---- Chris Pye: WOODCARVING - NEWSLETTER ---- January 2003 http://www.chrispye-woodcarving.com "Dedicated to the teaching, learning and love of woodcarving" ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Please forward this newsletter to a woodcarving friend, and anyone else you think might be interested. Thanks! This is an opt-in newsletter and you should only be receiving it because you requested it from the website, or were sent it by a friend. Subscribe or Unsubscribe easily on the home page here: http://www.chrispye-woodcarving.com/index.html or using the link at the end of the newsletter. ****Back issues here: http://www.chrispye-woodcarving.com/intro/pastnews.html including zipfile for 2001 and 2002 newsletters ============================================================ Replying to this Newsletter? PLEASE CHANGE THE SUBJECT LINE! ============================================================ CONTENTS: 1. Slipstones Woodcarving Manuals 2. Website News 1) New Inspiration 2) Zipfile of 2002 Newsletters 3. Quick Carving Questions 1) Smoothing Tool Marks? 2) Strength of Ashley Iles #2 1/2 Gouges? 3) Keeping Carvings Clean? 4) Strop Pastes? 5) Glues for Woodcarving? 6) Biggest Carving Gouges? 4. Follow Up: Finishing Basswood 5. Article: Progress in Carving by Chris Pye Website Bookmarks at the end. ___________________________________________________________ 1. SLIPSTONES WOODCARVING MANUALS ____________________________________________________________ Following from what I said last newsletter, I am now working on a beginner's course, and manuals focusing on the V tool. 'The Accomplished V Tool' (part 1) should be issued the beginning of next month, when all will be revealed. The Beginners Series will be in 10 parts, a bare bones guide to get carving. I intend putting up details on the site with a form so that I can have some feedback and suggestions from you before I get too far into them. Again, more on this next month. ____________________________________________________________ 2. WEBSITE NEWS ____________________________________________________________ 1) NEW INSPIRATION He's very beautiful, despite missing some fairly important bits. I won't say more; go and have a look: http://www.chrispye-woodcarving.com/gallery/g_inspiration.html 2) ZIPFILE OF 2002 NEWSLETTERS Jan - Dec 2002: http://www.chrispye-woodcarving.com/intro/pastnews.html __________________________________________ 3. QUICK CARVING QUESTIONS __________________________________________ **** QUESTION 1: SMOOTHING TOOL MARKS **** "After finishing with a flat gouge there are still many tool marks, although the surface feels smooth to the touch. Do you try to slice over these tools marks too?" **** ANSWER **** You can keep slicing the ridges between facets until you get the finish you want. When you use the tool 'upside down', you can match a convex plane better and facets are less visible. =================================== **** QUESTION 2: Strength of Ashley Iles #2 1/2 Gouges **** "Are the larger sizes of the new, thin #2 1/2 finishing gouges from Ashley Iles suitable for mallet use? They were thinner.... are they weaker?" **** ANSWER **** I have used mine with a mallet on medium wood (lime) and I'm sure that for this, or softer wood, and not levering, they should be fine. But they ARE thinner and therefore MUST BE less robust than a regular gouge. Also the sweep is so flat you'd be better off doing the main, heavy work with something quicker (#4), or a chisel, and using these tools for lighter smoothing over. =================================== **** QUESTION 3: KEEPING CARVINGS CLEAN? **** "I have recently used fingerless gloves and draping rags over my carving to avoid a dirty surface. However, the tools turn my fingers black and so dirt gets on the carving. How can you keep carvings clean? And, if dirty, is it always a matter of re-carving?" **** ANSWER **** Covering your work so you rest on clean rags is a good idea. The blackening of the fingers I only get on hot and sweaty days; or from oil left on the metal from sharpening; or some reactive woods: Oak or Mahogany. Other than these I don't know a reason. Is there some way of cleaning the workpiece without having to re-shave the whole thing? In a word: no. You have to be really careful to keep it clean. It's not easy but re-carving is a drag to say the least. In my Elements of Woodcarving book: http://www.chrispye-woodcarving.com/writing/w_bk5.html there is a chapter with a strategy for keeping work clean; study that. =================================== **** QUESTION 4: STROP PASTES? **** "With regard to charging a strop, you discuss using tallow or suet, have you tried automotive polishing/rubbing compounds?" **** ANSWER **** I have used a 600 grit valve grinding paste, but only as the abrasive mixed with the tallow - very good by the way. The thing is, the tallow goes a long way and once you have made up a pot, it'll seem to last forever. Once you find something that works well, you can stop experimenting. =================================== **** QUESTION 5: GLUES FOR WOODCARVING? **** "Is there a particular glue I should be using so as not to damage my carving tools?" **** ANSWER **** Ordinary PVA white woodworking glue is fine and really is all I use - there are interior and exterior versions. There ARE some brittle casein-based glues (eg 'Cascamite') which will take the edge off your tools - these are waterproof glues which are excellent in all other respects and used by joiners and carpenters. Avoid cutting through these! =================================== **** QUESTION 6: BIG CARVING GOUGES? **** "The largest tools I own are 25mm in size. I've taken your suggestion and have this size in shallow, medium, and deep shapes. I want to carve an elm stump (7 ft. high, 3 - 3 1/2ft. thick). I've never done anything this large. I need bigger tools.... How large a tool do you reasonably recommend? I know you have sculpted large objects. How large are your biggest hand tools? **** ANSWER **** The widest gouges I feel comfortable using are 1 1/2" - and even these, when pounding with a big mallet continuously, are strenuous on joints. The bigger the gouge, the bigger the mallet you need to propel it... Unless you are a gorilla, I'd stop at this width level. I do all my big roughing out with Arbortech - preceded by chainsaw if necessary. I pay the electricity suppliers, let them do the work! ____________________________________________________________ 5. FOLLOW UP (with thanks to the contributors): ____________________________________________________________ FINISHING BASSWOOD (Nov. 02) "In the US, Minwax sell a product called 'Wood Treatment' or something like that. Pre-treating the carved piece with this potion will eliminate the 'blotching' that so frequently occurs with Basswood (your Limewood). I use a gel stain that also gives a more even result. Of late, however, I have been experimenting with colored waxes and straight oil finishes (linseed, tung etc.) sometimes tinted with oil paints (e.g. burnt sienna, raw umber). Tell the frustrated stainer to keep asking questions and practicing new staining methods, and to resign himself to making a lot of unusually colored kindling for the fireplace in the process. If I only had a nickel for every piece I have lost during the staining process, well... I'd have a lot of nickels! (Robert Curtis) ____________________________________________________________ 6. ARTICLE: Progress in Carving by Chris Pye ____________________________________________________________ PROGRESS IN CARVING by Chris Pye Someone wrote to me about how, although his friends and family were complimentary about his work, he himself was dissatisfied. He wanted to know how to get better, how to improve, progress. Some thoughts: I think that being dissatisfied with what you are carving and wanting to improve is probably THE prerequisite for becoming a good carver. We are driven by desires for things to be better than they are. On the other hand, not rejoicing in your achievements can be very demoralizing. Carving - even to a good standard - is not easy. We have to 'enjoy the journey'. If we don't, we are wasting an opportunity - we can't help but make it, after all! There's a balance to be struck between the two. I expect to die knowing there's more I would have done had I lived longer. And I try to live rejoicing in what I've achieved so far. That sense of wanting to achieve more never goes away - even for 'experts'. Perhaps, especially for 'experts'. It's something to do with being passionate. You need to be judged by your peers to get a fair assessment of where you are with your carving; or, preferably, someone better. Family and friends usually know little about carving skills, sculpture and 3D form, design and so on, and are mostly biased towards saying nice things. I'm not a fan of carving competitions, but carving clubs are a great place for getting feedback: sharing opinions, discussing ideas, making suggestions. So find other honest carvers. Respect most the opinions of those whose work, and attitude to carving, you most respect. Among other things, progress in any skill comes with: * reflecting on what you are doing; * comparing with standards - what other carvers are doing; * setting yourself progressively more challenging work; and, most important of all, * practicing skills until you get them right. If you haven't looked at them, there are 3 free ebooks on the website which have a lot more thoughts to mull over: 'Learning to Carve', 'Fundamentals of Carving' 'Mistakes & Carving' Links at the end of the newsletter. ____________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________ That's all for this month! Joy and success in your carving! Chris Pye ------------------------- PS: Another one to ponder at the bench: "The basic difference between an ordinary man and a warrior is that the warrior takes everything as a challenge while an ordinary man takes everything as a blessing or a curse." - Don Juan SOME WEBSITE BOOKMARKS ____________________________________________________________ -----------------WOODCARVING TOOLS * UK TOOLSHOP: Auriou woodcarving tools and other equipment http://www.chrispye-woodcarving.com/toolshop/ts_uktoolshop.html * UKTOOLSHOP Direct Link (missing out introductory page): http://www.chrispye-woodcarving.com/toolshop/uktoolshop/index.html -----------------WOODCARVING MANUALS * Learning to Carve - Free eBook http://www.chrispye-woodcarving.com/learncarving/learn_ebook.html * A Guide to Safe Woodcarving - Free eBook http://www.chrispye-woodcarving.com/safecarving/safecarving_index.html * Mistakes and Woodcarving - Free eBook http://www.chrispye-woodcarving.com/mistakes/mistakes_ebook.html * Fundamentals of Woodcarving - Free eBook http://www.chrispye-woodcarving.com/fundamentals/fundamentals_ebook.html -----------------TEACHING DATES * USA (Center for Furniture Craftsmanship, Maine) June 23 - 27 Ornamental Carving June 30 - July 4 Relief Carving July 7 - 11 Carving Tutorial Full details here: http://www.chrispye-woodcarving.com/tuition/t_classesUSA.html * CANADA (Rosewood Studio, Almonte, Ontario) Sep 15 - Sep 19 The Outcome of the Tool: Sep 22 - Sep 26 Relief Carving Full details here: http://www.chrispye-woodcarving.com/tuition/t_classesCAN.html * UK (1-to-1 personal tuition) Full details here: http://www.chrispye-woodcarving.com/tuition/t_custom.html ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Copyright (c) Chris Pye 2003 Chris@chrispye-woodcarving.com ------------------------------------------------------------- Chris Pye: Woodcarving Newsletter is listed in the EzinesPlus directory of newsletters and ezines. http://ezinesplus.com -------------------------------------------------------------