[Woodcarver] Re Brave Questions

[Marcia Berkall]

Hey Doug!!!

Thanks for getting the conversation rolling.

Painting:  My favorite paints to work with are oils VERY thinned with 
Minwax Natural stain (a la David Sabol).  With a parrot in the house, 
I have to be careful about odors, so I have been using acrylics more 
and more, also very thinned.  I don't seal the wood first since I use 
the paint more as a stain.  I like to see the wood through the color. 
After painting I usually spray the carving with Krylon matte 
finish.  There are new "extended drying time" acrylic paints.  I 
bought some Atelier Interactive Paints a while back, but have not 
used them yet.  I have no idea why.

Sharpening:  strop, strop, strop!  The strop I use is a little 
different than most.  The leather is not glued to the board.  There 
is a hole in the board and one in the leather...and they are tied 
together.  This allows me to use different compounds on each side.  I 
can also bend the leather to fit inside some gouges and have cut the 
edgs of the leather to V and U shapes to fit inside of smaller 
gouges.  The compound I use is silicon carbide in oil suspension., 
what Cape Forge uses and sells.  I have a John Burke sharpener that 
has been just great.  I did replace the muslin wheel with a very hard 
felt wheel.  Unless an edge is damaged, that is what I use most.

Interesting to see what everyone prefers.  As I say in my classes, 
"Ask 100 carvers about sharpening and you'll get 100 different answers" :)

Marcia (aka Mush)
Maine

See Marcia's wood carvings 
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