Notes from the Net
by F. Pierce Pratt
Woodcarver Ezine
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"Notes from the Net"
is a column compiled from a few of the email messages posted
to the Woodc@rver
Mailing List.
There are many good messages to choose from. So many, it is hard to choose which messages to include in this column. Some editorial changes were necessary, but, for the most part, each message appears as originally posted and attributed to sender.
If you have a favorite post
or subject that you would like to appear in this column, please
email me directly .
CARVING FACES
From: Marcia Berkall
In response to your questions: Most beginning carvers tend to
carve flat faces. Try holding your hands up to your face, one
on each side, joining in front of your nose. Now move your hands
away, keeping the contour of your face constant. You will discover
that your hands form about a 90 degree angle where they joined
in front of your nose. Most of my students are surprised by this.
When you carve a face, keep this in mind. You may want to do
some practice faces using the corner of a piece of wood. Don't
be afraid to dig in ... most beginners are a bit timid! There
are no set rules that I know about on where to begin when carving
a face. When I start, I usually draw lines for eyes, bottom of
the nose, chin and top of head, as well as a vertical center
line. I almost always start with the eye line. Since the nose
will be the highest point, I try to get that plane first. I use
a large veiner to rough out the eye sockets, nose, etc. If you
are serious about carving faces, you should pick up an art book
showing proper proportions, structure, head types, etc. I highly
recommend "Drawing the Human Head" by Burne Hogarth.
From: Anthony J. Last
between cheek, nose and cheek.
PRICING CARVINGS
From: CARVING@aol.com
The latest rule of thumb on pricing of crafts that I've heard is: $5/hour plus 3 times material costs yield the wholesale price. The wholesale price times 2 yields the retail price. For craft fairs price your carvings somewhere between wholesale and retail price. When your carvings start selling well you can raise the hourly rate. For one of a kind, original, or unique carvings, I generally start at $10/hour, then lower the price to where I think the item will sell.
PAINTING WITH ACRYLICS
From: Richard A. Kellerhouse.
An experienced member of our local club was showing me how to do "wet on wet" with acrylics. He used a small spray bottle (perfume) filled with water and an emulsifier (like the stuff used for contact lenses). He applied a few very light squirts to keep the base coat wet enough to apply the layer coats. He said an old decoy carver had shown him this trick.
STAINS
From: Harry L. Stewart
The pigments of oil stains will settle to the bottom of their container and often are difficult to consistently stir. Take a few bolts and drop them in the container. Then shake, rattle and roll to mix up the stain before you open the container.
REPAIRING NICKS
From: Steve Engrave
I used to work in the picture framing industry. We used the following method to remove nicks in wood if the nick wasn't too deep. Take a damp cloth and lay it on the nick. Heat a piece of metal and lay it on the cloth. The hot moisture will cause the wood fibers to swell. Usually, there is no need to sand the finish, unless it is cracked.
AGING WOOD
From: Bob Gander
One way of giving oak a grey color is to put some iron (old nails or other scrap metal) into a bucket of water for a day or two and then "paint" the oak with this solution. Apparently the iron oxide (?) reacts with the tannin in the oak to create a grey color. You will want to experiment with this first on some scrap pieces.
CHEAP ROTARY TOOLS
From: Sister Barbara Maunz
I have found lots of sanding uses for almost anything that spins, rotates, or jiggles. Instead of spending lots of money, I hunt for items at garage sales ... anywhere secondhand "junk" is sold. My latest find was a battery operated facial kit for $.50. All it needed was realignment of its inner parts. I now have a spinning soft brush for polishing. I also have fitted an electric manicure machine with sanding sleeves and discs for a low speed controllable sander. My next search will be for an electric toothbrush! Now, I'm just wondering how I can adapt a Water-pik to carving use.
A CARVING VICE
From: Bill Dentzel
When I am making carrousel animals I have to deal with many different pieces in the pre-assembly stage, i.e., legs, heads, necks, ears, etc. I have solved my grasping problem with the following vice. 1. I have a wooden vice consisting of two 4 x 6"s running vertically to the floor, purchased toward the bottom by a movable pin and on the top by a pipe clamp. The wooden shaft on which the pin runs on and the pipe clamp can be as long as you want, giving you a vice which can open to 3, 4 or 5 feet if necessary, Mine opens to about 4 feet. There is also a little horizontal 2 x 4" shelf along the top of both 4 x 6"s to help steady things and put in spacer blocks when necessary. I have photos of this vice, that I have incorporated into my carving bench on my website at Dentzel Carousel Company website.
SHARPENING
From: Anthony J. Last
You find that after you have been carving for some time that everyone has their own method of sharpening. Putting a dime at the back of a knife on a stone to give the correct angle is an old trick of Rick Butz to get a good knife angle. I only sharpen knives by hand. I do not use wheels or belts. I find that the new diamond impregnated steel from DMT is fast for knives and can be followed by a leather strop. The strop can be made by gluing an old belt, shiny side down, to a piece of wood (like a paint stirrer).
SHARPENING V GOUGES
From: Joe Brott
Usually, a V-tool can be sharpened by treating it as three separate tools. Each edge is a straight flat gouge. The V where the edges join is a small U- gouge. I prefer to sharpen the two flat edges first, then the V by rolling it on the stone like a small U-gouge. The angle of the edge at the outside of the V is critical. A sharp angle will cause you to raise the rear of the tool to get it to cut. A shallow angle will let you shave nice clean v strips of wood. I prefer to use a motorized sharpener for V-tools. My next choice is a home made sharpening stick. For this I take a piece of basswood (or other wood) about 12" long and 2" to 3" wide. I cut two or three parallel and adjacent V grooves in the wood 6" or longer. Next, rub the V grooves and ridges with white buffing compound. You now you have an excellent slip sharpener for the inside and outside of the V tool. I prefer this over slip stones because you do not cut a second bevel on the inside of the V tool like most do with slip stones.
HONES
From: Keith De'Grau
What I do is brush a coat of shellac on a leather hone and sprinkle on a compound. It's dry & ready to use in about 15 minutes. You would can visit my site and view my leather hones at: http://www.handamerican.com
KEEPING BRUSHES FRESH
From: Will Sharp
When you have finished painting for the day, try applying a little Vaseline to your brushes to reshape. The Vaseline will help to preserve the hair and allow the brush to retain its shape. Store your brushes vertically in a jar, glass, or can, with the tips pointing up
Thank you, Pierce Pratt
email:fppratt@ppco.com,
(918)661-9703, fax(918)661-0243
slowmail:F.P. Pratt, 1290G Plaza Office Bldg., Bartlesville, OK 74004