Capital City Carvers

Tips and Techniques

We have several new members so I am going to do a quick review of a few things to serve as information and reminders.

Sharpening. Keeping your tools sharp is one of two keys to good woodcarving (the other is technique). Sharpening and honing are two separate processes. The goal is to get your knife or other tool sharp and to keep it that way by honing. When purchasing a tool, ask if it is both sharpened and honed. Some are neither (like the ones sold at Michael's or Harbor Freight) and they won't cut anything until you do the work. Others come sharpened but not honed, a job also left to you. Others are both sharpened and honed and are ready to use. Sharpening is a very time-consuming process, but once properly sharpened and honed, a good tool will stay work ready with regular honing. The club sells Flex-Cut knives and I sell Murray knives, both of which come sharpened and honed and ready to use.

Honing. This is what we mean when we talk about stropping. To keep your knife sharp, stop at least every half hour and hone your knife on an abrasive covered strop. The knife blade should be flat on the strop to polish the good cutting edge. Have one of the instructors show you how to strop. Frequent stropping eliminates the need to sharpen unless the knife blade gets knicked or dropped. It takes some practice to get good at honing, but it will payoff for you by letting the knife slide through the wood to make your carving appear effortless.

Sandpaper and then honing by hand with a fine polishing compound on a leather strop is the least expensive way to keep your knife sharp. I sell the sandpaper strops to go with the Murray knives, but still put the final polish on my knives with a leather strop. Sandpaper and a leather strop with compound are a good investment. Talk to an instructor about what strop is right for the tools you use.

Damaged blades. A knicked blade or a bent or broken point can be fixed. I use sandpaper for this and will be glad to show you how to do it (and provide an explanation of how the blade got damaged and how to prevent damage). Putting a knife on a carborundum stone simply removes too much metal. That has to be followed by a great deal of honing. A fine diamond stone is better, but they are very expensive and sandpaper works just as well and is easier to carry with you.

Buffing wheels. An electric cotton buffing wheel covered with compound is often used to bring a knife edge back quickly. It does not have to be used every time you strop. A damaged knife blade must be sharpened before putting it on the buffing wheel for best results. It is not necessary to buy a buffing wheel — the club has one which you can use during club meetings. But be sure you see one of the instructors for instruction on using the buffing wheel. Buffing wheels can be very dangerous if not used properly — they can catch and throw your knife resulting in damage to humans and knife.

Unused tools. If you have not used a knife in a while, the blade will have oxided a little just from sitting exposed to air. Simply strop it lightly before use and it will be ready to go.

Show & Tell Drawing Winners

All the entry slips from 2009 were put in a box and the winners were drawn at the Dec. 21st meeting. The winners:

$50 – Adelle Grosskopf for star ornaments
$25 – Robert Christian for "Joe the Repairman"
$10 – Jim Pfost for "Gone Fish'n".

Show & Tell is part of the business meeting each month. Entries must have been carved in the last two years and must be completed. Get your carvings ready and enter!

Manatee Workshop at Museum

The January 23rd workshop on carving a manatee is a program of the Tallahassee Museum of History and Natural Science. It is open to anyone. The cost is $30 for nonmembers of the Museum and $28 for members. The cost includes one cutout. The workshop will go from 9 a.m. to 3 or 4 p.m. A space must be reserved by calling the Museum, 576-1636, and asking for the education office. The fee can be paid with a credit card at the time the reservation is made. The 6" cutouts will be available in basswood or butternut. Please register in advance so Barbara will have enough cutouts and handouts prepared.

Let's Have a Little Fun!

Everyone's heard Jeff Foxworthy's "You might be a redneck if ... " Let's have our own wood carving version "You might be a wood carver if ... " Create your own versions, such as "You might be a wood carver if there is a trail of carving chips into the kitchen or bathroom." OK, that one is too true to be funny, so you try it. Send your versions to carvermann@yahoo.com or slip them to Barbara on a piece of paper on a Monday night. All entries are due by March 29. They will be compiled and put in the next newsletter. We're creative so this should be fun.

Wood Carving Class

Barbara's wood carving class on Thursday nights will resume on Jan. 14th. It meets from 7 to 9 p.m. in Talquin Treasures Studio, 533-C Silver Slipper Lane, in the plaza behind N. Monroe Staples. Students received lots of individual attention and work on projects of their own choosing. Cost of class is $10 per night.

Diamond Willow from Canada

I will be ordering more diamond willow walking sticks from Alberta, Canada for my own use. I will bring pictures to the Jan. 4 or 11 meeting. Anyone who wishes to order a stick may pick one out from the pictures at that time. The sticks will be about $20 each with Shipping. Once I place the order I will not have any of my sticks to sell to you as they will be committed for a special purpose.       Barbara