[Woodcarver] Using Kerosene prior to carving

[Ivan Whillock]

I know kerosene has been used by carvers to kill the bugs in the wood, but have not known other carvers to use it to enhance the process.

In a carving factory in Austria they were using an alcohol-water solution on the tiny machine carved figurines they were cleaning up with chisels, but they didn't use the mixture on the larger carvings.  The figurines were in maple; the larger carvings in linden.  I think the water raised the fuzz from the machine cuts and made them easier to clean up.  (The figurines remained 90% machine carved.)

I've visited sculpture classes where they brushed on a 50-50 mix of turpentine and linseed oil after each carving session.  Then they finished the carvings with a butcher's wax or  similar hard wax.  

None of the traditional carvers I've worked with used any of the above methods, preferring to carve into the clear wood.  

Ivan Whillock Studio
122 NE 1st Avenue
Faribault, MN  55021
Visit my website at
http://www.whillock.com
Visit my Picture Trail album at
http://www.picturetrail.com/gallery/view?username=ivancarve
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: TWWOODWORK at aol.com 
  To: woodcarver at six.pairlist.net 
  Sent: Tuesday, February 06, 2007 4:34 PM
  Subject: [Woodcarver] Using Kerosene prior to carving


  Support our List: http://wwwoodcarver.com/WWWList/WWWList.html
  Submit photos to the List photo gallery: http://www.wwwoodcarver.com/Smugmug/SmugmugGallery.html




------------------------------------------------------------------------------


  Recently saw an outstanding carver on TV on Modern Masters. He does outstanding work. Before he began carving with mallet and chisels, he commented that it was time to paint the wood with his secret ingredient- Kerosene!  He used a regular paint brush and kerosene. 
  I have never heard of this before. Have used water, 50% alcohol and 50% water but no other kind of chemical such as kerosene.
  Appreciate any experience, comments, etc. about using kerosene.
  Sincerely,
  Tom
  Thomas W. Horton
  P.O. Box 240
  Glen Mills, PA 19342


------------------------------------------------------------------------------


  _______________________________________________
  Woodcarver mailing list
  Woodcarver at six.pairlist.net
  http://six.pairlist.net/mailman/listinfo/woodcarver
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://six.pairlist.net/pipermail/woodcarver/attachments/20070207/b783f218/attachment.html