Capital City Carvers

January 2015

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Tips and Techniques
by Barbara Mann

It finally happened—I glued my fingers together. At 2 a.m. in the midst of production carving. I tried to glue an eye in a bird and managed to glue my thumb and forefinger together. The "cure" for this is easy; just use acetone (nail polish remover) and the bond will release. I couldn't find my bottle of acetone. Hopping in the car and heading to a 24 hour drug store didn't seem possible. I eventually got my fingers separated and bought another bottle the next day. I keep this bottle in plain sight now. So I wasn't kidding when I warned about CA glue.

On another topic—marking your tools. Many of us have the very same carving knife and similar other tools. It is smart to put your initials or name on at these tools. It is very easy to get them mixed up on a table. There are different ways to put your initials on—an indelible marking pen, wood burning, electric engraver, or even paint.

Changing topic again—have you started a collection of resource material? Carvers find this very helpful. Yes, it's easy to do Google image searches, but old calendars with bird or animal pictures can be cut up and categorized in your files. Look for pictures or drawing of interesting faces. Cut up old carving magazines before recycling them for a collection of ideas for you to put together in a different way.

by Adelle Grosskopf

For the people who carved the birdhouse ornament, the technique we used to put the raised bumps on the roof is a Japanese carving technique called Ukibori. It is used to put bumps on frogs, toads, snails and mushroom birdhouses. A punch can also be used to draw lines, such as veins in leaves. You just use a rounded-end punch that is very smooth, such as a ground down large nail. Make sure you do not tear the wood fibers.

When you are satisfied with the pattern of the bumps, carve or sand the surface down to the depth of the dents. Then pour hot water (very hot tap water—not boiling) on the wood, but not on your fingers. The bumps will rise above the surface (the hot water swells the compressed wood). No more carving should be done on the surface where the bumps are. The wood must be dry before putting on your choice of finish.

The Legend of the Wood Spirit

It goes by several names: Wood Spirit, Wild Man, Savage Man, Woodwose, Tree Spirit. Whatever you call it, the next time your are strolling through the woods, keep an eye out for one of these elusive creatures.

Most oftem glimpsed as a green man with leaves for his beard and hair, the Wood Spirit is said to be Lord of the Forest and Natural Things. Seeing one is said to be quite a lucky thing, and European villagers used to go out on regular hunts, hoping to find a Wood Spirit to foretell the future of their village.

They are extremely strong. Wood Spirits can tear an opponent limb from limb and can tame any wild animal, including ferocious dragons and skittish unicorns. At the same time, they are gentle with the maidens, children, and men of good heart.

It is said that the forest will stand or as long as the Wood Spirit remains to keep order. And if you're lucky enough to see one, health, happiness, and good fortune will be yours. However, that does not happen often. Wood Spirits would rather see than be seen. Most sightings are by children or by the pure of heart.

When you take your Wood Spirit home, give it a place of honor. Include the Wood Spirit in the audience when you tell jokes (Wood Sptirits have a delighful sense of humor). If you do these things, your Wood Spirit will bring his gentle wisdom, humor, and luck into your home. Enjoy!

Author Unknown

New Member Achievement

Steve Brown, who recently moved to Florida, has joined our club. Many of you know Steve from his weekend workshops for us in character carving. Steve was recently selected as a member of the Character Carvers of America. You can read about Steve and his accomplishments on the CCA website or in the Summer 2012 issue of Carving Magazine. Congratulations Steve!

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