Capital City Carvers

FYI: The Vice President of the club is responsible for scheduling the carving projects and, if we wish, the late winter weekend workshop. If you have any ideas for a carving program, ornament project or want to have a particular guest instructor for a weekend workshop, please let the VP or any club officer know. As a club we can't work in a vacuum and your input is vital in keeping the club vibrant and interesting. If we want to keep the club going your input is vital. This is your club after all.

In looking for material to include in the newsletter, I came across some carving tips by carver Don Mertz in the 2010 Spring issue of Woodcarving Illustrated. Some are worth repeating here.

• Hard lines carved into small carvings create light and shadows, making the carving appear to have sharp and precise details. Hard lines are created with angled under cutting along a stop cut.
• Slice with the cutting edge of the tool as often as possible. A slicing cut separates the wood fibers and burnishes as it passes through the wood. A wedge cut, forced into the wood, breaks fibers ahead of the cutting action and creates fuzzies and ragged edges. Slice and do not pry.
• Sharp can be sharper. Make sure your tools are sharpened as much as possible and strop often. A sharp tool using a slicing cut creates a slick surface that makes the carving dance and the paint or finish sparkle.
• While a good carving relies on correct proportions, it's important to add the details that transform a good carving to a great carving. Details such as seams, tears, patches, and worn out shoes help your carving tell a story.
• Woodcarving is the journey more than the destination. There are no mistakes, only learning experiences. Relax and enjoy the journey.

Glues used for wood

We have all had occasion to use glue to put back a piece of wood that has broken off a carving or made a woops and lopped off an important part. How do you fix the problem? The first line of defense is glue. Several kinds of glue can be used according to how fast you want to resume carving on your project.

Many people know of Elmer's glue. This is a very popular glue used by woodworkers and is a member of a family of glues known as PVA. PVA stands for polyvinyl acetate which is the main component of white and yellow glues. Yellow glues are just a higher grade of PVA glues. Both glues are water based and are composed of solid particles that are not soluble in water. PVA glue cure by releasing moisture to both the glued work and the atmosphere and by drying to a solid bond layer composed primarily of PVA resins.

PVA glues should be handled and stored carefully. The shelf life is based on storage at room temperature. If stored at temperatures lower than 70° the shelf life can be increased. If the glue is not used very often it can separate into its various components. This doesn't necessarily ruin the glue. Stirring the glue back into shape can make it usable again.

Clean up is generally fairly easy because of the glue being water based. Wipe off the excess glue while it is still damp. Do not leave glue on the surface. When it dries it resists stains and paints and cause problems when finishing your carving.

Even though PVA glue sets rather quickly, it still takes 24 hours or more to cure to full strength. Avoid stressing or handling the repaired area before they have fully cured. The PVA glues are not ideal for filling gaps. Other glues are better suited to fill gaps such as epoxy or gap-filling CA glues.

Epoxy is a two-part compound composed of a resin and hardener. There are many different formulations that are used depending on the usage. Most of us use a 5-minute formulation that is used for spot bonding. The epoxy can be used to join many different materials. Epoxy requires careful measuring of parts before mixing. For our purposes, a 1:1 ratio is used. Only mix an amount that will complete your repair. Cure rate is [continued]