Got a question about spraying a piece

[Des804]

Saw a Youtube Video where the person talked about spraying the piece while they were carving with a mixture of I believe Rubbing Alchohol and Water... Does anyone know the reason for this ?

[cut up]

I've never heard of mixing alcohol with water. I have heard of putting alcohol in gasoline to remove water, though.
If spray your project with alcohol, it will probably make the wood easier to cut. (at least that's what I've heard. I've not had the need to try it)
However, if you spray your project with water, It'll raise the grain and the fuzzies. Some people do this to get a smoother finish.
Michael

[Mitchell]

It makes the wood easier to carve.

PS: Use the search function on this site; "alcohol and water" will link threads that ~may~ have info on the subject also.

[Des804]

Mitchell I tried that and got nothing ( mind you I did it really late at night while I was tired and about to go to bed but still )... Thank you very much for the help.

Edit: actually just found out I used the wrong search Function I used the one at the upper Right corner instead of the one that was in the search Tab on the forum itself... Now wonder I havent been finding anything I search for on here... Thanks a bunch guys.

[carver33]

Spraying (or spritzing) your carving with a 50/50 mixture of rubbing alcohol and water will temporarily soften the wood. I keep a spray bottle on my work bench for difficult spots, such as carving across or against the grain. I would like to point out that it works better on Basswood than Cherry.

There have been numerous discussions on this forum about this subject.

[Kadiddle]

It does work. Let it penetrate a bit. As those layers are taken away, you have to spitz it again.
Carve On,
Kadiddle

[luscher]

Originally Posted by Des804

[...] I tried that and got nothing [...]

Edit: actually just found out I used the wrong search Function I used the one at the upper Right corner instead of the one that was in the search Tab on the forum itself... Now wonder I havent been finding anything I search for on here... Thanks a bunch guys.

searching on the site itself rarely works for me. i suspect this is because 'Tags' are rarely added to threads, but if you Google ''woodcarvingillustrated water alcohol'' you will find several links, such as :

Problem Carving Too Dry Wood?

i've added tags to this thread to aid in locating it in the future, but being limited to two (as it is not my thread) i was unable to add other, related, tags

[Mitchell]

Don't get me wrong - It's not a problem to ask the question. Just giving a little advise on finding answers....some people get impatient and want answers quickly.

Searching the site does give LOTS of info and it can be a bit of a hassle to pick through it all.

A benefit for the person looking for info is that they can use the older info to fine-tune their question even more (if not get an answer altogether).

[Des804]

Yeah well actually searching within the forum and using the forum search actually has helped me out more now that I found that out... Thanks a bunch found a group nearby to get with and they had a project thing last night that was chip carving I borrowed a chip carving knife and well..... I didnt cut the board in half but If thats a direction I want to take Im going to need to do a lot of work to get it to even look presentable. I also got some woodcarving books from the library to read through on information about it.. Im just in a rut right now kind of not knowing where to go next. Gene Messer has been a big help but kind of overwhelming as in I dont know where to go next I havent even really done a full sized 5 minute wizard ( Just semi ones from the scraps from the wooden chain). I also dont have a local supply of Basswood but someone told me poplar would work similiar so I had gotten a little of that to hopefully try to do a ball in a box. This site has also been a great help thank you all.

[Steve Reed]

Des, welcome to the group! Yes, the alcohol/water mix works well on basswood, especially the "end-grain". I too keep a spray bottle handy while carving. As far as basswood goes, Heinicke is "da Man"! You can also get it at Michaels or Hobby Lobby, but the quality varies greatly from piece to piece.
Happy Carving!