Capital City Carvers

Traditional pigments that would have been used as a colorant would have been bark dust or soot, but many people have had excellent results using finely ground coffee. Other pigments could be powdered walnut bark and finely ground cinnamon powder. Before placing the design on the wood, it is suggested that a thin layer of oil be placed on the wood. A finishing oil such as walnut or raw linseed oil are favored by the author. The reason given is to prevent the coloring agent from seeping into the wood grain or pores and leaving a slight staining effect where we don't want it. A coat of oil at the start also makes it easier to rub off your design if your knife cuts don't exactly follow your drawings, and can help to allow the tip of the knife to glide through the wood a little easier.

Now for the design. Designs can range from geometric patterns to Celtic knot work to purely free-form patterns and are limited only by your imagination. Graph paper can be a really useful tool to assist with laying out geometric designs such as basket weave patterns, as can a proper eraser and a decent straight edge. A sharp pencil point is also a big help.

Light is the next important tool you have. Daylight is best. Poor lighting leads to sore eyes and headaches, Which in turn causes mistakes in laying out the design and slips with the knife. Even the smallest errors here will show up when pigment is rubbed into the design. The knife used for incising the design can be your regular carving knife. This will produce a very fine line. A chip carving knife may also be used. There is also a specific Kolrosing blade that makes a wider bevel, but your regular knife will work fine. If you are using your carving knife it will be necessary to "choke up" on the blade in order to hold the knife in a vertical position so you can effectively draw with just the tip. A safe way to do this is to wrap the majority of the blade with tape, leaving just the last 10mm or so to the tip uncovered. The blade is then held in the hand in the same fashion as you would hold a pencil, with the hilt of the blade or the start of the handle resting against the web between your thumb and forefinger.

You can visit the website www.hewnandhone.co.uk for some great information you might not find in US publications.

Some more about sanding your carvings...

For those of you who carve birds or animals in a realistic manner, I came across an article by Jean Minaudier in Wildfowl Carving. He carves his birds in basswood using knives and gouges first. The details are placed with burning and stoning. He does not like to sand. He keeps the surface smooth as the shaping progresses and delays sanding until the bird is ready for texturing. Putting off sanding has an added benefit of reducing time spent sharpening tools. The grit from even the best sandpaper becomes embedded in the wood, just waiting to nick the edge of your favorite knife or gouge. Once he does begin to sand, he brings the bird to at least a 400-grit surface before starting any burning or stoning. Having an extremely clean surface is key to avoiding the dreaded fuzz for which basswood is notorious.

Habits in Action

1. Clean Hands - wash your hands, they pick up dirt and transfer it to the carving.
2. Clean Tools - wipe them after stropping, wipe them after you finish carving.
3. Clean Bench - keep it clean of chips and dust.
4. Clean Workshop - clean regularly to remove wood chips and dust. Vacuum, don't sweep.
5. Clean Work - cover your work between sessions and, if possible, wash with dish soap before finishing.

A big Thank you to Ken and Lewis Digital for printing the newsletter. We would be hard pressed to do this without them.