Salt & Pepper

[mpounders]

I really don't know what woods are available where you live, but you can carve just about anything if you want to bad enough. Wood is not particularly soft, even if it is a softwood tree.Balsa wood is quite easy to cut but is not suited for carving at all because it crumbles and doesn't hold details...

[mpounders]

A proper wood burner with the correct tip can be used like a "hot" knife to deepen lines and cuts and adjusted properly, it doesn't char the wood. I burn most of my carvings, but I don't like a dark charred outline. Colwood Detailer is one model; you won't get the same results with a soldering-iron...

[mpounders]

Your results will always vary, based on your own skill and artistic abilities. It really doesn't matter so much what tools you purchase, if you can get them sharp enough and keep them sharp. I started with some Flexcut palm gouges and still use certain profiles occasionally. Either buy the ones with...

[mpounders]

You may be forced to cut your own using patterns from some of the books on the subject. Or finding someone to cut themout for you?

[mpounders]

I have the hang-up model with foot control. Prevents kinking the shaft, have had no problems with grease leaking, which is usually a sign of too much grease to begin with! The keyed shaft is fine. You seldom run at full speed, so the foot control is fine for me. You could start with the Harbor Freight...

[mpounders]

Yeah, just one hole the size of the cork. I found smaller corks at Hobby Lobby. I considered splitting them or making a larger hole initially, with a thin plate covering that, and decided to go with the simplest. These are probably more for decoration than extended use....

[mpounders]

I have provided both fixed blade utility knives and helvie economy detail knives for students. The helvies are about $27 and the utility knives range from $7-$12, but you can change the blades to sharpen them.

[mpounders]

I use green mostly, sometimes red or white, but I am mainly using a power strop and a buffing wheel. Try warming the compound up or adding a tiny tiny amount of mineral oil. I use what ever seems to work the best for me.

[mpounders]

Salt & Pepper shakers

A friend wanted me to carve Santa and Mrs. Claus as salt & pepper shakers for a wedding gift for their daughter. Never had anyone ask for that, so of course i had to give it a try! These are 2x2x 3 1/2" tall. Thanks for looking!...

[mpounders]

I used a technique that I saw Vic Hood use. I carve the eye as you normally would and then use a rotary tool to scoop out the entire iris of the eye, leaving only a stem that hold up the"glint" in the eye. Then I use a wood burner to darken that scooped out area and the stem, so that the...

[mpounders]

It is about 12" tall and 11" wide and is basswood, finished with BLO and spray lacquer, then a coat of light brown Briwax....

[mpounders]

This is basswood. I was surprised when I first dampened the wood to see the grain pattern was more pronounced and complimented the wrinkles I was carving. I used BLO, lacquer, and light brown Briwax to finish it, to emphasize the grain and give it a deeper color....

[mpounders]

My grandparents lived in Rockwood, Alabama and I have a church bulletin that has a picture of my granny standing in a creek with others for a baptism. There is a lot of symbolism in wading in the waters, such as crossing the Red Sea to escape the Egyptians, or crossing Jordan to the Promised Land. There...

[mpounders]

You can order directly from Helvie, but they have suspended web orders for approximately three months to catch up on back orders. They are just a guy and his wife who make these knives part time and he has a full time job in addition. You might be able to buy on of the Helvie signature series knives...

[mpounders]

Harold's stuff comes with drawings, not photographs. Harold is quite an artist, and I based mine and the expression on his drawing. He didn't have a finished one sitting out or I would have taken some pictures of his also! I don't think there is any risk of mine being mistaken for his, as much as I...

[mpounders]

I never had a lot of success making the hat as a separate piece. Never could get the pieces to fit together to suit me. It seems easier to me to cut them out as one piece. But I probably can't get the brim as thin as some people do....

[mpounders]

"Beans" is a bust from a Harold Enlow rough out. He is about 8" tall, so there was a lot of room for details. It's been a while since I've carved much besides Santas. Thanks for looking!

[mpounders]

I personally don't like Flexcut knives because of the shape of the bevel and the thickness of the blades. I like their palm tools ok, but have given away a couple of their knives. OCCT is a step up for knives and gouges, as is Dunkle, or Drake from Flexcut. Most of my palm tools are Drake or OCCT.

[mpounders]

You might try contacting Bob Yorburg (he is on Facebook) from upper New York state. He is a carousel carver and pretty knowledgable. I am not sure who else is carving big horses. I have occasionally seen a few cut outs/parts/kits for carving the larger horses over the past 10 years. Most were owned...

[mpounders]

I can't really tell the size of the horse from the picture but the stance and style are similar to carousel horses. It doesn't appear to be old or ornately carved, although it is nicely done. Probably by someone who admired the older horses or who may have been involved in restoring those carvings....