Seein The Small Stuff!

Ol' Thomp said I showed how to hold the small stuff, but not how to see it. Well up till 10 AM I uses my eye balls with glasses. But after my eyes get tired this is the gizmo that I use. It has a 4 inch magnifier glass with a light behind it. About the best money I ever spent. I use this when carving and painting. It's also very useful to check your carving for fuzzies and other problems, prior to painting.

Holding Small Stuff!

Since I tend to carve "small stuff" folks are always asking me how I keep from cutting my fingers. I always leave a "handle" on the wood to be carved. And since I am a wee bit cheap, I usually carve something on both ends of the piece too. Some times on 1/4" wood I'll carve as many as I can, then separate them. When I paint the small stuff I use drywall screws as a handle. The big Santa's are to be Christmas tree ornaments, so I just screw the drywall screws into the top until they are firm. I use the fine threaded screws, then place the ornament hanger eye into the same hole, after the screws are removed. Can't use the dry wall screws in the smaller Santa. But a straight pin works just fine. Here's a tip for painting. When carving you should try to determine when it is best to "move" the wood into the knife, instead of "moving" the knife into the wood. The same applies when painting. There are times when it is desirable to hold the loaded brush steady and "move" the carving into the brush. The screw/pin "handles" can be held and moved to achieve this. This is especially useful when painting under the brim of the hat. You can actually"twirl" the carving by the "handle", into the stationary paint brush.

Yet Another Knife Tip! (Use That Is!)

Some times we use the knife TIP like a pencil. Instead of writing we make a cut with the knife, as in when carving an eye brow, for instance. Or when making any other arched/circular stop cut. Often times the knife will signal us that it is about to inflict a cut to our hand or finger. You must learn to recognize these signals, or invest in band aid stock. When using your knife in such a manner, it may begin to drag, or start to require more pressure. This is the WARNING SIGNAL. If you keep on cutting and applying more pressure, the knife may move very fast into your hand or finger. What you should do when you get this signal from your knife is to change the angle of the blade a bit, while completing your cut. Get off the knife point and move the knife so that it is cutting more on the blade than the tip. Does that make sense? If not tell me!

Another Knife Tip! (No pun Intended)

When whittlin or carvin with your knife, you should learn to manipulate BOTH knife and the piece of wood, to achieve the desired cut. This learned technique will go a long way in preventing knife slips and finger cuts. If you don't believe me, get a box of band aids, sutures, compresses, etc., your knife and a piece of wood. Hold the piece of wood steady in one hand, and make a stop cut all the way around the piece, by only moving the knife. To really illustrate this point (hee hee; point-get it) make this stop cut with the tip/point of the knife, without moving the wood. Next try it by holding the knife steady against the wood, and turn the wood into the knife blade. You can even make this stop cut around the wood safely, with the tip of your knife; when you move the wood instead of the knife. By learning to manipulate both the knife and the wood, you'll prevent the knife from slipping off the edge of the wood, and probably into your hand. Practice this technique on a piece of 1 x 1 x 12. Make some stop cuts all the way around the piece. You can also make spiral cuts in this manner. By practicing, you'll see how useful this technique can be.

Beginner Knife Tip

While whittlin with my coffee at the local in town diner I forgot a really important knife rule. No! no blood, at least not from me. Had the Santa been real, he'd have lost blood along with most of his nose. You should strive to know your knife so well that you will always: A. Know exactly where the knife tip is when carving. B. Know exactly how much pressure to use when making any cut. C. Never use more pressure than necessary. Now how do you do this, you might ask! PRACTICE, PRACTICE, PRACTICE. and I might add, don't keep switchin knives. Stay with one. At least until you feel you have mastered it.