Chuck

I am just using a #11 blade right out of the package. But I do know folks who make their own micro chisels in different shapes. That is above and beyond my abilities and time allotment for these so I am going to stick with whatever I can buy already made. Like Keith said...I think its just my technique and stroke and its something that will get better with learned experience. It would always be nice to find a trick or product that does the job....a silver bullet so-to-speak........ but I think its just a matter of learning the correct touch and the correct amount of pressure and angles while slicing. I dont want to over analyze my attempt because then you end up never finishing. So rather than fall prey to "analysis Paralysis" I am just going to keep going and apply a finish. There is always the next project and I will just find comfort that I will hopefully get better with more practice. I find myself slipping into the paralysis and must fight that....its a horrible thing.

I think that would work for any area that the grain is going the right direction. But when the grain is exposed it usually tears the wood and makes it rough. It picks up the grain fibers. I would say that more than half of the surfaces on a design like this run with the grain in a less than optimal direction but yes I will give it a try in areas that wont get shredded. Thanks Chuck

One thing we havent talked about and really should is how to make these blanks if you are not fortunate enough to own a laser cutter. As most dont have one I can only imagine that blanks of any design and those similar to ours would be carefully cut out on a scroll saw. I cant see any other way but I wonder if a certain blade is better and if there are any other techniques and tips. How does one do this without having such tiny pieces break at some point.... Just wait til you get them for those who have already ordered them...imagine cutting those on a scroll saw....lets talk about how best to do that or if there are any people who have done it, please share how you did it . Maybe mount it between two thin boards to make it thicker and give it strength...just a guess???

Lets get even closer.....This is what I see under magnification while carving.....you are so close to the details while carving it becomes hard not to obsess about the surface texture and I hope you can see the areas I would like to smooth out a bit but I am afraid to keep slicing and carving and wonder if there is another method. I think files would be too large and tough to use as I cant see getting any back and forth motion while its still mounted. Its fragile so attempting it after removal would most certainly break it...but who knows...it could just be my inexperience and that is how it should be done. Maybe I have to just get better with teh initial carving and that will just come with practice. Chuck

In this photo you can see two of three carvings placed on the model so you can see how they look when assembled...the third is still mounted on the carving base but you get the idea. I think I did apply Wipe-on-poly to that first one because it appears a bit darker. My question is this, In this photo you can see the surface quality of the pieces super close up. It looks a little rough to me in spots. I didnt scrape the surface at all while carving but you can still see some rough points and bits that werent completely removed in the corners and crannies.. I wonder if there is a way to sand pieces this tiny and fragile. I have tried folding a piece of 320 grit sandpaper and cutting it with a point on the end but its still tough to get into and address the rough areas. I Just cant get to them. Am I just looking at them too hard under magnification and close up macro photos???is it much to do about nothing or is there some method the more experienced carvers use to smooth out the surface to rid it of irregularities and tiny splits or wood hairs. I have seen the work of some master builders and carvers on ship models and they sometimes appear so crisp and smooth. It could have been that they were much larger but I doubt it. Maybe it looks just fine???? Buff it?? some sort of polishing or just apply some wipe on poly with a brush??? Feel free to jump in....these are the little gems I am hoping will get talked about as folks start their own logs. I am the first person in line for any and all tips. I also wonder how those builders of the contemporary models got their carvings so thin...look at the contemporary model I posted. Its the same scale. I thought our blanks at 1/32" thick were thin but I couldnt imagine going thinner??? It makes me admire them so much more. Chuck

I am starting a project log so you guys can see how to start one as well. Just start a topic and name it properly. Maybe include what your method is.....#11 blades or rotary carving etc. I know that nobody likes being the first one to start so here it is to break the ice. I urge all you guys who bought the blank sets to do the same....lets get some ideas and conversations started. The photo below shows an extreme close up of my carving work to date. These three lengths of acanthus leaves are needed for one side of the barge. Once completed I need to carve another set for the port side. But those will be mounted upside down as they are a mirror image. I am almost done with this set....Just a little remains on the center example. I am using a #11 blade 98% of the time. The close up is pretty brutal.....warts and all you can see how the carving went. It looks much much better when viewed normally and no finish has been applied yet. I keep the other two that are finished close by as I work on this one because they must all look the same. I also included the contemporary barge model so you can see how these three pieces will become the continuous length of carving along the side of the barge aft. Its pretty typical of the acanthus leaf carving designs on any ship model. I figured its better done in three small lengths than one huge piece....just in case a one-time error that ruins the piece I am working on....the other two will still be fine and usable. Each one took me about six or seven hours to carve in a few one or two hour sessions. Chuck

If you guys can do me a favor so folks can find the relevant content easier.... ...can you please post about carving books, wood choices and tools in the other forum topic I created for it. It will just make finding the info easier....Right now this topic is becoming a mishmash of everything rather than just being about technique. You will see the other topic in this carving group about books, tools and wood. I just moved a bunch so if you are looking for yours it was moved....and not deleted. Thanks in advance. Chuck

As Jack mention...make shallow slices to create your stop cut. That is for with the grain or against it....it doesnt really matter. The design will dictate wether you must do it or not. Sometimes you just dont have a choice based on teh design. In fact, on our tiny carving blanking they will be minuscule so you will need to complete many two-stroke stop cuts to get to the depth you need. By removing only tiny slivers it minimizes the danger of splitting the wood. This is also why the wood choice is important. A softer wood is going to perform as well as a harder wood here. You might have to perform as many as 5 or 6 or 7 stop cuts to achieve the shape and depth you want. Trying to do that in one pass would not be recommended. Chuck

They are fine woods for carving in large scale but I wouldnt think it a good choice for the smaller carving we do. For many reasons. Its hard to get basswood to hold a hard edge when carving that tiny...it has a tendency to split and break as well. Just too fuzzy. In some cases on the design we will be carving pieces that have areas that are just 1/32" x 1/32" and this could fall in area where the grain runs in a less than optimal direction. So it would be tough to keep the integrity of the small pieces using any soft wood. I have carved some areas down to 1/64" x 1/64". Very fragile. If you have spent three hours carving a piece the last thing you want to happen is to get a break on a very thin area because the wood is too soft. Best to stick with woods that are much harder and stronger. I carved the crown cipher in cherry just to test it out...it was much more difficult to do and you had to be so much more careful and gentle with it. Even slightly dull blades will pull and split small areas of the design. And Cherry is much harder than Linden or Bass. It is possible but why not just use a harder wood to start with to make the process less problematic. Its fine for carving larger...but when you get these blanks you will understand how basswood or even Linden would just not work that well. Chuck

No but I am sure that would work....I just had a bunch of bad cherry I needed to use up. I am sure any relatively hard base will do. About 3/16" thick or even 1/8" thick.

I have started another pinned topic to make finding info on these two different approaches to relief carving easier. I am way out of my element with both methods but I know we have many members who are very experienced with rotary carving and this is the place where those techniques and questions can be discussed. I realize that many will have a preference to one or the other but this group aims to talk about both approaches with some in-depth discuss. Feel free to begin the discussion. I am also going to reach out to folks we all know that are experienced with miniature carving with a rotary tool and with chisels and blades with the hope they will take part in the group and have a try at carving the blanks available from the NRG. Watching them progress will benefit the group a lot so please do also encourage them to participate.

That is exactly correct....nice image. would make an excellent carving.

The stop cut is very important in relief carving. It is a two stroke cut that is used to create depth and relief. If you look at the crown design you can see the cross piece of the letters. I have indicated a stop cut on each side of the cross piece in red. To replicate this in my crude playdoh demo.....I have created the letter A. Note the wood grain added. The first stroke in a stop cut is to slice very carefully to the depth you want. In this case I am creating a cut straight down. Remember not to try and go too deep on the first try but rather make a series of stop cuts until you reach the desired depth and shape. So this first stroke if very shallow to only just begin creating depth. Heres what it looks like in playdoh The second stroke of a stop cut is to slice a very thin sliver off. Carve with your blade or chisel towards the stop cut. A small sliver should pop free creating depth. Repeat this process until you reach a depth and shape you want....yes I know it doesnt look great in playdoh but you get the idea. I am using a small kitchen knife to represent my micro chisel or #11 blade. Remember that the piece is just 1/32" thick so you will be taking it down at microscopic intervals as you repeat the two stroke stop cut many times on each side of the cross piece. Then start the process on the other side of the cross bar... Eventually you will have created some depth in the piece and then you could further shape it by rounding off the edges and cleaning it up.... again ...take a look at my first attempt and and how the cross piece of the letters looks after applying stop cuts to each side....then cleaning it up. I am sure more experienced carvers can do a much better job with it but this particular cut is used throughout relief carving for ship model carvings. You will use it a lot. As I did on my paper design...you can mark where you want your stop cuts in advance....they are shown in red on the drawing. You can see the other carving and probably pick out where I used the stop cut. I like to plan ahead and mark them out on my drawing. I like to pencil where all of the overlaps will be and depth is created. Its easy to lose track when you lose yourself in the carving process and seeing the pencil marks on the carving helps avoid a mistake where you will have to start over. see my pencil marks on the uncarved half of this piece. They show where I will use stop cuts.

Thanks I am far from being in a position to show others, I am just starting out....but I hope others that have more experience will guide everyone, including me. Chuck

Hornet... I thought the same thing. I havent given up hope though. I thought he would get excited about this and share his experience and expertise by joining in and becoming a mentor for rotary enthusiasts. Anyway, lets get this topic back on track without commenting further about it and just hope he see how ridiculous he is being. I will continue with my carving techniques discussion showing a stop cut for those who are interested. Chuck

Too yellow...a very obnoxious yellow for my tastes... also too hard for me to work with. I couldnt imagine carving it. But before we go to far....can we move the discussion of wood choices to the other "tool and wood" topic in this group area. This way it will be where everyone will eventually look for it. Its too easy to get off track as I am guilty of here too. See you over in that topic....I want to keep this one to the carving techniques as much as possible....

For our needs basswood is problematic...I did carve one of the crowns in cherry but using castello worked much better. I have not tried pear. I have tried Yellow cedar and that works beautifully. Carves like butter. No grain at all. Its a softer wood but very strong. Hold a clean crisp egde. I also tried Jelatung and Tupalo (I think thats how you spell it) Not good for our small carvings though. Way too soft. But Alaskan Yellow cedar has possibilities. I Loved it so much I actually started building another barge with it. Here is a sneak peek. In comparison with Cherry version. If you can get some its worth a try. The entire backbone is done in alaskan yellow cedar.

I found that with a fresh sharp blade it is possible to cut cross grain as Janos suggest but slicing the edge there seems to cause a high probability of the blade catching on the grain. At least with my attempts. And believe me , as a complete beginner I am just getting familiar with the whole thing. But this is why we started this group.... It is meant to explore all methods with all tools...rotary included. Everyone will have their favorite. I am curious what everyone will experience and what their opinions and preferences will be. So I urge all of you to start one of these mini-carving logs here when you get your carving blanks. And let everyone know how it went.

Once its all done..probably....Thanks

Yes its certainly another method.....I dont care for it... But everyone should try both or a combination of the two. Select which one works best for you. Chuck

Through the NRG....I am mailing Kurt 20 sets tomorrow morning. He will add the line item to the NRG store. But as they run low on stock I will cut more and send them. Chuck

These two pieces were done with just #11 blades. No finish applied on the top one yet. They are about 1/4" wide and just a few inches long.....only 1/32" thick. I think a large chisel would obliterate them.

The issue with chisels for me is the actual size and delicate nature of the parts we are carving. I just cant use the chisels with the same control as a #11 blade. A scalpel blade would be good also. Remember...these are tiny thin pieces of wood. Using a #11 blade you are just using the very tip. The last 1/32" portion of the very tip.....no more. Until you get a chance to try them all it would be hard for anyone to describe it. That was one of the benefits of getting everyone together at my shop so we could all try each others chisels and blades. Its the only way to tell. In fact, it wasnt until I tried a good quality chisel that I decided to buy them. They are expensive.

I actually still use the #11 blades even though I have a whole set of chesels. They just get into the nooks better in my opinion. I am no authority on the subject though. I did use the "v" shaped groove chisel to make the veins in the leaves which was easier than making "chip cuts" with a #11 blade. So I guess it depends on what you are carving at the moment. And what you are more comfortable with.

I havent used them much yet.....but flexcut has a special shaped "whatcha-ma-bob" to sharpen them. See below. http://www.flexcut.com/pw12-flexcut-slipstrop/ They also have a great how to video showing how to sharpen the chisels. Cant say much else because I barely used mine.....havent tried it yet. I mostly used a #11 blade. Chuck