[Lightningbolt]

I was just doing some research on soap carving, which is a great way for kids or begining carvers to safely learn the basics, and came across this website.

This link will take you directly to the carving tips: http://www.ivory.com/PureFun_IvoryPr...arvingTips.htm and this link will take you to the main index page: http://www.ivory.com/PureFun.htm

I've used chunks of Ivory soap as an effective bait to catch some mighty big catfish so now I guess that I'll have to start using it for carving! Pretty versatile stuff I'd say! Oh yeah, if there's any left then I could take a bath I suppose!

[Kenny_S]

Scouters have been using Ivory soap for decades on teaching, Cubbies how to carve. Bait for Catfish?? First I have heard of that one. Guess you don't have to clean them eh?

[doris]

fun ! my very first carvings, before i carved wood, and even before i carved stone, were soaps...i carved an owl (smelled like lemon :-), and a nice dog, a rhino ... yes is really good for learning, you learn different ways of cutting, and that you need be careful not to break off pieces. and when you do no drama, as carving soap is quick and soon you get to where you were again...nice to bring that to children

[Hi_Ho_Sliver]

Originally Posted by Lightningbolt

I was just doing some research on soap carving, which is a great way for kids or begining carvers to safely learn the basics, and came across this website.

This link will take you directly to the carving tips: http://www.ivory.com/PureFun_IvoryPr...arvingTips.htm and this link will take you to the main index page: http://www.ivory.com/PureFun.htm

I've used chunks of Ivory soap as an effective bait to catch some mighty big catfish so now I guess that I'll have to start using it for carving! Pretty versatile stuff I'd say! Oh yeah, if there's any left then I could take a bath I suppose!

Does that make your soap smell fishy, or your fish taste soapy?

[Lightningbolt]

LOL ! I knew that I had stepped into a big ole pile of catfish poop right after I clicked the "post this thread" button. Oh well, I have plenty of soap to clean it all up.

I suppose that it's a sign that I've spent a lot of my life in the woods and particulary on the river where you eventually get to meet every kind of backwoods character there is.

While on one of my month long canoe trips down the Great Pee Dee river in North/South Carolina I met this one kindly gentleman who made me a believer in using ivory soap as catfish bait. Actually, I believe that catfish and carp will bite just about anything. Another old-timer taught me how to catch carp and how to cook them too but that's another story.

[Kenny_S]

From these parts Dave, we don't eat carp. However, I do have a friend from Tyler Tx who eats carp but would not touch catfish. However, I believe they both will eat anything in a river, pond or lake. Visted my Tyler Tx friend and had Carp. He pressure cook the whole thing, Bones and all. Tweren't bad.

But never heard Ivory soap being used as bait, but I can see how that would be effective considering how catfish sense the smell bait. Probably not as bad as stink bait. That would gag a dog off a gut wagon. My apologies to the weak stomack people on the board.

[windsong]

Man who carves soap will always have clean Hands.Ha .Ha.Thanks Lightingbolt i found the info. very intresting.
Vic.

[Lightningbolt]

Kenny: Now that you mention it I'm sure that pressure cooking carp would have to be the way to go since they're so boney... probably the boniest fish I've ever eaten! I've spent a lot of time fishing Alaska and other parts of the lower 48 and I'd have to say that I've had the most fun in the rivers and lakes of the south. Just never know quite for sure what you're gonna pull outta some of them swamps!


As for soap carving I must say that I've never tried it and I feel like I've missed out on something. When introducing kids to carving I've always been successful just using the softest straightest-grain wood that I could find, but my average age student is by far 14-16 years old. We do always have 3 or 4 kids in camp between 10 and 12 years old and soap carving might be another good tool in my "bag of tricks" for those younger kids and I'd imagine that it might be the best route to take for youngsters under 10 but that isn't my target population.

Just last week one of my 15 year olds was having trouble understanding how to effectively use stop cuts for scooping out the waste wood of the small dug-out Indian canoe that he was carving. After I took the tools and was demonstrating how to do it I said, "That's all there is to it, it's easy." His simple, yet very serious reply to me was, "Well it's hard for me." He really left me frozen in my tracks with that reply because it was so obviously honest. He is one student that I bet could have benefited from practicing on soap... if I'd had any.

Anyhow, as I mentioned before, I'm just trying to add one more tool to pull upon from my bag of tricks in the sometimes elusive job of teaching kids to carve.

P.S. I wonder if all the leftover soap shavings could be melted back down and molded into usable bars again? You know, for things like, uhhh.... catfish bait of course!!

[doris]

yes, try soap with the smaller one kids. they will love it, is much easier than wood... and yes, remainders can be resused, for maiking new soap, or for bathing, or for cat fish (?) like you say

[Big Dog]

As I am not from the USA what is an "orangewood stick used for manicures"??? I also don't do manicures