Rich Smithson of HELVIE KNIVES did me a great favor by making the cherry plaque and stand for the CCA Best of Show Trophy and wood burning the CCA Logo and lettering on the plaque as a base for the Hobo carved to complete the trophy. So for his generosity I carved for him the Helvie Pirate to be added to his carving collection. The knives used to carve the pirate were Signature Series #10 HORNET BEE, # 13 BUMBLE BEE and # 6-2 MINI MERTZ II as pictured in the first photograph. The continuing photographs are a visual study of the characteristics of what makes a carved figure into a pirate. (click on each photo to enlarge.) Read the rest of this entry »
Posted by: woodbeecarver in Knives
Introducing the Murray Knife # 530 recommended by the WOOD BEE CARVER.
The Wood Bee Carver prefers to use a knife that has a curved cutting edge that curves up to the tip and also curved into the extended tang. Bud Murray, who is a well-respected knife maker, makes four knives for me that fit that design. Occasionally there is a need for a knife with a straight cutting edge for making stop cuts. Bud Murray makes a knife whose design was suggested by Elaine Stenman to be used to make deep stop cuts for her style of relief carving. The cutting edge is angled down reminiscent of a chip carving knife. Such a design “skews” the cutting edge angle so that it slices very much like that action of the guillotine blade shape as it slides down its track. In the pull slicing stroke the cutting edge action is like a “reverse skew.” This knife also works quite well as a chip carving knife and can be adapted for some other whittling cuts. Read the rest of this entry »
Rich Smithson who along with his wife Holli and daughter Skylar own and manufacture HELVIE KNIVES makes the Wood Bee Carver Signature Knives for me and is a collector of many of my carvings. As a jesture (that is a jest in a gesture) of good will I carved his “mug on a jug” to show he has aged since his birth. Good friends do things like this just for the fun of it and Rich is a good friend.
Dale Green of Holladay, Utah won Best of Show honors at the recent 2014 CCA Competition with his caricature carving “Don’t Drink and Drive.” He received the Best of Show trophy that was carved by Don Mertz and wood burning of the plaque by Rich Smithson of Helvie Knives. CONGRATULATIONS to Dale Green. Visit his blog at ~
http://www.dalegreenwoodcarving.blogspot.com/
Each year at the annual CCA Caricature Caving Competition ~ http://www.cca-carvers.org/ ~ held in Converse, Indiana one CCA member carves the Best of Show Trophy to be awarded to the winner of that distinction. This is my year to carve the trophy which is a carving of a Hobo holding a very large Blue Ribbon which is mounted on a cherry plaque which was wood burned by Rich Smithson of Helvie Knives. Read the rest of this entry »
A “Slug” is sometimes referred to as a “slow and lazy person” as in “sluggard.” It also refers to gulping down a drink, a type setting term used in the old printing business, a fist punch thrown in a fight, a bullet and a counterfeit metal disk inserted into an old time slot machine. In the case of HOBO “SLUGGS” the nickname is for a shiftless traveler of the road who is thought to be a lazy person but in this hobo’s case he is “slow” by never getting in a hurry as in taking life “slow and easy.”
Such a “slow and easy” temperament makes “Sluggs” a likable character who wiggles his way into the heart of everyone he meets. His outer appearance may show the wear and tear of the hobo way of life while the aura of his personality suggests that pretense does not always tell the true story. “Slow and easy,” is to savor each moment of the day, relish the strength of friendship and bask in the wealth of memories remembered and being made. Sluggs reminds us that we all cannot be footloose and fancy free but we can take life “slow and easy” by not taking ourselves so seriously by taking time to enjoy the journey instead of eying the destination that is often illusive. Read the rest of this entry »
Twelve students gathered together on June 20, 2014 to begin a three day class in Whittle-Carving at Leiper’s Fork, TN in the carving studio of Vic Hood. The students pictured above are (left to right – first row) Ray Rost, Vic Hood, Don Burgdorf, Tim Wright (second row)Gene Graham, Don Dunlap, Clem Kirsch, Rick Hardin, Clark Kirsch, Sandie Burgdorf, Buzz Friedli and Carson Salyer. Read the rest of this entry »
