When burning in fir, what burning tip should be used? I have a large skew tip, but the fir seems to "fine", I really want a more "aggressive, bolder" look to the piece. The piece itself is a wolf's bust and this question is directed at the fir around the shoulder/neck area in general.

Any help / direction / advise is appreciated.

Coffeeman

[Hugh]

I'm not an expert on carving fur, but to create the texture you want. I would start with a large white or red stone, and then finish with a small white stone. Run the stones at quite high speed. The reason for the white stone, it dosent tear up the wood as much as other stones. The Ceramic blue stone also works well. At this point, it is a good idea to use fine steel wool, and clean up what fuzz you can, also taking off the sharp edges left by stoning. After you've created the texture you want, go over it lightly with your burning pen, and put in some detail, like splits, just generally clean up the texture with the burning pen. I don't try to alter or cover up the detail of the stone. One more item that might help. I make a texturing stone by using a carbide pointed bit to hollow the end of the stone, and then on the side of the stone, come up about a 1/16 in and make a ridge around the end of the stone. This works real well. Picked this idea up from another carver, but can't remember who. Hope this helps

[Donna_T]

Hello Bill,
By "aggressive" do you mean darker?

The best advice I can offer when burning is to never burn a straight line--always be rolling your burning tool to make short or long curving lines...just like hair. The longer the hair--the longer the lines. This would be true in the ruff area of longer hair around the throat and neck. When I've got all my "hills and valleys" of hair carved (I do most of it by hand with veiners--never v-tools!), I use a slightly rounded point burning tip. The rounded tip allows me to curve the stroke easier. And never never never make the strokes the same length and shape--overlap, crossover, stagger are all techniques to use for animal hair. Short strokes where the hair is short (nose and eyes) and gradually longer as the hair gets longer.

Hope that helps. I don't like to burn dark--if there's smoke, I turn the tool down. I'd rather put my detail in with paint.

Donna T

[Old_Gord]

Coffeeman;
As far as "burning in fur" , the best I ever saw was done by a member of my woodcarving club, she made it look so realistic you wanted to touch it to see if it was really animal fur.
What she did was burn heavy and deep, then brush out with a small brass wire brush, the repeat the process in the same area as many times as needed to get the look you want.
I don't recall her doing too much gouge or "v" tool work as far as the fine fur was concerned.

OG.

[sheltiecarver]

I'm a fair fur burner - in basswood. I NEVER sand a furred critter - I go all over the animal with a deep gouge in a size appropriate to the scale of the animal always remembering which way the hair flows - then I use a skew or a rounded tip to put in the fur - not following the gouge marks at all. Every burn (except the very teeny ones on - say - the face - should be curved at least a bit - some should be downright bent - even on a show dog that has just been groomed the hair doesn't line up like a picket fence. It's important to be especially careful at the spine - you dont want a visible part or hair in a chevron pattern. Sort of ease the hair into falling on both sides of the body. Be prepared to spend 3 or 4 times as much time burning as you did carving, and the fur will look like you could put a fingernail under some of it and pick it up. Play some upbeat music while you burn, and you will go a bit faster. I don't know if that was a typo or not, but I have never burned satisfactorily in fir - the hard and soft ridges are a pain, and the burner tip gunks up (with pitch?) I've burned bassswood, butternut, catalpa, walnut & cherry. Also a bit of tupelo (nice!). Hope this helps. burnin"!

[Hugh]

That sounds great, could you show us a little picture demo?? Would really like to see your technique.

[sheltiecarver]

Hugh - I do not have a digital camera, nor do I know how to put in the pictures if I did. I do have a friend with a d camera (who is currently on a cruise to HOT Mexico), and will be back in a week. I have a grizzly bear in progress - if I can figure out the picture stuff when she gets back with her camera, it would show the overall gouge marks, and the burning. Also the spine, which I think is critical. Sandy

[Nancy_G]

Anybody can use their "regular" camera to take photos, have them developed, and snail mail them to me. I'll gladly scan and post them here - or anywhere desired - then return them to you.
Just PM me for my email and we can make arrangements.