[Thomp]

Eddy,
glad to hear somebody got a good deal from walnut hollow finely...

through my years of carving ,

I used a lot of exacto blades, or i made several knives or used pocket knives until several years ago,

As an experianced carver now days, i wouldnt buy walnut hollow unless setting up a beginner.

when i bought a set of walnut hollow palm gouges, fpriced $25- or so at micheals, using a sunday newspaper coupon. 40% discount, well i got what i paid for. $14- worth..
they were the silver finish, factory dull and rough to get into carving shape, but it was to be expected, as most things don't come sharp enough for carvers any way.
but as a brand new beginner palm tool user, after sharpening, i thought i was in tall cotton, smoother cuts and some profiles you just can't make with a pocket knife were now possible.

later finding a coupon 40% off i got one of there maple handled carving knives (now japaneese pine) a few months later, for about $9.00 the 2 rivets were loose. i piened them back over. but later wound up setting the blade in epoxy because the blade was still loose, the handle was clumsy and the blade had a factory double bevel grind. yep it would cut people, but not wood, but didn't make any kind of neat job about it.

i kept to my ho-made knives for a bit until i got the bug to make some tools.. and reground the walnut hollow knife flat grind like mentioned and it cut some better after it was all tuned up..

but nothing like a modified straight razor knife i made a few years later, "im hooked on them babys!"

when later i bought some rambelson palm tools from rick i found out how good tools really worked, i stopped using the walnut hollow.
then the stubai 10 piece midwest set came in and took over my everyday tool rack on the close in reach side of the bench..

the walnut hollow tools was a good beginner set i learned a good bit with them, but they are not quality tools, they dull faster and unless you tune them up by shaping them properly your going to hurt yourself with them.. and learn nothing about carving with them...

there not as bad as them little 1/2" sticks with pieces of metal shoved in them wallnut hollow also sells... i still giggle when i see them, remembering one Christmas as a kid...

recently i purchased a set of the walnut hollow palm chisels on eBay the $25,00 set was open for bid for $4.- and on a whim i won them, they are the black finish on the tools and are even worst than the first chrome set i got years ago. but there here for the next beginner carver who steps up to the bat and says im ready to learn...

the plastic wrapped basswood sticks here at Micheal's are 2x as expensive as i get from henkel but occasionally when im completely out of wood i go buy a couple sticks of the 1 1/2"x10" variate heck the 4x4x10" is priced at $28.00 locally and i wouldn't pay that if they carved it for me....
its the principal....
when i spend that much i get a box full from henkel... besides the basswood is not of a consistent quality checks, punky and sometimes too hard when compared to other wood.

but in Micheal's around the corner in the model ac department they have economy basswood different packages about a sq ft of pieces for $8.- a bag with a 40% coupon it makes it about right. and that will suffice for wood until my order gets in....

[Kenny_S]

I still have the first Walnut Hollow knife and it is a keeper. Was sharped but the key to their AD was. May need honing for a kenner edge. Sure enough, and true to their word it did. I will admit, the Walnut Hollow knife needs TLC more than any other knife but it is a carver. Looked at their gouges and decided not to buy them when I first got in to carving. Buck Bro set was given to me and had some luck with them. Need to send them to Rick though.