Sanding

[Fallen Angel]

I've been following Wayne Barton's book about chip carving and I'm rather pleased with the outcome of my first attempts. However, when I sand the wood later to remove the pencil guide lines, I break a lot of the wood. Can anyone suggest how I can improve my technique to avoid this, please?

[papasar]

Are you power sanding? Don't.
Use a lighter touch with very fine paper e.g. 600 grit and don't follow the grain but follow the pattern.
I paste the pattern and cut through it. The papers peels easily. Any residual paste is removed by rubbing with finger or crepe rubber used to clean sanding belts. I never have to sand after carving using this method.
Bill K.

[Fallen Angel]

I'm sanding by hand with 240 grit paper wrapped around a pine block. It's always served me well in the past...

I like the suggestion of pasting patterns to the wood. I think I'll try it with some re-positionable spray adhesive.

Thanks, Bill .

[My Chip Carving]

Hey Fallen Angel,
I'm glad to hear you are pleased with your first attempts at chip carving.
Chip carving is a great hobby and as you're finding, you can get great results in a short time.

Do NOT sand to remove pencil lines. Use a white plastic eraser and gently erase so you don't damage your carving. Here is a page with recommended erasers that work excellently -
https://mychipcarving.com/Chip_Carving/Store/layout.htm

After erasing all pencil lines then you can VERY LIGHTLY sand with the grain using 220 grit or finer paper curled around your fingers so the paper doesn't catch anything and chip it out.

I demonstrate all of this and much more in my online lessons.
Sign up here - https://mychipcarving.com/amember/signup.php
More info here - https://mychipcarving.com/Chip_Carvi...ee_eletter.htm

I know some who carve through the pattern that has been glued to the wood and they get some nice results. I've never done this because I like to see the grain as I carve. To each his own, but that's been my preference during the 25+ years I've been chip carving.

Marty Leenhouts
My Chip Carving
https://www.MyChipCarving.com
866-444-6996

[meipo]

First of all, don't use very dark pencils to draw, and use a light touch. If you need very dark lines, you may want to ask yourself if you are seeing well enough with the light you have, or do you need a magnifier? That was my problem before.

Before you put the eraser on the wood, make sure you clean your eraser first. Any dark smear on your eraser can rub back onto your carving to make a smudge. That is harder to remove than a clean line.

Another thing you may want to do is to seal the wood ahead of time before you draw patterns. Once sealed, the pencil marks don't get into the wood as deep. It is much easier to remove afterwards.

If I need to sand pencils marks, I usually use at least 400 grits or more to avoid taking out too much wood. Some patterns are more sensitive to sanding than others. If you have sharp ridges in the carving, you really don't want to sand them flat. You just have to make your own judgement case by case.

When you say you" break a lot of wood" when you sand, does it mean you actually pushed out wood between the chips removed? If it is the case, there is also a possibility that you cut deeper than you need to. I remember watching Wayne Barton's DVD and he said do not cut deeper than you have to. It affects the integrity of the wood you want to leave behind to form the carving.

Good luck. Happy carving!

meipo

[Claude]

Another possibility: Try this on a piece of scrap first - draw a small pattern and cut out a few chips. Then, take the wood into the bathroom/kitchen and use an old toothbrush and some white handsoap (think Ivory...). Dampen the carving, then scrub with the toothbrush to get rid of the graphite. Quick rinse, then dry with a hair dryer. This is the technique I use on my carvings...

Claude

[meipo]

Claude: Do I have to worry about the wood fiber standing up and produce a rough surface this way? When I make spoons, I was taught to rinse the spoons quickly under water to get the fiber to come up before sanding again. It seems like when the wood gets wet, no matter how smooth I thought I got it, it always get rough again with that magic drop of water . . .

meipo