scotchbright

[herbd]

Hi,

In one of Jeff Phares' he talks about using scotchbright to go over his entire carving to get the "fuzzies" out and some tool marks. I've tried this and it works, however it also stains the wood green.

do any of you have experience with this?

[Dan C]

HerbD,

Absolutely had the same problem and have the answer. I took a week-long class from Jeff two summers ago and this was discussed. The problem is that you don't want to use the stuff you can buy at Lowes, Target, Home Depot, etc. This stuff is green and the green comes off on your carving.

You need to order Scotchbright from a good wood carving supply store. I bought mine from The Woodcraft Shop in Bettendorf Iowa - The WoodCraft Shop - Online Store This store is NOT part of the chain of Woodcraft stores. It is a single store and I highly recommend them. Their web page has their 800 telephone number. Other woodcarving stores probably sell scotchbright, but this is where I got mine.

The stuff you want to order comes in three different levels of coarseness:

white - fine
maroon - medium
brown - coarse

I go over my carvings using the maroon. It seems to me that Jeff used the brown or coarse, but I may be wrong about that. I would suggest you order a sheet of each. It's not that expensive, and you can then experiment and find out what works for you.

I cut out a 1 1/4" square and put it on my dremel tool. As you go over your piece, the corners quickly are ground down and you are left with a circle of scotchbright. So... the point is, you don't need to cut a nice neat circle.

Sorry, but I always seem to write these really long posts. Hope that helps!

Dan C.

[Dan C]

HerbD - OK I'm going to try again. I keep trying to put the web address in and the message board computer thinks it knows better than me and puts something else in. Maybe a separate reply...

The WoodCraft Shop - Online Store

Phone: 1 800 397-2278

Dan C.

[big dave]

i use the brown and you can sometimes find it at the local hardware store

[scooter]

The maroon is good for removing pencil marks, as well.

And, one must remember to use light pressure, or else carving marks will get knocked down.

S~

[dnstehly]

I've used this method for years and, yes as Dan says above, you want to stay away from the green stuff. I buy a gray variety at home depot. It's a Norton product with about the same coarseness as #000 steel wool. I cut it into 1 1/2 inch diameter circles and mount it on a mandrel for my Foredom tool. Foredom sells such discs of scotch brite ready made but they are a bit pricey. In addition to removing fuzzies, its good for going over burned feathers or hair to take the excess charred material off. It is also especially useful for slicks. In the final step of sanding a slick I buff between sandings with a scotch brite wheel to reveal any marks that have been missed.

[bassman]

I guess I've just been lucky, I use the Home Depot dark green Scotch Brte and haven't had any green come off yet. If the green comes off why not the brown or the other colors?

[mdallensr]

If it's Scotch-Brite, it's made by 3M, and it doesn't matter where you buy it. If it just looks like Scotch-Brite, caveat emptor. Mike

[herbd]

Hi,

Thanks everyone, as always you are a goldmine of good info.

Herb

[Kenny_S]

Well, I will try again, In ihe past I have bought the ScotchBrights at Wally World(WALL-MART), cut them in to 1 inch squares and mount them on Dremels Mandels and have not had problems with the green coming off. Now I did have problems with the color coming off with the El-cheapo kinds. But then, I don't use them on every Piece either.