[Woodcarver] Questions about rotary tools & wood burners

[Sylda]

Hi! Since I haven¹t learned to power carve I can not address that side of
your inquiry.  However I have been woodburning for about 3 years and
probably have done well over a couple hundred pieces.  I use a Colwood
burner and hand pieces, the Nibsburner hand pieces will also work with it.
You can look the Colwood over online at www.woodburning.com.  Sometimes the
hand pieces get hot, but I have never had one that melted.  It sounds like
yours gets much too hot.  I had problems with mine not heating up enough
until I got a new cord from the burner to the hand piece and now it works
great.  I have problems with carpal tunnel and need to have a larger shape
to hold to keep my hands from going numb, so enlarging the hand piece solves
two problems for me.  I have problems with the hand pieces getting too hot
to hold.  I have wrapped some in vet wrap and have also used the curly shoe
laces.  Remember a few years ago when curly shoe laces came out ‹ you could
put them in your shoes and not have to tie them and they would stay a tight
as you wanted them?  They work great because they can be spread out around
the hand piece so they keep your hands away from the heat and allow the hand
piece to ³breathe².  I have worn out some hand pieces, but not melted one.
I have worn out several tips which are removable from the hand piece.  I
know several people using Colwood burners and are very happy with their
choice.  Let me know if I can help you any more.
Sylda
sylda at kansas.net

On 10/25/04 4:29 PM, "aliceleorabriggs at comcast.net"
<aliceleorabriggs at comcast.net> wrote:

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> 
> Hello! I am very, very  new to wood carving, but have many more years
> of experience than I care to recount with drawing and printmaking
>  (intaglio).   I hope you can help me with a question or two. I have totally
> burned 
>  out one Dremel and another is now fairly decrepid.  However, I inherited a
> Foredom from my father (a violin maker) who quickly rejected it for a return
> to handcarving. It has survived my first two carved panels 5 feet x 4 feet ea.
> I certainly plan to keep it, but I  like the Dremel's higher RPMs (35,000
>  as compared to my Foredoms 18,000), plus the smaller handpieces that
>  Dremel makes are best for my small hands. I tend to use the Dremel for
>  all detail work. I lubricate the Dremels' flexible shafts regularly, but not
> too 
>  liberally and am careful not to torque the shafts too much while
>  working. Is there something else I am doing incorre ctly, or are larger
>  carving jobs just too much for a Dremel? I am working on cabinet grade Baltic
> Birch plywood (3/4inch) . What other options can anyone recommend for carving
> on this scale?
>  
> Also, I am  really fascinated by the high RPM tools used for detail work that
> are 
>  now on the market. One is Turbo Carver another is Power Carver. They
>  do 400,000 to 450,000 RPMs. Have you ever used either of these? If so,
>  what do you think of them?
>  
> I also use wood burning in conjunction with the carving. I have a Nibsburner
> with a thermostat. It's great, except for the hand pieces. They have a
> partially plastic housing near the tip with vent holes. The whole arrangement
> melts if the burner is turned up past 6 (the top end of the register is 10).
> Is this a normal problem? I am guessing it is since the handpieces are only
> about $7 each. Are there other woodburners that you have been extremely happy
> with? 
> Can you all tell me which rotary carving tools and wood burning tools have
> been most successful for you?
>  
> Please forgive me if I have asked questions that have been addressed
> previously. I checked the Archives, but probably not as thoroughly as I might
> have. I have really enjoyed looking at some of your work on websites provided.
> I don't have any carvings online, but I do have a gallery in Santa Fe. You can
> see my work (Alice Leora Briggs) at nuartgallery.com
>  
>    
> 
> 
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