Branch Chickens

[Shimmy]

A few branch birds I made from Ficus branches .But I still can't get the curl in the tail.Do you think it is how the knife is sharpened?

[AlArchie]

Ya meed to use curley maple or curley birch sticks...hehehe

Al

[Claude]

Shimmy:
A couple of the birds seem to have a few curly "tail feathers" - do they appear to be thinner, maybe, than the ones with no curl? If so, perhaps your feathers need to be thinner... (I'm only guessing - have no experience with this...)

Claude

[brushpilecarvings]

The sharpness of the blade plays a vital part in getting good tail curls, but the dryness of the wood also is important as well. Depending on the thickness of the tail branch, I usually wait a few hours before working on the tail. You don't want to do the tail when the branch is still 100% green, but you also dont want a completely dry branch neither.

Hope this helps

Terry

http://www.brushpilecarvings.com

[Shimmy]

On a tail that is 1/8 -1/4 Itake the bark off and wait 1 day before slicing the tail feathers.The thicker the branch the longer I wait. I have done hundreds all different ways I get a slight curl but I cannot get what he gets( big curl).
I think I will try a couple of different of my knives.

[BobD]

I believe Chris, against conventional sharpening wisdom, puts a slightly rounded bevel on his knives to give the pieces that curl.

Bob

[Hi_Ho_Sliver]

as I sharpen, I always try out the knife on a piece of wood and usually get the curls when the knife is sharp.....the difference I think is in being very thin. imho.Ice Cream