Where do I begin??

[Sadieapple]

Hello everyone....I have so many questions and believe this is the spot where hundreds of teachers have gathered? I bought 3 small rectangles of basswood, an exacto carving set (most of which I have no idea what to do with, no directions in the box either), looked over a bunch of books at the library, tried to find a woodcarving class nearby - no luck there, and really, really want to learn. If you all don't mind, can I just throw out a few of my million questions?
1. How do I sharpen these things?
2. What's the best tool to learn with?
3. I've already slipped with the knife but am having trouble finding a finger guard at hardware stores. Any home recipes for a guard?
4. Where do you get your wood? I could only find tiny blocks of basswood at the craft store.

I'm worried about picking up bad habits learning the wrong way by sitting in my living room hacking away at this poor piece of basswood ie holding the wood wrong, holding the knife wrong, using too small a piece to start etc.
Thanks in advance for your patience. My goal is to live up to my Norwegian roots and carve trolls. Good thing they're not good looking!

[kitaye]

Originally Posted by Sadieapple

1. How do I sharpen these things?
2. What's the best tool to learn with?
3. I've already slipped with the knife but am having trouble finding a finger guard at hardware stores. Any home recipes for a guard?
4. Where do you get your wood? I could only find tiny blocks of basswood at the craft store.

Welcome Sadieapple. Not all of us are teacher but we all like to help when possible. I'll provide my answers and others will come along to fill in the gaps or correct mis-information.

1) Exacto blades are replacable so most people don't sharpen them. There is a whole section on sharpening here and you can find lots of suggestions on the web and in the books on carving.

2) A block of basswood and a fixed blade knife.

3) Duct tape works for finger guards in an emergency. There are tons on companies you can order from online that have gloves, thumb guards, etc.

4) If you don't collect and dry your own wood then you will have to order from one of the many wood suppliers online. I've purchased from Chippingaway.com and liked it. Others have their favorites.

[Ron T]

Hello and welcome, Sadieapple. You've certainly come to the right place to learn.

If you go to the top of the page and click on search, you can type in whatever topic you're interested in, like "thumb guard" or "carving glove" or sharpening. There is lots of information in the posts.

You don't say where you're from, but if you do, the members can direct you to carving clubs in your area or perhaps classes. Sometimes, you can even get wood from the carving clubs or members.

Good luck.

[Hi_Ho_Sliver]

I sharpen my exacto blades..even tho I don't use them often, use 800 grit then 1200 grit sandpaper, keep the blade flat....as for wood....contact Heinecke for excellent wood, any size.

[oldbearx2]

Go online type in woodcarivng and hang on. There are plenty of companies that sell tools, wood, books and just about everything else you would need. You can go to a local sporting goods store and pick up a fillet glove which will work good for a carving glove. Or cut the thumb or fingers off a leather work glove and tape em on. Have not used the xacto blades for carving so not much help there, I would buy a good fixed blade knife. If you are interested in Scandinavian carving I would suggest a book by Harley Refsul.

have fun, carve

Harold

[BobT]

Hi, try this link;

Teaching DVDs

This is a DVD by Mike Bloomquist. He goes over knife selection, proper use of the knife, lots of safety tips, and teaches you to carve a Swedish Troll.

Sounds like this is just what you need. You can trust his advice. He is a top notch carver and teacher.

Bob

[Sadieapple]

Thanks so much for the quick responses. I'm hungry for all your helpful tips and information as I really do feel quite lost with what I'm doing.

I have been on line and am checking things out, good links...thanks again. I've also checked out the You Tube videos. I love the work I've seen on this sight. You are all so talented. My first troll has feet, legs, hands and an untouched square head that I'm hesitant to begin. I'm just winging it, no pattern for this little guy. I did slice off his fingers a few times though so they are short and stubby. Someone posted something to the effect that if you don't make mistakes you don't do anything. I like that.

I'm from northeast PA but I haven't seen any classes or clubs in my area. If anyone knows of any....

[Eddy-Smiles]

You may not be aware of this but the Christian J. Hummul Company is in Nescopeck, PA in Luzerne County, northeaster PA. You can look them up on Christian J. Hummul Company - Wood Carving Supplies, Woodcarving, Woodburning, and Pyrography Supplies - Nescopeck Pa.. They might be close enough to make a trip and get some hands on advice!

[Just Carving]

Welcome S a d ieapple! (had to space the letters otherwise I'd get Sadin there and we know you're not Sad because you're Happy to be here! LOL)

My advice to you is to keep doing what you're doing--trying. That's how you learn. You'll make mistakes but that's what the wood pile next to the fireplace/stove is for. Toss it and start all over again! It's only wood! LOL

As far as bad habits, if you read enough of these posts on this forum, you'll find out we all have bad habits! LOL

If you want to step up your carving a notch, you'll need to learn to sharpen your tools. But as Kitaye says, you can just replace the blades as you need to. What you can do to keep them sharp as you're using them is to take an old leather belt, flip it over to the fuzzy side, and draw the knife/tool blade across the leather. You want to draw it across so that the cutting edge is trailing the back of the blade--and you want to try to match the angle of the bevel on the tool. Easy way to do that is to lay the tool flat on the leather and lift it up until the bevel is laying flat on the leather. Usually when you strop, you use a honing compound--basically a fine grit to help polish up the tool's edge. You can use toothpaste in a pinch until you can get some honing compound. BTW--there is some fantastic wood carving being done by a guy who uses a $1.99 box cutter/utility knife--and he just changes the utility blade when it gets dull! His name is Lynn O. Doughty. Go to his blog/website and you’ll be amazed. (If you write or talk to him--just don’t mention BLO--boiled linseed oil--to him! LOL)

As far as safety, you do need to get a carving glove if you hold the wood in your hand. Until you get a glove, I suggest you concentrate on carving with the tool moving away from your hand/body. It's not easy or foolproof, but you can get nicked with a glove too. You just need to be aware of where the tool is going and what's on the other side of the tool. A thumb guard is good if you carve with the knife going towards your thumb. I don't and I don't use a thumb guard either.

Littleshavers.com is a good, reputable dealer in wood carving tools, books, thumb guards, and carving gloves. If you talk to either Rick or Terese, they'll help you with what you need. They've been helping all of us for quite a while now. And when you're ready to go to the next level, they have a great starter's tool set which has everything you'll need. BTW--if you have a specific thing that you want to carve, tell them, they'll help you with what you want to do.

In the meantime, go back to the library and use those books. IF you can't find something specific, check out what's being sold on-line, and then see if it's available at the library--or through an inter-library loan program if there is any in your area. If you can't find the book, then use the ISBN number, and go to Addall.com, and you might be able to find it there--used--usually means a little scratch or dent but sometimes actually brand new-- or new but for a good price. The price will include shipping and handling too.

Finally, you're in a nice area for meeting wood carvers. You don't live to far from Fox Chapel and they love visitors. Ask for BobD or Shannon and I'm sure they'll give you the 50 cent tour. They are wood carvers in the area that peruse this sight too. I'm across the river in NJ quite an hour or two away from NE PA but this website brings us all closer together and we help each other quite a bit. People here are from all over the world!

Got a question, just ask. Somebody will help you--we all started out like you are now.

Have fun!
Bob

[againstthegrain]

Hello and welcome to the WCI message board!

I have been carving for just 2 months and when I started, I was told by a seasoned carver at the nearby carving store that all I needed was a fixed blade knife, a strop and some grit to sharpen it, a u- gouge, a v-gouge, a kevlar glove and a thumb guard. These tools could help me carve just about anything, according to this carver.

For my thumb guard, I bought a fancy leather one, but it spins around on my thumb and won't stay put, so I have since switched to 1 inch coban (the sticky bandage they put on at the vet after they draw blood from your pet). A few inches of that wrapped around the thumb stays put, is more flexible, and it relatively inexpensive. You can buy it at most drug stores or Walmart.

As far as wood, it depends on what you want to carve. If it is wood spirits in a walking stick, any fallen, live tree will provide you with several sticks. If it a block of basswood, it can be ordered on line and delievered right to your door, if you don't have the fortune of living close to a wood carving store.

At least you know what you want to carve...that is always the hardest decision for me.