Help needed from Parents & Grandparents

chuckt · #11 07-04-2008, 09:02 AM

Best of luck to you! I had hoped my boys would get bit by the carving bug. In fact MY interest was sparked when they were in Boy Scouts and I thought I'd help em on the carving merit badge. Well, they both dropped out of scouts after a hot dirty summer camp experience. Seems they're both more interested in staying in the AC and playing video games or (more positively) - playing bass & drums. Guess I can understand where they're coming from but still a little disappointed.

Anyway - last summer my wife and I attended NEWR (Northeast Woodcarver's Roundup) in Honesdale PA and my youngest (Celine - 13) decided she'd like to come along. She LOVED it. She's our artsy crafty child (we have 4) and I was THRILLED. It's a great feeling to be carving with your child, and I hope someday to do the same with grandkids.

Lastly, I know everyone says to start them off with soap carving. From a learning & safety perspective I guess that's a good idea. But if it were me - I'd try Balsa wood maybe, or even a dense styrofoam. Why? Well for me - I HATE the feeling & smell of soap. It would totally turn me off if that's what I was given to start on. (Don't read into that by the way - YES I shower everyday but I use a gel - NOT soap. <grin>).

Just a thought. I hope your grandsons get bitten by the carving bug and you're able to enjoy many years of making chips with them.

ChuckT

BRIAN D · #12 07-07-2008, 10:18 AM

Just an addon to this note, a few of our Carving Club went to Grayling Mi. July 4th for a little Inner Active Arts Show for the local Water Shed Group. I set up to do soap carving with the kids. Downloaded from Ivory Soaps Website, about soap carving, plus found a web site that showed some wooden tools. So I made some of those up, and with 60 bars of Ivory, thought I was as ready as ever. While 4 hours latter & 60 bars hunked & chunked, I was pooped, but I think fun was had by all who passed by. Turtles, Crosses, Hearts, Bears. I think anytime you can get young people creative, and out of doors it's got to be a plus for the future. BRIAN D.

takeaction · #13 07-07-2008, 10:41 AM

Our granddaughter (8) asked if she could carve with me... I took the advice of this post and carved her a tiny knife to fit her itty bitty hands. She playing with soap.

Thank you for this post.

Wayne

BRIAN D · #14 07-08-2008, 01:23 PM

FYI for those interested link to soap carving tools, as well as some that I made. Osbourne.org

I even took this a step further & used pieces of 1/8th, 3/16th's, 1/4 & 3/8 dowling & square stock sanded at 45 degrees or so about 4" long to create more tools. Hope it helps. BRIAN D.