Removing uncarved pattern - chip carving

[NS7]

Hi,
For a chip carving project, I used a xerox copy of the design and lacquer thhinner to transfer the pattern to the basswood. It worked just fine. Now, after carving, there are still some pattern marks left on the wood (on the edges of the cut). How can I remove these marks ? I tried rubbing alcohol and the usual pencil eraser. Didn't work. Any tricks here?

--Thx
--NS

[AlArchie]

If a light sanding doesn't work, I don't have a clue what to try. Maybe the Laquer thinner transferred the pattern well, but I'd be willing to bet it also made that Xerox medium penetrate the wood, and not just lie on the surface. Next time around you might try one of those "transfer irons" that attach to the hobby shop wood burner pens. These tips only cost around 5 bucks and work quite well. I've used them on several patterns and the left over marks cleaned up with a soft artgum eraser.Al

[Hi_Ho_Sliver]

I tried the acetone and copy transfer, also have one of the heating irons...they don't work because they haven't put a resistor to maintain the correct temperature, they just keep getting hotter and hotter and then burns (scorches) your paper......I have ended up doing 90 percent of my layout right on the wood and the rest I use graphite carbon paper. I do think tho Al is right about a light sanding getting rid of the printing ink.

[papasar]

NS,
I use a method that is frowned upon by the pros but works well for me.
I carve for a hobby and most of my work is for gifts or donations to a gift shop at a Spiritual Retreat House. I love to carve and hate to trace so I do all my designs on the computer and paste them on the wood with rubber cement. After carving, the paper comes off pretty easily without damaging the carving. The cement tends to dry out after a few weeks and will almost peel by itself. Any residual cement is removed with a piece of crepe rubber that is intended for dressing belt sanders. It does not scratch or damage the carving. I have carved over 600 pieces in the last few yrs and have had only good results with this method. I also found it is easier to get a beginner started with carving. He can see results faster and put more time into carving than tracing. Its MHO.
Bill K.

[Hi_Ho_Sliver]

beautiful plate Papa! I knew a long time ago how to get the color in one area and not in another....? have forgotten? Bring us up to date on that!

[papasar]

Thanks HIHO glad you like it.
1. spray coat 3x with minwax poly clear satin to seal the surface
2. carve
3. fill cuts with mimwax antique maple gel stain a 3 or 4 in section at a time and wipe excess off the surface immediately. Even tho it has poly, if not wiped imediately some stain will remain on the surface.
4 let dry overnight
5. final coat 2x with minwax poly semigloss

using this method I can us different stains on the same piece for some very nice contrast.
Darker color stains have a tendency to bleed under the poly so I stain in smaller areas at a time.
Hope I answered your ?
Bill K.

[Hi_Ho_Sliver]

Yes it did, thanks! Looks great!

[jmroth75]

No tricks. You must plan your design and carving so that the pattern imprint is removed by the carving. That is why I rarely use this method. Sometimes the only way to remove the imprint is to sand it off and that destroys the sharp edges of the chips. I almost always draw the pattern with pencil on the project piece or use graphite transfer paper to copy a pattern from a pre-printed page. Drawing the pattern on the piece often takes more time than the carving, but saves the problem you are now having. Good luck.

Also, regarding cutting thru a paper pattern that has been glued on the wood, if you will apply a very light coat of finish and let it thoroughly dry to uncarved piece prior to application of the cement, the rubber cement will peal off the carving easily and can be done immediately. In my experience, this method works real good for patterns that have some space between the carved edges, because no matter how thin the paper it is almost impossible to get as fine an edge as if there were no paper. When I do it, I have found the best paper should be very thin, like tracing paper or the cheap notebook paper available in bulk for almost nothing. The cheaper the better because that is the thinnest paper. That old fashioned yellow tracing paper is great if you can find it (it usually came in rolls).

John R.

[Hi_Ho_Sliver]

Doing scrollwork, I found that using the "spray adhesive" worked just fine if I followed the direction and only sprayed the adhesive on on side and not on the work piece, the patterns come off very easily. a light spray of Deft would be a good idea, haven't tried it but will............thanks.

[papasar]

Sorry!
I did not mean to imply that you have to wait till the rubber cement starts to peel. I generally remove the pattern as soon as I finish the carving. The one danger is, taking too long to finish a piece. The cement might start the peeling process and you lose it. Only happens to me when a piece is carved over the space of about 10 days and this happens on very involved pieces.
You cant beat this method for production work in MHO.
Bill K.