Printable View
I carve leaves,that i use as a 'signature element' on my turned vessels. The leaves are not attached at all, but are separate .I have used Calif.Nutmeg,very nice to carve.I carve these so thin, and especially with the leaf stem, the nutmeg is too weak so it limits me on how thin i can go.Any ideas of a wood that can be carved thin and still resist breaking.? Oh.. and it would be nice if it was easy on the tools[gouges]..thanks Rob
lime wood is soft yet has strength...Grinling Gibbons work will illustrate my point. Good luck.
Mark
in the 90s i probably carved about 1000 or more leaves from pecan and mahogany. got good results.
CA glue can be used to make delicate pieces stronger, by letting it wick into the wood. Not sure if the look would be appropriate with the finish you might be using?
mike...what is CA glue ?
cyanoacrylate - (Super Glue) There are many different formulations, but the stuff kicks off (cures) in the presence of a base (high ph). Hot stuff and Zap are formulations for building balsa wood aircraft. Pen turners use CA as a finish.Quote:
Originally Posted by randall rosenthal
thanks....i might try that. it never occurred to me.
I'm a bit late to the conversation, but the CA is what I use when making shaving brushes and wood scales for my straight razors. It's bullet proof, hardens the wood incredibly,and with layers makes it look like glass is covering it. Build up layers, sand it,, then hit it with a buffer and you'll be amazed.
I started using it on my decoys 20 + yrs ago to strengthen thin, weak parts. And speaking of thin wood, you can't beat Tupelo for thinness. But the main drawback is it doesn't respond well to carving tools at all. power,, fine.Chisels,, nope.
Just look at the pieces done for the Ward World Championships and you'll see some incredible , fine, thin detail on those pieces. I've made pieces out of it that light passes through and it hold amazing detail. Almost grainless if you get good wood.