Grime on carvings

[sebastiaan56]

Im a new carver and have been playing with faces on sticks. I have a stash of camphor pen blanks that Im working my way through. The issue Im having is that I get to the end of carving a face and there is visible grime on the nose and sometimes the cheeks of the face I have just completed.

I wash my hands before I start and am very careful not to touch any pencil marks from laying out so Im at a bit of a loss as to the cause. Oil from fingers? How do I avoid or at the worst get rid of this grime?

Thank you!

[Claude]

I use an old toothbrush and some white hand soap. Run some water over the carving to get it wet, scrub the dirt off with the old toothbrush, rinse, then blow dry with an old hair dryer. This will raise the fuzz a little on the wood, but a quick rub with a brown-paper bag will get rid of most of it... or you can use some 400 grit sandpaper to get rid of the fuzz.

Claude

[Eddy-Smiles]

Just a slight variation of Claude's explanation...I use plain old Ajax dish soap and a friend of mine uses Dawn with the same results. Just be sure to give the wood a good rinse.

[Gulf Coast Handyman]

I use the 3M discs on my Dremmel and go over the whole carving, cleans, sands and removes fuzzys.

Dave

[Gulf Coast Handyman]

Here is a link to the discs :

- 3/4" Bristle Discs - 6 pc. pack - Red/220 Grit #301642

Dave

[sebastiaan56]

And here I was thinking It was just me who was a grubby operator....

Thanks for the repsonses, I will try washing this afternoon.

[Lynn O. Doughty]

It is you! And you are a grubby operator......just like the rest of us! I use a Sand-O-Flex wheel with 320 grit insert to go over all my carvings once they're ready to paint. Here's the link.
Sand-O-Flex, Sandpaper – Merit Industries

[Robweja]

I just have to mention again that I am getting great results with Alcohol based hand antiseptic cleaner and the fuzzies still dont seem to happen with it. Just for heavesn sakes dont get it on paint as it seems to strip Acrylic water based like steam.
Also handy when you cut yourself.

[John_C]

This could also be a byproduct of the wood camphor, which is an oil found in abundance in the wood you are using. Somewhat similar to turpentine. In a round about way the woods oils are dissolving the grime from your hands along with excess oils. Have you tried other woods and had the same problem?

[sebastiaan56]

Many thanks for the replies folks. I like the idea of the alcohol rather than water as it shouldnt raise the knap in the timber. Acetone, MEK etc should do the same although somewhat more hazardous. I am concerned that sanding will remove detail, particularly around the eyes. I should mention that the carving is 1/2" square and 3 in high.

I didnt get to do any carving yesterday as I had yet more PC issues I will post a picture for posterity when I get online at home again.

I hadnt planned on painting this carving as my wife has suggested that they make great drawer fresheners. Camphor Laurel is a real pest here but it is nice to carve. So it seems like I have a demand, but I am strictly amateur about all of my woodwork.