 1325Prox3) Even though it was more expensive, it gave them the advantage of automatically changing up to 3 milling tools.

Their strength is service

Now The CNC is in the workshop working with him on any project. Zsolt is very pleased and feels he has learned a new craft. Before the machine came he asked for the CAD-CAM program VCarve Pro and learned it. Then he tested what he learned and continued to learn from his own mistakes. He says that no matter how many tutorials you watch, until you break a cutter or two, it doesn't count as learning the craft. He is very pleased with CNC and says it is easy to work with and intuitive. His 10-year-old son is the best proof of that. A computer enthusiast, he learned to operate it easily and can now work on it.

But most impressed is the service, the speed of response, the fact that they can quickly fix any problem with a simple phone call.

"I like Dan, but I like the service the most. Any problem you have someone on the team helps you right away. Their strength is service. It's true that they're nice, that the machine is good, that it's what I wanted, but that's something else. Service is their strength."

With plans and confident about the future

Proof that they are very happy with the collaboration is that they have since bought another circular and a laser is next. They've had a small one for about 5 years, but consider it outdated. The father's passion for carpentry has been passed on to the son and they have plans for a complete workshop where they will also produce furniture. They have already started with small orders. The workshop will have classic carpentry machines from Wood IQ.

Zsolt is proof that happiness can come from hard work, from achievements that make you happy. He talks excitedly about what he does, about the ideas he gets up for in the middle of the night or comes to the workshop at dawn. He makes a good team with his father, supporting, arguing and motivating each other. He is constantly thinking of solutions to make his work easier because he knows that people who work hard are hard to find and it is better to rely on their own strengths. He is a dreamer with his feet firmly on the ground.

Good luck, Csuri bácsi!