Vol. 64, No. 3 Autumn 2019


254 thickness, go ahead and cut a slab of wood to that thickness. Always remember, when making a model,


if you have to choose between being a teeny bit larger, or a teeny bit smaller, always opt for the smaller; it will look more believable and more to scale.


Parts that protrude further out, like heads of the Virtues or wings of an angel, were added on top of the primary thickness of the board being carved. Aſt er all, if the board is six inches thick and the head extends out another twelve inches, you would not have wanted to carve through twelve inches of wood throughout the whole piece. Add these pieces with your favorite glue, yellow glue being my preference. Be sure they are fl at against each other and weight them until set, thus preventing a joint line from showing.


T e wood to be carved should be mounted securely on another fl at backboard. If the carving is small with very minute details, I highly recommend mounting it on a piece of metal with shellac. I oſt en use a piece of brass as a backboard, as shown on the leſt of Figure 13. T e brass background also provides a good stop for my cutting burrs. To the right is a silicone mold I made for casting duplicates in brass. T e brass casting will simulate gold under a brown garnet shellac wash.


We mount the wood to the metal background with shellac. T e best shellac to use is formulated by you yourself from dry shellac crystals soaked in denatured alcohol to the consistency needed.


Clean your metal background with a piece of sandpaper or steel wool, leaving visible scratches to aid adhesion. Apply three coats of shellac or suffi cient for a uniform layer. T en wet the surface once more with shellac and put the wood blank on top of it. Weight it lightly, keeping it fl at, and let it dry overnight. Aſt er carving the artwork, take a micro chisel (Figure 11) and clean its edges nice and square, removing the fl ash leſt by rounded burrs. To remove it, liberally brush on denatured alcohol to dissolve the shellac. Keep it wet and let it soak a while until you can gently move the carving. Do not force it in a sticky area, just keep soaking it. I use a white bristle artist’s brush to help in this process. Lacquer thinner also may be used and is faster. Do not use water-based solvents on these tiny carvings. Water will warp and fray wood. When the carving is moving easily, liſt it and place it on your model. If the shellac is not suffi cient to hold the piece, use a little wood glue or more shellac to adhere it. When applying a carving to a curved ground it helps cut a piece of wood to a matching curve to use as a weight block while it dries in place.


14. A large (two-inch) carved eagle.


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