Well, it seems to work now although, besides shufflinging the text where the previous mailings got 'stuck', I've not done anything. Makes no sense to me but, that's cyberspace for you. Give me a bit of wood any day! Apologies again, fingers crossed, here it is: ---- Chris Pye: WOODCARVING - NEWSLETTER ---- May 2002 http://www.chrispye-woodcarving.com "Dedicated to the teaching, learning and love of woodcarving" ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Hello Everyone! 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 newsletters ==================================== 1. Slipstones - May 2002 2. Website News 1) New Look For The Website! 2) New Website Inspiration 3) New Gallery of Woodcarvings 3. Article: Foundations of Woodcarving 3: 'Relativity' by Chris Pye 4. Quick Carving Questions 1) Linenfold? 2) Deep Carving? 3) Power Woodcarving Tools? 4) Where to See Carvings in London? 5) Using and Sealing Oils? 6) Double Bevels on Lettering Tools? 7) Keeping a Log Supple? 5. Carving Cuts from Maine 2001 - IX 6. Follow up to March 2002: Acanthus Leaves - 1 7. Follow up to March 2002: Acanthus Leaves - 2 8. Parallel Lines: Guest Article 'The Tank's on Empty' by Gary Lockwood __________________________________________ 1. SLIPSTONES - May 2002 __________________________________________ Have you got a nagging woodcarving question? Something you are not clear on, or for which you need a little advice? Slipstones is like an invitation to my workshop where I share my experience of over 25 years as a professional woodcarver, and offer advice and support, along with that of other subscribers. So, join me! For full details of your interactive woodcarving journal, go now to: http://www.chrispye-woodcarving.com/slipstones/slipstones.html And get your FREE copy of '101 Master Woodcarving Secrets', exclusive to subscribers. Back issues of Slipstones now available without subscribing. MAIN CONCERNS THIS MONTH: *** BATTENS FOR RELIEF PANELS Have you carved a relief only to find it warp? Panels, even when made from joined boards and assembled correctly, can go bananas. For example, the side against the wall is always affected differently by the surrounding environment to the one exposed to the air, often being drier or moister; this can readily alter the shape of your panel. Using a batten can prevent this happening and keep your relief carving flat. Here's the low-down... *** Also METAL BATTENS - something I've just come across but which work very well and seem to have several advantages... *** ACHES AND PAINS WHILE CARVING? Backache? Stiffness of pains in the joints after carving? There's a lot you can do to help yourself carve free and easy. Almost a programme of stretching and loosening up... *** And more, including 'Applied Carvings', 'Lines of Light', Carving Tips and more. *** Carving Notes from Maine VIX See section 5 below. Have you downloaded your FREE sample edition of Slipstones? Find it here: http://www.chrispye-woodcarving.com/slipstones/slipstones.html __________________________________________ 2. WEBSITE NEWS __________________________________________ 1) NEW LOOK FOR THE WEBSITE! It's Spring - or at least it is here in Herefordshire, England - and I have been over the website with a broom, simplifying and unifying and generally sweeping up. I hope you'll consider it an improvement! Please remember that I always welcome comments, suggestions for further improvement, and thoughts about anything more you would like to see. 2) NEW INSPIRATION This month, a gorgeous, stunning swirl of Baroque acanthus leaves which I saw and photographed in a church in Bamberg, Bavaria; I didn't know whether to swim in it or eat it! Here it is: http://www.chrispye-woodcarving.com/gallery/g_inspiration.html 3) NEW GALLERY Pictures of a new trophy for the Prince of Wales appear, along with a sub-folder of photographs of the piece being made, in Gallery 7 here: http://www.chrispye-woodcarving.com/gallery/g_index.html __________________________________________ 3. ARTICLE: Foundations of Woodcarving by Chris Pye There are some things in woodcarving which are fundamental: "Being, or involving, basic facts or principles; far-reaching and thoroughgoing in effect, especially on the nature of something." Over the next few months I want to pick out, briefly, some of my favourites. If I'm any good as a carver then it's because I understand these importance of a few of these fundamentals. 1: March 02 - Bosting In 2: April 02 - Slicing and now... 3: RELATIVITY Here's a strange thing: I am in a class of a dozen woodcarving students, wandering from bench to bench, as is my job and suddenly I have to respond to an anguished cry for help, advice, sympathy. What I find is a carver who has gone too deep; or removed wood they should have kept; or broken a bit off - and so on. In other words, there is missing wood! This really is one of the commonest of problems. Being asked to help out, I am happy to dive into the battle, cavalier-like, whirling my trusty steel (it's not my carving..). Ok, not too unfamiliar so far, but here is the strange bit: Whatever I do to reclaim the carving - in fact the only thing I CAN do - will involve removing MORE wood. EVEN THOUGH THE PROBLEM IS A LACK OF WOOD, I HAVE TO FIND THE ANSWER THE PROBLEM BY REMOVING MORE WOOD; otherwise I can't solve it at all. It's a similar thing to that question which carvers keep getting asked by non-carvers, 'What do you do if you carve a bit off by mistake?' I always answer (and you need a sort of enigmatic smirk to bring this off properly), 'Carve it back on!' What does this mean? Since you are a carver, I'll tell you now. To non-carvers, I continue smirking in a very annoying way - we have to keep some mystery. The point to understand is this: EACH BIT OF A CARVING IS 'RELATIVE' TO EVERY OTHER. So, for example, one leaf overlaps another. The leaf in front is only a leaf-in-front, and only so-much-a-leaf-in-front because of the one behind. If, say, you break the front leaf off, you can 'carve it back on' by taking the one behind further back. All I am doing, when I am going around the class trying to reclaim a carving, where too much wood has been removed from where it was wanted, is adjusting various parts. It's usually that I can see it, or am bold enough to cut it, where the student hasn't or wouldn't. Because each part is relative to the other, by removing wood elsewhere I (apparently) find more wood where it is needed. The same is true for every part of every carving. Obviously there is a limit: there has to be SOME wood, somewhere, for me to remove. If the leaping horse is meant to have 4 legs and you only have 3, that's tricky. You may have to call it 'Leaping Horse With 3 Legs', or start again. Before you dismiss this as trivially obvious, please remember that I am describing something I consider 'fundamental' ('far-reaching and thoroughgoing in effect'). It cannot be THAT obvious, or I wouldn't be going round carving wood back on. Here are a few upshots: 1. WORK ON ALL PARTS OF YOUR CARVING Don't complete or finish one part while the rest remains embryonic. Move everything forward, each part in relation to the others, and... 2. IN THE EARLY STAGES, DON'T FIX POSITIONS OF ELEMENTS WITHIN YOUR CARVING The bosting-in stage should be quite loose. Allow yourself material to play with. As the carving progresses so you can firm up the forms, and... 3. DON'T MAKE BIG HOLES EARLY ON. You can't carve fresh air. Work from the form into the space; the space will take care of itself, and... 4. LEAVE UNDERCUTTING UNTIL LAST. For the same reason: undercutting fixes positions. There's a lot more to this, but if you follow even this basic approach you will find all the parts of the carving quietly nestling into their proper positions relative to each other. If you don't, then you are likely to be carving too much wood away. It is still often possible to re-carve as long as you can see the relativity at work in your piece. Eat Your Heart Out Stephen Hawkins. I hope you understand what I am describing here. Feel free to write and I'll be happy to run a follow up. __________________________________________ 4. QUICK CARVING QUESTIONS __________________________________________ **** QUESTION 1: HOW DO I GO ABOUT A LINENFOLD? **** "How do I go about a linenfold? Anything to say about style?" **** ANSWER **** This book by Hayward and Wheeler has the simplest, clearest explanation of how linenfold 'works' that I know of, and how to carve it : http://www.chrispye-woodcarving.com/writing/recbks/w_recbk_wheeler.html This one by Dick Onians is also very good: http://www.chrispye-woodcarving.com/writing/recbks/w_recbk_onians.html As for style, it's not something I know enough about to generalise. I'd go to original pieces of dated furniture for your patterns. =================================== **** QUESTION 2: DEEP CARVING? **** "I want to hand-carve a deep, irregularly-shaped vase. What tools can I use for scooping it out, and in particular what would be useful for getting right down into the bottom? I have thought of a small scorp with a long neck, but where to get one? **** ANSWER **** I've had this problem in the past too, carving into a snail shell. A lot depends on the shape, of course, but this is how I approached it: 1. Get out as much wood out as possible first by boring. 2. If you have a flexible shaft (even a cheap one that goes in the end of the drill) you can go a long way towards getting the shape. Something like the Tornado from Rod Naylor removes wood very rapidly. 3. Use the carving tools for finishing off rather than carving. You can bend spoon gouges right round in any direction after heating, and re-temper them - this is a lot easier than it sounds (really! - details in my book on Tool, Materials etc). 4. I found a scorp very useful, as well as a crook knife - I believe you can make such a knife by bending a Frost sloyd knife blade. Scorps don't really come with long necks for carvers, but woodturners have some very strange tools for deep, hollow vessels. Finally, as I recall, it was still very tough on the wrists! =================================== **** QUESTION 3: POWER WOODCARVING TOOLS? **** " Can you advise me on the most suitable tool/s for power woodcarving? I want something that can remove wood to rough out, and then also to fine finish details on my wood sculpture." **** ANSWER **** In my volume 2 of my Woodcarving Tools Materials & Equipment there is quite a lot about various power tools for carving. Have a look at that. I like the Arbortech for major wood removal, then high speed flexible shafts for more detailed work. =================================== **** QUESTION 4: WHERE TO SEE CARVINGS IN LONDON? **** "I'm flying to London just for the weekend and while I'm there I would like to see some carvings, any ideas?" **** ANSWER **** Try the V & A - I spent 3 days there recently and only left because I was dragged out http://www.vam.ac.uk/ Items are scattered around, but you can see Japanese Buddhas, South German boxwood and Limewood carvings and have an amazing 'plaster room' full of casts and it really is THE place to study design. =================================== **** QUESTION 5: USING AND SEALING OILS? **** "I want to disguise a the mismatching wood colour across a joint - the carving is already oiled. 1. Can I use oil paints and what medium should I use with them? paint? 2. What kind of sealer should I use in order to wax the carving etc?." **** ANSWER **** 1. It's linseed oil. But I'm sure you can use any drying oil, such as teak oil, for this purpose. 2. Use a couple of coats of clear shellac (French polish) as a sealer for the oil. You can put shellac over oils as it is methyl alcohol based. Then finish with beeswax etc. =================================== **** QUESTION 6: DOUBLE BEVELS ON LETTERING TOOLS? **** "In your book "Lettercarving in Wood", do the chisels you use have cutting angles on both sides or only one? " **** ANSWER **** Both - there's a question about it on the BookFAQ webpage; the answer gives my reasoning: http://www.chrispye-woodcarving.com/writing/w_bkfaq.html =================================== **** QUESTION 7: KEEPING A LOG SUPPLE? **** " If I'm carving on a large log, what would I use to saturate the wood between carving sessions to keep it supple?" **** ANSWER **** You tell me! I've never had to do this... I would guess that wrapping the log tightly in 'Clingfilm' or 'Clingwrap' or plastic sheet to prevent water loss will help in the first instance. You're problem is also going to be a re-distribution of tension with the changing shape and some splitting will be inevitable. Have you heard of PEG (Poly Ethyl Glycol)? Woodturners use it to soak logs before turning - the PEG replaces the water and prevents splitting - although I've never used it myself. _______________________________________ 5. CARVING CUTS FROM MAINE - IX _______________________________________ Started October 01 - Newsletter back issues here: http://www.chrispye-woodcarving.com/intro/pastnews.html While teaching at the outstanding Center for Furniture Craftsmanship, Rockport, Maine, USA this summer, I asked carving students to write briefly down "3 Things I've Learned about Woodcarving" - important insights: practical, personal and technical - for this newsletter. Thanks very much to all contributors! Over the next few months I'll be sharing their discoveries. I'll be commenting and adding thoughts in this month's Slipstones: http://www.chrispye-woodcarving.com/slipstones/slipstones.html Here, I let the words stand on their own: --------------------------------------- 1. "Carving is very much an art form, and great for self-expression, as well as functional decoration." 2. "I learned to carve. All my other instructors showed me how to make one flower, or a scroll - I never learned the stages, pen & dagger cutting, and so on. Now I feel I can actually make something." 3. "Most importantly, I have been reminded of the need for repetition. I am fascinated by the sureness with which Chris uses a tool and I know the only way I can hope to emulate it is to continue to carve as much as possible." Read more in Slipstones. http://www.chrispye-woodcarving.com/slipstones/slipstones.html _______________________________________ 6. FOLLOW UP - 1 (from April 00) Copyright and Using Plaster Models _______________________________________ 1. From Fred Wilbur: http://www.frederickwilbur-woodcarver.com/ 'The second response to the acanthus question [about using commercial casts for reference purposes] was a good one. I have used the Decorators Supply catalogues for reference for years and I should have thought of them. However, I think it prudent to point out that the use of such catalogues (as the photographs represent a physical product) may wake the copyright giant and artisans need to be vigilant with their creations. How companies can copyright Ionic capitals and such historic ornament is beyond me, but I think such things should be mentioned.' 2. From Chris Pye: As far as I understand, some non-original designs can still be copyrighted. You can use such designs for study and private non-commercial work but you must not reproduce the thing to sell in plaster or wood; or use the photos as photos without permission. However, I'm not a lawyer! I think the best way to use such models is as a spring board for your own designs, rather than copying. It doesn't take much to move a design into something different enough not to be taken as the original and then, problem solved. 3. From Bob Seay: Here is another web sight that might be of some interest to readers: Architectural Woodcarving Designs By Enkeboll Designs http://www.enkeboll.com $20.00 for the Color Product Catalog bound book. _______________________________________ 7. FOLLOW UP - 2 (from April 00) Spoon Makers _______________________________________ Barry Gordon of Barry Gordon Woodcarving is a fine spoonmaker, with an interesting site and philosophy of crafts: http://www.barrygordon.com/ He has very kindly 'volunteered' to write an article for a future newsletter. By the way, if you think you have something of interest to share with other carvers that could be put into a 2-300 word article, then I'd like to hear from you! _______________________________________ 8. PARALLEL LINES: GUEST ARTICLE 'The Tank's on Empty' by Gary Lockwood _______________________________________ THE TANK'S ON EMPTY By Gary Lockwood Remember the last time you were driving down the road and noticed that your gas tank was on "empty"? How did you feel? If you're like most of us, you started feeling just a little anxious. You probably began thinking about how and when you would find a gas station. You might have even wondered (for a few seconds) what it would be like if you ran out of gas. With your imagination in high gear, you would have visualized yourself trudging on foot to the nearest gas station, buying a can of gas (including the can!), then hiking back to the car. What a trip! Now switch scenarios. Recall how you felt when you just filled the tank. You are confidently driving with an ample reserve of gas. No worries about fuel; no anxiety about running out. Having plenty of fuel for your car is very similar to having reserves for yourself. When you are running on "empty" with regard to time, money, space, love, faith, satisfaction, or companionship, you will feel the same negative emotions you felt when driving with an empty gas tank. So, what's the answer? Build reserves of all these things you need in your life. Do what you have to do to create more than enough love, attention, space, time, money and so on. Let's get something straight first. Building a reserve of something you need in your life is only one part of the puzzle. The other piece is to identify what is draining your reserves. If you're pouring into the top of a leaky bucket, you won't make much progress. For example, let's get started by examining how to create reserves of time. Many of my new coaching clients complain of having too little time. Their "time tank" is running on empty, so they feel uptight, frustrated, flustered, pulled in every direction, and tired. Often, this is the first thing we work on together. Clearly, a reserve of time would reduce the stress. So, how do you do it? Start by plugging the leaks. Take aggressive action, such as: ** REDUCE INTERRUPTIONS Interruptions can drain 1-2 hours a day. Rather than spend time with anyone who happens to stop by, close the door, turn off the phone or work from home one day a week. ** REDUCE THE CLUTTER Is your desk or credenza piled with pending and unfinished work that will be done when you "get around to it?" The average businessperson spends 3 hours each week looking for things plus 2 hours being distracted by the stuff lying around. The most effective people work from a clean desk. An uncluttered desk helps you stay focused on your most important project. ** DUMP USELESS TASKS Quit doing some of the routine things you do just because "that's what I've always done". Practice good priority management. Plan each day to stay focused on those tasks that will move you toward your goals. Watch for tasks that can be delegated or simply dropped. As you plug the leaks that drain off your reserves of time, start to create even more time. Here are a few ways to do this: ** STOP THE "CRISES MANAGEMENT" Ever feel that you're leaving a trail of unfinished projects, unreturned phone calls, unread mail, partially completed reports? Crises arise from jobs we left unfinished to work on other unfinished tasks. Another term for crisis management is "fire fighting." Most of this is really caused by losing focus of true priorities. Learn to tell the difference between "urgent" and "important". ** PLAN BETTER You accomplish the most when you know exactly what you want to accomplish. Decide what is really important in your life. What can you delegate? What can you simply drop? You can't manage time, only your priorities. How about another example of creating reserves? If you wanted to create a reserve of money, what could you do? Start by plugging the leaks. Take aggressive action to stop wasting money; do what you have to do to avoid late payment penalties, shop wisely (with a list), look for deals and pay off the credit cards. As you plug the leaks that drain off your reserves of money, start to create even more money. To do this, you might: turn a hobby into a business, save at least 25% of income, develop sources of passive income, raise your prices by adding more value, make a financial plan. OK. Back to reserves now. You can see that we were shifting from being a "spender of time & money" to being "an investor of time and money". Start today to plug the leaks and create ample reserves for yourself in all the areas where you have needs. Some suitable candidates are time, money, space, safety/security, ideas, opportunities, friends, love, attention, self-esteem, confidence, energy, and gas in the tank. Fill the tank! ------------------------------------------------------ (c) 1997 - 2001 BizSuccess All rights reserved. No duplication Gary Lockwood is Increasing the Effectiveness and Enhancing the Lives of CEOs, business owners and professionals. Get the CEO Success Report at http://www.CEOSuccess.com Get the Free BizSuccess newsletter - http://www.bizsuccess.com/newsletter.htm or send any blank email to mailto: subscribe@BizSuccess.com Email: mailto:Gary@BizSuccess.com Web: http://www.BizSuccess.com ------------------------------------------------------ *****COMMENT: HOW IS THIS RELEVANT TO WOODCARVING? I recognised so many things in this article, and thought the tank such a strong image! Though it aims at a business readership, I'm sure it is readily recognisable to most of us. Have a full tank and, of course, our carving aims will surely benefit. Simple as that! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ That's it for this month. I hope you have found this newsletter interesting and useful. Once more: joy and success in your carving! Chris Pye ----------------------------------- PS: Another one, for the bench: "You can't fatten a pig by weighing it!" ========================================== Copyright (c) Chris Pye 2002 Chris@chrispye-woodcarving.com ----------------------------------- Chris Pye: Woodcarving Newsletter is listed in the EzinesPlus directory of newsletters and ezines. http://ezinesplus.com -----------------------------------