Woodcarving Tools & Tips
page 1
Size & Color of eyes for Birds
Click here for a link to a chart showing the Size & Color of eyes for Birds
Click here for a link to a chart showing the Size & Color of eyes for Birds
Woodcarvers Sanding Bow
These sanders are great for round areas as well as getting into cutout areas. The three shown here use 1/4", 1/2" & 1" sanding bands. The frames are bent out of mild steel rod found in any home center or hardware store.Putting a wood filler piece in the loop formed for a handle makes the tool a bit more comfortable, but how comfortable is sanding anyhow?I used 1/8" rod for the 1/4" sander, but it is a little flimsy... I would go with 3/16" the next time. The 1/2" unit is made from 3/16" rod and it works well. The large one is made from 1/4" stainless steel rod I had in the shop, but mild steel will work just as well.
One of the nice things about these sanding bows is that the sanding band can be removed and passed through a cutout to sand the inside of it. Works kinda like a coping saw. You will have to make the dimensions to fit the size of sanding band you have available. The 1/4" & 1/2" bands are the ones used on the sanding sticks available from Kllingspor <www.woodworkingshop.com>. Both sizes come in a variety of grits.
There are several articles on the web that show these with wood frames. An article in the Winter 2008 issue of Wood Carving Illustrated <woodcarvingillustrated.com> also show how to make one from wood.
One of the nice things about these sanding bows is that the sanding band can be removed and passed through a cutout to sand the inside of it. Works kinda like a coping saw. You will have to make the dimensions to fit the size of sanding band you have available. The 1/4" & 1/2" bands are the ones used on the sanding sticks available from Kllingspor <www.woodworkingshop.com>. Both sizes come in a variety of grits.
There are several articles on the web that show these with wood frames. An article in the Winter 2008 issue of Wood Carving Illustrated <woodcarvingillustrated.com> also show how to make one from wood.
Woodcarving Tips & Hints
* These are from a variety of sources, mostly unknown. They have not all been tested, so check them out before you get crazy!
* If you have any good tips or hints you would like to add, send them to me at racinecarvers@cedarstump.us
* If you find an error, let me know at racinecarvers@cedarstump.us so I can correct it or remove it.
* If there is a copyright problem with anything here, let me know and it will be removed from the page.
Contents
* Bodies & Faces, Carving the human form
* Drying wood
* Easier carving tips
* Eyes - Human & Avian
* Finishing your carving
* Habitat
* Misc.
* Pattern Tips
* Sharpening Hints
* Splitting & Checking, How to stop/prevent
* Tool Tips
* Woodcarvers Vise
* Wood Toxicity Chart
Bodies & Faces
General guidelines for face and body proportions:
* HEAD- Width of torso (sans shoulders)
* SHOULDERS- One-half of face past head
* HAIRLINE- One eye-length above eyes
* FEET- Length of half of shin (or roughly the size of the forearm).
* HANDS- Fingerbase (across knuckles) half as wide as face
* LEGS- Torso length (hip to knee)
* TORSO- (hip to collarbone) 2 1/2 head lengths
* FACE- If looking straight ahead, ends of face will stop at 1/2 of collarbone.
* ARMS- Elbow ends just above waist (not hips)
* FOREARM- if hand is on shoulder, wrist is at mid-shoulder.
* The human figure is an average of 7 heads high.
* The width from shoulder to shoulder is 3 heads width.
* The distance from the hip to the toes is 4 heads.
* The distance from the top of the head to the bottom of the chest is 2 heads.
* The distance from the wrist to the end of the outstretched fingers of the hand is 1 head.
* The length from top to bottom of the buttocks is 1 head.
* The distance from the elbow to the end of outstretched fingers is 2 heads.
* The eyes are halfway between the top of the head and the chin.
* The bottom of the nose is halfway between the eyes and the chin.
* The mouth is halfway between the nose and the chin.
* The corners of the mouth line up with the centers of the eyes.
* The top of the ears line up with the center of the eyes.
* The bottom of the ears line up with the bottom of the nose.
The Head
* Divide the head into six parts from top to bottom. This will give you the:
0. The top of the skull,
1. The hairline,
2. The center of the forehead,
2.5 for the brow
3. The pupils,
4. The center of the nose bulb circle,
5. The bottom of the top teeth,
6. The bottom of the chin
* The head sideways is one head high and one head wide. The top of the ear is on line with the eye brows.
* The ear hole is in line with bottom of the nose, and just above the backbone- skull pivot point.
* The bottom of the ear varies with the individual.
* The average main face triangle touches the two pupils, the widest part of the nose and the point between the front teeth. The triangle goes from the center of the pupil, touches the outside of the nose nostril and stops at the center line, everybody’s triangle is a little different.
* The smiling mouth lines up under the pupils, the two iris usually equal the maximum width of the mouth.
* Five eye widths span the center of the skull, but everybody is a little different.
* The space between the pupils is always the same though, two and a half inches.
* The width of one eye is always equal to the space between the eyes.
The Body
* The neck is 1/4 of a head high.
* The shoulders are two head lengths (not widths)wide.
* The chin to shoulder line is 1/4 of one heads length.
* The chin to nipples line equals one head length.
* The nipples to the belly button equals one head length.
* From the belly button to the space between the legs is one and 1/4 head.
* The width of the waste at the belly button is one head length wide (not head width wide).
* From the hip [trunk] top triangle line to the space between the legs, is one head high and two head widths wide. Not more.
* The center of the body is the bend line, it is 1/4 head above the space between the legs and two head widths wide. Not more.
* The torso triangle is from the ends of the shoulder line to the center and the top line of the bend line triangle. That is the quarter head high triangle within the trunk triangle.
* The rib cage can be represented by an oval two heads high, starting 1/4 head length above the shoulder line.
* The upper arm, from the shoulder triangles outside edge, is one and 1/2 heads long.
* The lower arm is one and 1/4 heads long.
* The hand is 3/4 of a head long, equal to the average face.
* The chest side view is one head width wide at the nipples.
* The upper arm is one and 1/2 head lengths, connecting through the shoulder ball, a quarter head circle reaching the end of the
shoulder line.
* Just below the leg space, the legs and the body are the widest.
* Two egg shaped heads, side by side, upside down, will fit in the trunk area.
* From the outside point of the bend line triangle down to the center of the knee cap is two head lengths.
* The bend line is the center of the body.
* The knee cap is a 1/4 head length circle.
* The calf muscle is higher on the outside.
* From the center of the knee cap to the ground is two head lengths.
* The ankle is 1/4 head high off the ground.
* The foot is one head length long.
* The ankle bone is higher on the inside.
Other Face Stuff
* The line from the tip of the nose to the cheek bones is a right angle. You can see what I mean if you take your hand and place it on
the tip of the nose (the space between the thumb and forefinger is touching the tip of the nose) with the thumb touching your check
bone on one side and you fore finger touching your cheek bone on the other side.
* The distance from your nose to the bottom of your chin is the same distance as from the bottom of your nose to the point between
your eyes. Go ahead, measure and see.
* IMPORTANT! Eyes are not holes! They are mounds and the eye socket is quite large. Take a look at a human skull to see what I
mean.
* When you view your carving of the face from the side and you can see the other eye, the eye sockets need to be deeper.
* There are 2 things that keep growing as we get older: the nose and the ears. So, when you carve older people make the nose and
ears larger. This is also great for caricatures representing any age.
* Your mirror is your best source for a model for a face. The facial ratios are the same for any face.
* Always start out with larger face proportions, particularly the nose, than you will have for the end result. This means that you should
draw large when laying out the face. It is a heck of a lot easier to take away excess wood than to add it back.
Drying Wood
* When air drying wood , make sure you separate the layers of wood with a stringer so that air can circulate between the layers. You
should also coat the ends of the boards with a sealer. Commercial sealers are available or you can use latex paint, oil paint or wax.
The sealer should be applied to the logs as soon as possible after they are cut. The sealer drives the moisture toward the center of the
board or log. This keeps the wood from splitting on the ends and helps the wood to dry uniformly.
* Don't forget the microwave oven can be use to dry small pieces of wood - at low temperature. Several sessions at a lower
temperature are usually better than one time at high temperatures. (See the “Chip-Chat's” article titled “The Goat & the Gooseneck”
before you try this! The article can also be found by clicking HERE).
Easier carving tips
Making Fur
To give the appearance of a rough pelt or animal skin, try using a burr at a fairly slow speed (12,000 rpm) running against the wood grain. This tears the wood fibers instead of cutting them, leaving tufts of frayed wood that have an appearance similar to rough fur.
(From a book on figure carving by Ian Norbury)
Using Alcohol to Soften Wood
Some woods, such as walnut or oak, are very tough and hard to carve. You can soften the wood up by applying de-natured alcohol to it. The alcohol will not cause the grain to raise like water will. The alcohol, of course, will evaporate with time. (I don't know if the continued use of alcohol will remove any oils from the wood, check it out before you use it too often.)
Stabilizing wood with Shellac and alcohol
Some woods will be pithy and will fuzz up (some basswood) when you cut it or grind it. I have found that when you mix 50% de-natured alcohol and 50% white shellac and coat the wood, it stabilizes the wood and makes it very smooth to cut and grind. This mixture will not hurt the wood or cause the grain to raise up. You can paint or burn the wood after you finish carving just like always. You will have to re-apply the mixture as you waste the wood.
Help for brittle wood
For really brittle woods, especially in undercuts on relief carvings: mix a solution of 5 parts water to 2 parts of white (Elmer's) glue. Paint this on the weakened areas of the carving and allow to dry. The glue will penetrate the dry wood and add some needed strength while you work the areas around and underneath the area. (Editor's note: most any water-soluble glue will work).
Removing pesky pencil lines
Removing pencil lines from wood is easy when you rub the mark with rubbing alcohol. I haven't tried ethanol (denatured-solvent for Shellac} yet, but it may work.
Ittsy bitsy, teeny weeny sanders
For sanding tight corners or spaces on small objects, borrow your wife's emery boards - they make great sanding boards. However, to keep peace in the family, you might want to purchase your own.
Eyes - Human & Avian
Try carving eyes inside out:
I often hear new carvers say that they have the most trouble with faces and in particular, the eyes. When carving eyes, the common practice is to start at the outside and carve the eyelids and wrinkles first, then carve the eyeballs last. What often happens is that you run out of space for the eyeball. Try reversing the process. Carve the eyeball first, then the eyelid and wrinkles. Eyeballs tend to be a little on the large side at first, but you will have room for all the parts and its much easier. After you get the process down pat, proportions will fall into place.
Carving human eyes:
Gene Graham has good tips on carving eyes at this website: Tree to Treasure Woodcarvings
Eye Size & Color Chart:
Click here to see a chart showing the size and color of the eyes of Songbirds, Raptors, Shorebirds, Seabirds, Ducks & Geese and Upland Game Birds
Finishing Tips
Warped lids:
When I apply a water-based paint, stain or polyurethane to a box (I chip carve) it distorts the way the cover sits. After it dries, I put a strong rubber band around the box and after a day or so the cover closes cleanly.
Changing a finish from gloss to matte:
If you want to change a gloss finish to a matte or satin finish, take a brown shopping bag, wad it up and rub lightly. The writer tried this on a small piece of wood finished with nitrocellulose lacquer - he said it worked. I have talked to woodworkers at shows that used this technique and the results I saw were beautiful!
To darken Black Walnut:
If you need to darken a piece of black walnut that isn't quite dark enough, paint it with a 10% solution of lye to get the proper effect. The best way to do this is to work the wood to the desired dimensions first, then wash or paint on the solution. After drying, the piece should be polished with fine sandpaper. Care must be taken not to make the lye solution too strong.
Matte spray:
Use matte spray to seal your carvings before painting and after painting. Spraying on after painting will protect the paint when the carving is handled and will preserve the colors for years to come. Matte spray will not leave a shiny finish and dries quickly.
Staining tip:
Since most carpenter's glues are almost colorless when dry, they are often missed until the stain is applied. Then a telltale white spot or line shows up. To solve this problem, tint the glue with food coloring. A few drops of red or green will make any squeezed out glue highly visible and easier to sand off. Try to tint it to a color close to your finished product just in case you still miss a little.
Painting and antiquing your caricature carvings?
When using acrylic paints, fill a small jar with water then add a small quantity of the paint. Apply the thin washes to your carving, drying between coats with a hair dryer to prevent bleeding.
For the antiquing:
In a quart jar mix equal parts of boiled linseed oil (buy it at your local hardware store) and mineral spirits. Darken to 'taste' with burnt umber artists oil paint. Dip or brush the carving with this mixture and blot off excess. It will soften the colors, fill in any voids in the paint and it will make the wood grain show through the paint. This will keep down the number of questions about if it is wood or not.
Don't be afraid to experiment with antiquing solutions. You might try adding a small amount of walnut stain to your linseed oil mixture instead of the burnt umber. Another secret blend is Watco Natural liquid wax with a small amount of Watco Walnut liquid wax added, also works well.
Shoe polish stain:
Wax-based shoe polish is a great stain and filler for open-grained woods such as oak and walnut. Using a small jar, place a small chunk of shoe polish in it and add enough turpentine so it will liquefy. Rub the liquified mixture on the article, then wipe it off as with any other stain. Choose your shades and, of course, test on a piece of scrap first to confirm you are getting the desired effect. This coating will not interfere with subsequent finishes.
What is Gesso?
Gesso is a paste made by mixing glue with plaster of Paris, gypsum or whiting and is used as a base for painting on canvas or wood. It is useful for several kinds of applications because it can be textured, sanded smooth or carved. It can be applied thick (if it is to be carved or used to fill cracks) or thinned with water for a thin, smooth coat. Gesso serves as a good bonding agent because it is absorbent for both oil and water based coatings.
Coloring your basecoat:
Gesso can be used for basecoat, say on a grey wolf. After burning the fur with a very hot tip, paint the fur with Gesso and while wet, scrub the fur with a tooth brush. The Gesso mixes with the charcoal and produces a nice shade of grey for your basecoat. Gesso also comes in several colors and can be tinted so it is easier to hide with your top coats.
Checking out your wood before finishing:
You can apply paint thinner to the wood before finishing and any scratch or other marks will show up. The thinner will not affect the wood or the finish coat.
Secondly, take the piece out in the sunlight. Sunlight will also show up these marks very well. Use the sunlight to check out your paint finish as well. You will be shocked at what you see when you “Let the sun shine in”.
Save that special color mixture!
After you finally get the right color mixed for your project, put the leftover mixture in a film canister and it will keep for a long time! It will come in handy when you have to touch up a scratch or nick in the finish. You can also use a discarded contact lens case for smaller amounts.
Wood filler:
Need a good wood filler? Use baking soda. Just fill in the crack or hole and add a drop or two of super glue. You can carve and paint it when it hardens.
Habitat
Need dirt?
Keep those used coffee grounds. Let them dry then mix with common white glue until you have a paste. Spread over your piece and let dry. This can be piled up to any shape for hills or just level ground. Smells good too!
Miscellaneous
Critiquing your work:
When critiquing the quality of your carving, try this: Cut a 1” round hole in cardboard or paper. Place over a section of your carving and review the area through the hole. This will allow you to focus on a particular area without being distracted by seeing the entire project.
Glue removal:
You can remove the residue left from labels, tags and tape by applying alcohol to the spot. Let the application dry, then reapply as needed.
Pattern Tips
Tracing tip:
Put a piece of carbon paper under your pattern as usual. Place a piece of tissue over the pattern and trace it on yor workpiece. This will save your pattern, leaving it like new. You can also see where you have drawn and where you have not.
Take that one step further and place a thumbtack or one of those long pins through the tissue paper, the pattern and the carbon paper so if you miss some of the lines you can reline up all three accurately sheets and complete the tracing.
Changing the size of a pattern:
When making a pattern from a carving, place the carving in front of a wall and parallel to it. Tape a piece of white paper on the wall and place a strong light in front of carving. The shadow on the paper leaves a detailed outline of the carving. Moving the lamp closer or further from the carving shrinks or enlarges the pattern.
Pattern material:
If you know of a Radiology Lab in your area or fortunate enough to have an X-Ray Technician in your family or as a friend, as them to bring you exposed X-Ray film. It makes perfect patterns. It is also safe to use.
Sharpening Hints
Sharpening:
Re-sharpen ONLY when necessary! Once your tools are sharp - NEVER - re-sharpen unless you want to re-shape the cutting edge or there is a chip or break in the blade. Once the blade is sharp, only strop or buff your tool. Re-sharpening only wears away the metal unnecessarily.
Those nasty little v-tools:
Use a leather shoe string to remove burs from the inside of v-tools.
Splitting & Checking, How to stop/prevent
Help for preventing pieces from checking:
It is worth leaving wood in your shop for some time before carving it, regardless of whether it has been air or kiln dried, so as to allow it to acclimate and “settle down”. Ideally the wood should be stored where the carving will finally reside but most times this is neither practical or possible. Be aware of excessively dry atmospheres such as centrally heated houses or areas in the southwest deserts. Keeping wood in a damp out-building or garage, and then bringing it into a warm, very dry house is asking for trouble. Try to introduce what you need gradually - perhaps initially in a plastic bag- some time before you need it and then keep an eye on it. It is also a good idea to keep work in a plastic bag between carving sessions. Placing a damp rag or towel in the plastic bag with the wood also helps.
Splitting or Checking:
If you are working on a piece and you are worried about it checking or splitting, store it in a plastic bag along with some damp towels or cloths between carving sessions. Also, be sure to not store it where there are wide temperature variations.
Need to fill in a crack or check?
Mix sawdust from your piece with glue and put into crack or check. When dry, carve or sand and finish as usual. A piece of the same kind of wood can be glued into a large crack or hole and then carved to match.
Another thought on filling cracks:
Often logs or even large blocks of wood develop checks from drying stress. Checks often develop in the most undesirable places. The usual remedy of pushing in glue and sawdust mixture doesn't work well. Try putting in the glue first. Work the glue down into the checks with a thin knife blade, then sprinkle the area with sawdust and work it into the check. The crevice will be more deeply filled.
Hairline crack in your carving?
Pick up some acrylic paste from any art supply store. It can be colored to match any wood, using acrylic paints. This paste will fill in hairline cracks and can also be piled up to about 1/8” thick without cracking. It can then be carved and sanded like wood and will take any finish you wish.
Tool Tips
Make your filter Piney Fresh:
Spray a light coating of Pine-sol on your dust collector filter. This will make it attract a lot more dust and increase the efficiency of your filter. Why and how does this work? Dunno, but it does. Maybe an engineering type carver out there can tell us. Oh yeah, it works just as well on your ac/heater filter in your house. Of course, your house will smell like Pine-sol for a couple of days (lemon scented helps). As far as I can tell, you only need to do this one time as you change or clean the filter.
Skinny handles:
I know this will sound sacrilegious to some people, but you should thin down the sides of your knife handles, especially on your detail knives. This will let you get closer to your work. A gentleman who has been knife carving for thirty years taught me this. Try it on an old knife, it really does help.
Don't carve after sanding:
It is not a good idea to carve after you have sanded your piece. The abrasive particles from the sandpaper have a tendency to stay in the wood and can dull your tools.
Kutzall burr cleaning:
To clean your Kutzall Burrs you can brush them out with a steel brush. If you used wood with pitch, resin, or lots of oil you might soak the burr in acetone or nail polish remover and then brush. After it has been cleaned to prevent further problems, spray your burr with a little “PAM”™ kitchen oil -- this helps keep the wood from lodging tightly in your burr. P.S. Easy Off Oven Cleaner ™ also will help dissolve the wood and there is a commercial cleaner out that works very well!
More burr cleaning tips:
Your Kutzalls clogged? Use a small torch to burn out the wood fibers. You can also use oven cleaner. Spray it on and let sit for awhile and then use a wire brush to brush off the wood particles that the oven cleaner has brought to the top. Be careful using these methods and go outdoors to do it.
* These are from a variety of sources, mostly unknown. They have not all been tested, so check them out before you get crazy!
* If you have any good tips or hints you would like to add, send them to me at racinecarvers@cedarstump.us
* If you find an error, let me know at racinecarvers@cedarstump.us so I can correct it or remove it.
* If there is a copyright problem with anything here, let me know and it will be removed from the page.
Contents
* Bodies & Faces, Carving the human form
* Drying wood
* Easier carving tips
* Eyes - Human & Avian
* Finishing your carving
* Habitat
* Misc.
* Pattern Tips
* Sharpening Hints
* Splitting & Checking, How to stop/prevent
* Tool Tips
* Woodcarvers Vise
* Wood Toxicity Chart
Bodies & Faces
General guidelines for face and body proportions:
* HEAD- Width of torso (sans shoulders)
* SHOULDERS- One-half of face past head
* HAIRLINE- One eye-length above eyes
* FEET- Length of half of shin (or roughly the size of the forearm).
* HANDS- Fingerbase (across knuckles) half as wide as face
* LEGS- Torso length (hip to knee)
* TORSO- (hip to collarbone) 2 1/2 head lengths
* FACE- If looking straight ahead, ends of face will stop at 1/2 of collarbone.
* ARMS- Elbow ends just above waist (not hips)
* FOREARM- if hand is on shoulder, wrist is at mid-shoulder.
* The human figure is an average of 7 heads high.
* The width from shoulder to shoulder is 3 heads width.
* The distance from the hip to the toes is 4 heads.
* The distance from the top of the head to the bottom of the chest is 2 heads.
* The distance from the wrist to the end of the outstretched fingers of the hand is 1 head.
* The length from top to bottom of the buttocks is 1 head.
* The distance from the elbow to the end of outstretched fingers is 2 heads.
* The eyes are halfway between the top of the head and the chin.
* The bottom of the nose is halfway between the eyes and the chin.
* The mouth is halfway between the nose and the chin.
* The corners of the mouth line up with the centers of the eyes.
* The top of the ears line up with the center of the eyes.
* The bottom of the ears line up with the bottom of the nose.
The Head
* Divide the head into six parts from top to bottom. This will give you the:
0. The top of the skull,
1. The hairline,
2. The center of the forehead,
2.5 for the brow
3. The pupils,
4. The center of the nose bulb circle,
5. The bottom of the top teeth,
6. The bottom of the chin
* The head sideways is one head high and one head wide. The top of the ear is on line with the eye brows.
* The ear hole is in line with bottom of the nose, and just above the backbone- skull pivot point.
* The bottom of the ear varies with the individual.
* The average main face triangle touches the two pupils, the widest part of the nose and the point between the front teeth. The triangle goes from the center of the pupil, touches the outside of the nose nostril and stops at the center line, everybody’s triangle is a little different.
* The smiling mouth lines up under the pupils, the two iris usually equal the maximum width of the mouth.
* Five eye widths span the center of the skull, but everybody is a little different.
* The space between the pupils is always the same though, two and a half inches.
* The width of one eye is always equal to the space between the eyes.
The Body
* The neck is 1/4 of a head high.
* The shoulders are two head lengths (not widths)wide.
* The chin to shoulder line is 1/4 of one heads length.
* The chin to nipples line equals one head length.
* The nipples to the belly button equals one head length.
* From the belly button to the space between the legs is one and 1/4 head.
* The width of the waste at the belly button is one head length wide (not head width wide).
* From the hip [trunk] top triangle line to the space between the legs, is one head high and two head widths wide. Not more.
* The center of the body is the bend line, it is 1/4 head above the space between the legs and two head widths wide. Not more.
* The torso triangle is from the ends of the shoulder line to the center and the top line of the bend line triangle. That is the quarter head high triangle within the trunk triangle.
* The rib cage can be represented by an oval two heads high, starting 1/4 head length above the shoulder line.
* The upper arm, from the shoulder triangles outside edge, is one and 1/2 heads long.
* The lower arm is one and 1/4 heads long.
* The hand is 3/4 of a head long, equal to the average face.
* The chest side view is one head width wide at the nipples.
* The upper arm is one and 1/2 head lengths, connecting through the shoulder ball, a quarter head circle reaching the end of the
shoulder line.
* Just below the leg space, the legs and the body are the widest.
* Two egg shaped heads, side by side, upside down, will fit in the trunk area.
* From the outside point of the bend line triangle down to the center of the knee cap is two head lengths.
* The bend line is the center of the body.
* The knee cap is a 1/4 head length circle.
* The calf muscle is higher on the outside.
* From the center of the knee cap to the ground is two head lengths.
* The ankle is 1/4 head high off the ground.
* The foot is one head length long.
* The ankle bone is higher on the inside.
Other Face Stuff
* The line from the tip of the nose to the cheek bones is a right angle. You can see what I mean if you take your hand and place it on
the tip of the nose (the space between the thumb and forefinger is touching the tip of the nose) with the thumb touching your check
bone on one side and you fore finger touching your cheek bone on the other side.
* The distance from your nose to the bottom of your chin is the same distance as from the bottom of your nose to the point between
your eyes. Go ahead, measure and see.
* IMPORTANT! Eyes are not holes! They are mounds and the eye socket is quite large. Take a look at a human skull to see what I
mean.
* When you view your carving of the face from the side and you can see the other eye, the eye sockets need to be deeper.
* There are 2 things that keep growing as we get older: the nose and the ears. So, when you carve older people make the nose and
ears larger. This is also great for caricatures representing any age.
* Your mirror is your best source for a model for a face. The facial ratios are the same for any face.
* Always start out with larger face proportions, particularly the nose, than you will have for the end result. This means that you should
draw large when laying out the face. It is a heck of a lot easier to take away excess wood than to add it back.
Drying Wood
* When air drying wood , make sure you separate the layers of wood with a stringer so that air can circulate between the layers. You
should also coat the ends of the boards with a sealer. Commercial sealers are available or you can use latex paint, oil paint or wax.
The sealer should be applied to the logs as soon as possible after they are cut. The sealer drives the moisture toward the center of the
board or log. This keeps the wood from splitting on the ends and helps the wood to dry uniformly.
* Don't forget the microwave oven can be use to dry small pieces of wood - at low temperature. Several sessions at a lower
temperature are usually better than one time at high temperatures. (See the “Chip-Chat's” article titled “The Goat & the Gooseneck”
before you try this! The article can also be found by clicking HERE).
Easier carving tips
Making Fur
To give the appearance of a rough pelt or animal skin, try using a burr at a fairly slow speed (12,000 rpm) running against the wood grain. This tears the wood fibers instead of cutting them, leaving tufts of frayed wood that have an appearance similar to rough fur.
(From a book on figure carving by Ian Norbury)
Using Alcohol to Soften Wood
Some woods, such as walnut or oak, are very tough and hard to carve. You can soften the wood up by applying de-natured alcohol to it. The alcohol will not cause the grain to raise like water will. The alcohol, of course, will evaporate with time. (I don't know if the continued use of alcohol will remove any oils from the wood, check it out before you use it too often.)
Stabilizing wood with Shellac and alcohol
Some woods will be pithy and will fuzz up (some basswood) when you cut it or grind it. I have found that when you mix 50% de-natured alcohol and 50% white shellac and coat the wood, it stabilizes the wood and makes it very smooth to cut and grind. This mixture will not hurt the wood or cause the grain to raise up. You can paint or burn the wood after you finish carving just like always. You will have to re-apply the mixture as you waste the wood.
Help for brittle wood
For really brittle woods, especially in undercuts on relief carvings: mix a solution of 5 parts water to 2 parts of white (Elmer's) glue. Paint this on the weakened areas of the carving and allow to dry. The glue will penetrate the dry wood and add some needed strength while you work the areas around and underneath the area. (Editor's note: most any water-soluble glue will work).
Removing pesky pencil lines
Removing pencil lines from wood is easy when you rub the mark with rubbing alcohol. I haven't tried ethanol (denatured-solvent for Shellac} yet, but it may work.
Ittsy bitsy, teeny weeny sanders
For sanding tight corners or spaces on small objects, borrow your wife's emery boards - they make great sanding boards. However, to keep peace in the family, you might want to purchase your own.
Eyes - Human & Avian
Try carving eyes inside out:
I often hear new carvers say that they have the most trouble with faces and in particular, the eyes. When carving eyes, the common practice is to start at the outside and carve the eyelids and wrinkles first, then carve the eyeballs last. What often happens is that you run out of space for the eyeball. Try reversing the process. Carve the eyeball first, then the eyelid and wrinkles. Eyeballs tend to be a little on the large side at first, but you will have room for all the parts and its much easier. After you get the process down pat, proportions will fall into place.
Carving human eyes:
Gene Graham has good tips on carving eyes at this website: Tree to Treasure Woodcarvings
Eye Size & Color Chart:
Click here to see a chart showing the size and color of the eyes of Songbirds, Raptors, Shorebirds, Seabirds, Ducks & Geese and Upland Game Birds
Finishing Tips
Warped lids:
When I apply a water-based paint, stain or polyurethane to a box (I chip carve) it distorts the way the cover sits. After it dries, I put a strong rubber band around the box and after a day or so the cover closes cleanly.
Changing a finish from gloss to matte:
If you want to change a gloss finish to a matte or satin finish, take a brown shopping bag, wad it up and rub lightly. The writer tried this on a small piece of wood finished with nitrocellulose lacquer - he said it worked. I have talked to woodworkers at shows that used this technique and the results I saw were beautiful!
To darken Black Walnut:
If you need to darken a piece of black walnut that isn't quite dark enough, paint it with a 10% solution of lye to get the proper effect. The best way to do this is to work the wood to the desired dimensions first, then wash or paint on the solution. After drying, the piece should be polished with fine sandpaper. Care must be taken not to make the lye solution too strong.
Matte spray:
Use matte spray to seal your carvings before painting and after painting. Spraying on after painting will protect the paint when the carving is handled and will preserve the colors for years to come. Matte spray will not leave a shiny finish and dries quickly.
Staining tip:
Since most carpenter's glues are almost colorless when dry, they are often missed until the stain is applied. Then a telltale white spot or line shows up. To solve this problem, tint the glue with food coloring. A few drops of red or green will make any squeezed out glue highly visible and easier to sand off. Try to tint it to a color close to your finished product just in case you still miss a little.
Painting and antiquing your caricature carvings?
When using acrylic paints, fill a small jar with water then add a small quantity of the paint. Apply the thin washes to your carving, drying between coats with a hair dryer to prevent bleeding.
For the antiquing:
In a quart jar mix equal parts of boiled linseed oil (buy it at your local hardware store) and mineral spirits. Darken to 'taste' with burnt umber artists oil paint. Dip or brush the carving with this mixture and blot off excess. It will soften the colors, fill in any voids in the paint and it will make the wood grain show through the paint. This will keep down the number of questions about if it is wood or not.
Don't be afraid to experiment with antiquing solutions. You might try adding a small amount of walnut stain to your linseed oil mixture instead of the burnt umber. Another secret blend is Watco Natural liquid wax with a small amount of Watco Walnut liquid wax added, also works well.
Shoe polish stain:
Wax-based shoe polish is a great stain and filler for open-grained woods such as oak and walnut. Using a small jar, place a small chunk of shoe polish in it and add enough turpentine so it will liquefy. Rub the liquified mixture on the article, then wipe it off as with any other stain. Choose your shades and, of course, test on a piece of scrap first to confirm you are getting the desired effect. This coating will not interfere with subsequent finishes.
What is Gesso?
Gesso is a paste made by mixing glue with plaster of Paris, gypsum or whiting and is used as a base for painting on canvas or wood. It is useful for several kinds of applications because it can be textured, sanded smooth or carved. It can be applied thick (if it is to be carved or used to fill cracks) or thinned with water for a thin, smooth coat. Gesso serves as a good bonding agent because it is absorbent for both oil and water based coatings.
Coloring your basecoat:
Gesso can be used for basecoat, say on a grey wolf. After burning the fur with a very hot tip, paint the fur with Gesso and while wet, scrub the fur with a tooth brush. The Gesso mixes with the charcoal and produces a nice shade of grey for your basecoat. Gesso also comes in several colors and can be tinted so it is easier to hide with your top coats.
Checking out your wood before finishing:
You can apply paint thinner to the wood before finishing and any scratch or other marks will show up. The thinner will not affect the wood or the finish coat.
Secondly, take the piece out in the sunlight. Sunlight will also show up these marks very well. Use the sunlight to check out your paint finish as well. You will be shocked at what you see when you “Let the sun shine in”.
Save that special color mixture!
After you finally get the right color mixed for your project, put the leftover mixture in a film canister and it will keep for a long time! It will come in handy when you have to touch up a scratch or nick in the finish. You can also use a discarded contact lens case for smaller amounts.
Wood filler:
Need a good wood filler? Use baking soda. Just fill in the crack or hole and add a drop or two of super glue. You can carve and paint it when it hardens.
Habitat
Need dirt?
Keep those used coffee grounds. Let them dry then mix with common white glue until you have a paste. Spread over your piece and let dry. This can be piled up to any shape for hills or just level ground. Smells good too!
Miscellaneous
Critiquing your work:
When critiquing the quality of your carving, try this: Cut a 1” round hole in cardboard or paper. Place over a section of your carving and review the area through the hole. This will allow you to focus on a particular area without being distracted by seeing the entire project.
Glue removal:
You can remove the residue left from labels, tags and tape by applying alcohol to the spot. Let the application dry, then reapply as needed.
Pattern Tips
Tracing tip:
Put a piece of carbon paper under your pattern as usual. Place a piece of tissue over the pattern and trace it on yor workpiece. This will save your pattern, leaving it like new. You can also see where you have drawn and where you have not.
Take that one step further and place a thumbtack or one of those long pins through the tissue paper, the pattern and the carbon paper so if you miss some of the lines you can reline up all three accurately sheets and complete the tracing.
Changing the size of a pattern:
When making a pattern from a carving, place the carving in front of a wall and parallel to it. Tape a piece of white paper on the wall and place a strong light in front of carving. The shadow on the paper leaves a detailed outline of the carving. Moving the lamp closer or further from the carving shrinks or enlarges the pattern.
Pattern material:
If you know of a Radiology Lab in your area or fortunate enough to have an X-Ray Technician in your family or as a friend, as them to bring you exposed X-Ray film. It makes perfect patterns. It is also safe to use.
Sharpening Hints
Sharpening:
Re-sharpen ONLY when necessary! Once your tools are sharp - NEVER - re-sharpen unless you want to re-shape the cutting edge or there is a chip or break in the blade. Once the blade is sharp, only strop or buff your tool. Re-sharpening only wears away the metal unnecessarily.
Those nasty little v-tools:
Use a leather shoe string to remove burs from the inside of v-tools.
Splitting & Checking, How to stop/prevent
Help for preventing pieces from checking:
It is worth leaving wood in your shop for some time before carving it, regardless of whether it has been air or kiln dried, so as to allow it to acclimate and “settle down”. Ideally the wood should be stored where the carving will finally reside but most times this is neither practical or possible. Be aware of excessively dry atmospheres such as centrally heated houses or areas in the southwest deserts. Keeping wood in a damp out-building or garage, and then bringing it into a warm, very dry house is asking for trouble. Try to introduce what you need gradually - perhaps initially in a plastic bag- some time before you need it and then keep an eye on it. It is also a good idea to keep work in a plastic bag between carving sessions. Placing a damp rag or towel in the plastic bag with the wood also helps.
Splitting or Checking:
If you are working on a piece and you are worried about it checking or splitting, store it in a plastic bag along with some damp towels or cloths between carving sessions. Also, be sure to not store it where there are wide temperature variations.
Need to fill in a crack or check?
Mix sawdust from your piece with glue and put into crack or check. When dry, carve or sand and finish as usual. A piece of the same kind of wood can be glued into a large crack or hole and then carved to match.
Another thought on filling cracks:
Often logs or even large blocks of wood develop checks from drying stress. Checks often develop in the most undesirable places. The usual remedy of pushing in glue and sawdust mixture doesn't work well. Try putting in the glue first. Work the glue down into the checks with a thin knife blade, then sprinkle the area with sawdust and work it into the check. The crevice will be more deeply filled.
Hairline crack in your carving?
Pick up some acrylic paste from any art supply store. It can be colored to match any wood, using acrylic paints. This paste will fill in hairline cracks and can also be piled up to about 1/8” thick without cracking. It can then be carved and sanded like wood and will take any finish you wish.
Tool Tips
Make your filter Piney Fresh:
Spray a light coating of Pine-sol on your dust collector filter. This will make it attract a lot more dust and increase the efficiency of your filter. Why and how does this work? Dunno, but it does. Maybe an engineering type carver out there can tell us. Oh yeah, it works just as well on your ac/heater filter in your house. Of course, your house will smell like Pine-sol for a couple of days (lemon scented helps). As far as I can tell, you only need to do this one time as you change or clean the filter.
Skinny handles:
I know this will sound sacrilegious to some people, but you should thin down the sides of your knife handles, especially on your detail knives. This will let you get closer to your work. A gentleman who has been knife carving for thirty years taught me this. Try it on an old knife, it really does help.
Don't carve after sanding:
It is not a good idea to carve after you have sanded your piece. The abrasive particles from the sandpaper have a tendency to stay in the wood and can dull your tools.
Kutzall burr cleaning:
To clean your Kutzall Burrs you can brush them out with a steel brush. If you used wood with pitch, resin, or lots of oil you might soak the burr in acetone or nail polish remover and then brush. After it has been cleaned to prevent further problems, spray your burr with a little “PAM”™ kitchen oil -- this helps keep the wood from lodging tightly in your burr. P.S. Easy Off Oven Cleaner ™ also will help dissolve the wood and there is a commercial cleaner out that works very well!
More burr cleaning tips:
Your Kutzalls clogged? Use a small torch to burn out the wood fibers. You can also use oven cleaner. Spray it on and let sit for awhile and then use a wire brush to brush off the wood particles that the oven cleaner has brought to the top. Be careful using these methods and go outdoors to do it.
