---- Chris Pye: WOODCARVING - NEWSLETTER ---- March 2005 http://www.chrispye-woodcarving.com "Dedicated to the teaching, learning and love of woodcarving" ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ 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/ or using the link at the end of the newsletter. ****Back issues here: http://www.chrispye-woodcarving.com/intro/pastnews.html including zipfiles for 2001, 2002 & 2003, 2004 newsletters ============================================================ Hello Everyone! Please forward this newsletter to a woodcarving friend, and anyone else you think might be interested. Thanks! It's a short one this month - work, work work... CONTENTS: 1. More on Finishing with Beeswax 2. 'The Secret Of Success. Well, Mostly...' by Chris Pye Website Bookmarks at the end. List of Slipstones Woodcarving Manuals Teaching Dates ________________________________________________ 1. MORE ON FINISHING WITH BEESWAX ________________________________________________ I have just been applying wax to a carving and realised how much I use a particular piece of equipment which I didn't really emphasise in the previous series on finishing: the hairdryer! As I said, I wax my woodcarvings with brushes (toothbrushes are great here), leave to set, then buff up with more brushes and cotton rags. The trouble with wax is that it will clog crevices in your work and fill in detail. That's one reason I always use many coats of thin wax - besides the fact that thin wax penetrates the wood better. However, even with thin wax this clogging will happen. So, like a gun-slinger, I whip out my trusty hairdryer (which, alas, has long since lost its descriptive use) and blast hot air over the area. I continue brushing vigorously and wipe the brush occasionally on clean rag to remove the excess wax. The hot air melts the wax, which soaks into the wood, and the brushing clears the detail. The heat also speeds up the drying. Let me also say that I often melt my thin wax in a double boiler and apply it in LIQUID for, AND with hairdryer assisted brushing. And lastly, take it easy with the heat especially with thin elements of your carving; you don't want splitting! Just enough to melt the wax, Keep it moving. And even more lastly: if ever you have a label that will only come off a square millimetre at a time, try warming it with the hairdryer. (Do I have to ask you to be discerning here?) I bet there are even more uses for the hair dyer in a carving context. Anyone? ________________________________________________ 2. Article: 'THE SECRET OF SUCCESS. WELL, MOSTLY...' by Chris Pye ________________________________________________ 'The Secret Of Success. Well, Mostly...' Woody Allen: "95% of success is just showing up". I heard it on the car radio, and it made me sit up! I've been saying a variation of this for years, with anecdotes and circuitous reasoning. And here it is: pure pith. And absolutely true. I know from teaching woodcarving to hundreds of people over many years that persistence, patience, just run of the mill, sticking-in-there really tells when it come to how well students do. "95% of success is just showing up". This might sound hard but it seem to me this one principle separates out real carvers from wannabes. You just get that chisel in your hand and carve - regularly. Bad days? Perhaps you have to fight harder, but you engage the force of habit and show up at the bench. (It's amazing how often you'll be glad you did.) It's the same with many other occupations, from meditation to gardening and writing. The battle is in showing up. Being there. Engaging. Here's on of the anecdotes I've been using: I got my black belt at karate about 18 months ago. I was the oldest in the class by a long shot and had nothing of the stamina, agility and graceful balance of kids some of them young enough to be my grandchildren. When I first entered the hall I stood in line, on the left as a total beginner. There were about 60 ever more advanced students on my right. This was a new club, there were as yet no black belts, but potentially at least 60. After 3 months we took a grading test. I got my next coloured belt and moved up a notch to the right - beginners arriving now on my left. So it went on, a grading test, a new belt, move to the right... It took me a bit over 4 years and eventually I found myself with my black belt at the other end... ...with 2 others! The hall is full of coloured belts to my left! Where were all the black belts? Well, for one reason or another they had stopped: moving away, a falling off of interest, injury (elsewhere), disliked the teacher. Lots of reasons. But, essentially, they'd stopped. And I hadn't. There is nothing special about my body - it felt sometimes more than I could stand! - but I kept showing up every week. I did what I could, to the best of my ability and practised a bit at home. I'll never be great. And I got there, which was a great personal satisfaction. Actually I've now stopped in favour of cycling and yoga but it is a personal illustration of Woody Allen's: "95% of success is just showing up". Persistence will get you a long way. Think about this and how it applies to your woodcarving. And that's, Well, Mostly, The Secret Of Success... And the other 5%? Sure that is the talent, the gift - and we all have SOME of that too. ________________________________________________ That's all for this month! Joy and success in your carving! Chris Pye ------------------------- PS: One for the bench: "Dreams are renewable. No matter what our age or condition, there are still untapped possibilities within us and new beauty waiting to be born." - Dale E. Turner ____________________________________________________________ SOME WEBSITE BOOKMARKS ____________________________________________________________ ----------------- SLIPSTONES WOODCARVING MANUALS Help yourself! Full list and details: http://www.chrispye-woodcarving.com/slipstones/index.html * Quick Carving Questions - 1 http://www.chrispye-woodcarving.com/slipstones/qcq1.html (Sponsored by Tools for Working Wood: http://www.toolsforworkingwood.com/) * Quick Carving Questions - 2 http://www.chrispye-woodcarving.com/slipstones/qcq2.html (Sponsored by Classic Hand Tools: http://www.classichandtools.com/) * Quick Carving Questions - 3 http://www.chrispye-woodcarving.com/slipstones/qcq3.html (Sponsored by Preferred Edge Carving Knives & Supplies: http://www.preferrededge.ca/) * Quick Carving Questions - 4 http://www.chrispye-woodcarving.com/slipstones/qcq4.html (Sponsored by The Japan Woodworker: http://www.japanwoodworker.com/) * The Accomplished V Tool 1 - Free evaluation copy http://www.chrispye-woodcarving.com/slipstones/v1.html * Learning to Carve - Free eBook http://www.chrispye-woodcarving.com/slipstones/learncarving.html * A Guide to Safe Woodcarving - Free eBook http://www.chrispye-woodcarving.com/slipstones/safecarving.html * Mistakes and Woodcarving - Free eBook http://www.chrispye-woodcarving.com/slipstones/mistakes.html * Fundamentals of Woodcarving - Free eBook http://www.chrispye-woodcarving.com/slipstones/fundamentals.html *Slicing, And The Value Of The Inside Bevel With The Chris Pye #2 1/2 Finishing Gouges From Ashley Iles - Free pdf http://www.chrispye-woodcarving.com/slipstones/slicing.html ----------------- TEACHING * UK (1-TO-1 PERSONAL TUITION) Full details here: http://www.chrispye-woodcarving.com/tuition/t_custom.html Single day: £150 3 days: £360 5 days: £495 Lunch included. Local B&Bs in a very beautiful part of England... * USA (CENTER FOR FURNITURE CRAFTSMANSHIP, MAINE) 2005 http://www.woodschool.org/ June 20 - 24 Ornamental Carving (Mouldings) June 27 - July 1 Relief Carving July 4 - July 8 Carving Tutorial * CANADA (ROSEWOOD STUDIO, ALMONTE, ONTARIO) 2005 http://www.rosewoodstudio.com Sep 12 - Sep 16 Relief Carving I (Beginners) Sep 19 - Sep 23 Relief Carving II (Advanced) ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Copyright (c) Chris Pye 2005 Chris@chrispye-woodcarving.com ----------------------- -----------------------