---- Chris Pye: WOODCARVING - NEWSLETTER ---- September 2004 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/ 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 newsletters ============================================================ Hello Everyone! - all 3000 of you... CONTENTS: 1. Website news 1) New free eBook 2) New Website Inspiration 2. Quick Carving Questions 1) Turkey Stone? 2) Plasticene? 3) Blackening Strop? 4) Polyethylene Glycol (PEG)? 5) Back Bevels? 6) Beeswax? 7) Glueing Up Planks? Website Bookmarks at the end. List of Slipstones Woodcarving Manuals Teaching __________________________________________ 1. WEBSITE NEWS! __________________________________________ 1) NEW FREE EBOOK I'm happy to say that I can now bring you "Quick Carving Questions - 3", the third compilation of those Quick Carving Questions that appear most months in this newsletter. Another great read and full of useful carving tips and advice, and available for free because of sponsoring by Mike Komick and Preferred Edge Carving Knives & Supplies. Mike Komick makes very particular knives based on Native American traditions - so not what we more conventional carvers are used to - but they may be just right for YOUR style of carving. I reviewed these knives for Woodcarving magazine recently: very fine steel, hooks sharpened both sides, and beautifully finished and presented. You'll see links to Quick Carving Questions - 3 on the website home page: http://www.chrispye-woodcarving.com/ or you can go directly to the download page here: http://www.chrispye-woodcarving.com/slipstones/qcq3.html Enjoy, learn, benefit, pass it on - and please take a moment to thank Mike by reading about Preferred Edge Carving Knives & Supplies in the ebook and visiting the website: http://www.preferrededge.ca There's a full list of ebooks and information about 'ebooks' here: http://www.chrispye-woodcarving.com/slipstones/index.html 2) NEW WEBSITE INSPIRATION A fine portrait of a monk: 1518, carver unknown. Look at how the face has been simply but strongly carved: http://www.chrispye-woodcarving.com/gallery/g_inspiration.html __________________________________________ 2. QUICK CARVING QUESTIONS __________________________________________ **** QUESTION 1: TURKEY STONE? **** "I took a woodcarving class with Demitrios Klitsas of Hampden Massachusetts, USA. He is Greek, and uses a sharpening stone from Greece, which nobody knows the name of. I was in Athens for the Olympics in August, and Mr. Klitsas helped me find one of these stones. Off the shelf it is a light grey and then, according to store owners, when oil is added it turns dark black. It is fairly fine, but soft. Have you ever run into such a stone, and what is it called? Might it be what used to be called a Turkey stone in older woodcarving books?" **** ANSWER **** I'm afraid I have never heard of this particular stone but there must be many stones that will do the finish sharpening. I use a translucent Arkansas myself - we all tend to be loyal to what we have found works well for US. Anyone any ideas about this or Turkey stones? =================================== **** QUESTION 2: PLASTICENE **** "Modelling Plasticene for making maquettes is not cheap and it dries out with age. I've kept it in tins, but how can you A) stop or retard it drying out in the first place and B) can you rejuvenate Plasticene that has dried out?" **** ANSWER **** I stopped using Plasticene quite a while ago - it seemed to work well only when warm enough and was, indeed, expensive. See if you can get some 'Nuclay', a non-cracking clay that is much better, cheap and reusable like mud. To actually answer your questions: I would think cling film (cling wrap) would keep it airtight. And isn't it Linseed oil based? - in which case you could experiment with this to re-soften, Can anyone be more helpful? =================================== **** QUESTION 3: BLACKENING STROP? **** "Is it helpful to clean a leather strop when it becomes all black? Or should you just continue to put on more of the compound and continue to use it?" **** ANSWER **** The black comes from abraded metal and doesn't seem to make any difference. However, you do remove a small amount of the dressing each time you strop (and you wipe the blade after - yes?) so you need to re-dress the leather periodically to counter this. =================================== **** QUESTION 4: POLYETHYLENE GLYCOL (PEG)? **** "In my reading I keep coming across the idea of using ethylene glycol to help stablize green wood for carving. I was wondering what your thoughts were on this practise. Does one just use regular anti-freeze? Does the process really work? Does it just stablize wood or will it cause the wood to swell closing some of the cracks? I was hoping to use it on a larger piece or western Red Cedar. Would there be discolouration of the wood you treat?" **** ANSWER **** I think you mean Polyethylene Glycol (PEG) rather than regular antifreeze. Although I know of it, I have never used it, so am little help. Try asking those woodturners who create enormous vessels in wood - they seem to use it most. Any thoughts, anyone? =================================== **** QUESTION 5: BACK BEVELS **** "I am a little uncertain on the range of tools to add back bevels. Before I just go off adding bevels, specifically which gouges do you have beveled: 1-11 or only the more flat ones like the #3?" **** ANSWER **** The 'back' (=inner) bevel is particularly useful when you use a carving tool upside down. Generally: * Put the most inner bevel on the flattest gouges, little or none on the 11's (U) and V's, with a progressive amounts in between. * Curved tools (long and short frontbents and backbents) don't need an inner bevel; the function is taken up in the curve of the blade itself. =================================== **** QUESTION 6: BEESWAX? **** "I can't find a source for the beeswax like you use. Where does it comes from?" **** ANSWER **** Er... Bees? Sorry. Just get a beeswax candle from some New Age, Post-Hippy craft store and melt it into warm turpentine. =================================== **** QUESTION 7: GLUEING UP PLANKS? **** "I'm having trouble finding a maple block for a sting ray carving 3" X 5.5" X 8". Could I glue one up from 3/4 planks (3/4" X 5.5" X 8")? Do you think the seams would be unsightly if they were run horizontally?" **** ANSWER **** It depends a little on what shape the sting ray will have. Try and arrange the joins so that they are cut at 90degrees - this may mean using different thicknesses of timber rather than uniform. As long as the joins have a good grain and colour match and are not intrusive, I never mind. Maple is a bland wood and you should be able to colour match well. Even a light colour wash might help by unifying the colour. ===================================================== That's all for this month! Joy and success in your carving! Chris Pye ------------------------- PS: One for the bench: Ryokan's most famous haiku: The THIEF left it behind - the moon At the window. ____________________________________________________________ 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/) * 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) http://www.woodschool.org/ Sept 20 - 24 Ornamental carving (Mouldings) Sept 27 - Oct 1 Relief Carving Oct 4 - 9 Carving Tutorial Full details to be announced. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Copyright (c) Chris Pye 2004 Chris@chrispye-woodcarving.com ----------------------- -----------------------