Sunday, August 2, 2009

A Quick Carving Tip For Bad Basswood

We have all got it .. if you carve long enough .. you will too .. Bad Basswood .. Perhaps it seems too hard and difficult to carve .. Sometimes southern basswood is like this .. not all .. but some is ..
Well the old timers have recommended a solution mixture of 50 % Alcohol and 50 % water mixed together and spray on the piece as you carve and it softens the wood .. Well I tried it and it works .. If you have a bad piece of basswood and its just very difficult to carve .. Dont throw it away ! .. Try this first and see if you like it ..

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3 comments:

  1. Steve WrightAugust 3, 2009 at 9:25 AM

    Hello Gene How are you?

    First you have done a great job with the Blog.

    Gene what concentration of alchol can you use for example i have a 99% bottle of alchol would this work mixing it 50/50? I don't want to seem like I am dumb but I am not sure if the alchol at 99%would hurt the wood.

    Best Regards
    steve wright

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  2. Simon BushAugust 3, 2009 at 3:01 PM

    Yep that works a treat Gene! I was struggling with a piece of Lime wood and it made all the difference!

    Steve. the stuff I use is 100% alcohol for french polishing, works fine and evaporates fairly quick.

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  3. Merryl BustinAugust 8, 2009 at 1:04 PM

    Gene I found that a 50/50 mix of alcohol and water kinda made me mellow and easier to work with too! But I know you were talking about a different sort of alcohol!! :)

    Great tip, thanks and waiting on the next video!

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