The Blackhawk Woodcarver
This month I have been doing the one thing that I really enjoy doing other
than looking at my Carving magazines and that is watching other carvers
carve.
While reading a magazine article, written by a great woodcarver, on how to
carve one of his projects with pictures of some of the steps can be helpful,
its sometimes difficult to understand just how did he accomplish a
particular step. This is when I have found that a video would have helped. I
realize that most carvers don’t video record their carving processes. Some
do, and sell them, but some are expensive. Examples are Figure Carving
Scandinavian Style with Harley Refsal and Carving & Painting and American
Kestral with Floyd Scholz (which is in our library).
Another process that I use is on the computer. It is to watch Carvers carve
something on YouTube. I have been surprised at the number of videos you can
find on woodcarving subjects. There are subjects like Wood Carving for
Beginners and Advanced Wood Carving. There are even videos of Power Carving
(for instance, Carving with a Dremel). There are subjects like Wood Carving
Tool Making. Just like the class that Denny Neubauer did in which we got to
make our own carving knifes. There are videos which show how to sharpen and
care for your tools.
I don’t necessarily look for something I want to make but to see how they,
other carvers, do it. I like to see how they decide which tools they want to
use to accomplish their carving. How they layout the project on the wood and
how they rough it out. The step by step operations in producing the final
project is very interesting. Many of these carvers will also show how they
paint their finished projects.
There are videos where you can just view pictures of carvings if you wish.
Wandering around in YouTube can be interesting. But don’t forget about that
project you have, it is waiting for you to spend some time working on it.
So --- Let the chips fly and see you at the club !
Jerome Mais
Blackhawk Carving Club
P. O. Box 8285 Rockford, IL 61126
Open Carving every Wednesday (8:30-11am).
Ken Rock Community Center (Sacred Heart Academy, Multi-purpose room)
3218 Eleventh St, Rockford, IL 61109
Business Meeting; third Wednesday. of the month. Friends and spouses of
carvers are especially welcome to come to meet and visit. Carvers bring in
finished carvings for “Show & Tell.”
Club Activity Schedule
August 2
open carving
August 9
open carving
August 16
open carving and meeting
August 23
open carving
August 30
open carving
September 6
open carving
September13
open carving
September 20
open carving and meeting
September 27
open carving
October 4
open carving
October 11
open carving
October 18
open carving and meeting
October 25
open carving
November 1
open carving
November 8
open carving
November 15
open carving and meeting
November 22
open carving
November 29
open carving
December 6
open carving
December13
open carving
December 20
open carving and meeting
December 27
open carving
Musky Area Wood Carvers Workshop
August 15-18, 2017 in Boulder Junction, Wisconsin. Teachers include: Wes Spadgenske, Dan Haack, Bob Harris, Echo Keller, Sophie Kubisiak, David Kublank, Gordy Moscinski, Denny Neubauer, Elaine & Fred Stenman, Greg Wirtz, James Thalacker, Dorthy Huse and Lee Belanger. For the full layout go to muskyareawoodcarvers.com
The Woodcraft Shop, Bettendorf, Iowa
Josh Guge,
realistic bird carving and painting.
Friday to Monday: September 15, 16, 17 and 18, 2017 –
$270.00 + a $20.00 material fee.
For more information call toll-free 800-397-2278 or go to
www.thewoodcraftshop.com
Rock River Valley Show
The Rock River Valley show in Janesville.
Applications for a table are available.
The show will be Saturday September 9 from 10-4.
See Jerome Mais for applications.
I thought about how mothers feed their babies with tiny little spoons and
forks, so I wondered what do Chinese mothers use - toothpicks?
August Birthdays
(that
we know about)
1 Richard Prutz
8
Elane Terrell
14
Hervell Fuse
14
Judy Englund
28
Dennis Neubauer
Minutes of the regular monthly business of Blackhawk Woodcarvers; held on
July 19, 2017 at 3218 Eleventh Street, Rockford, Illinois.
Jerome Mais opened the meeting at 9:03 AM.
Jerome started with asking if there were any announcements.
Bob Matthews noted that he had a message from Roger Benedict.
Roger has wood (basswood) that was 4x8x8ft.
Bob is still awaiting confirmation on the dimensions.
There were no further announcements.
Steve Terrill read the Minutes of the previous meeting.
The minutes were approved as read.
John Skaggs, Treasurer, reported on our financial situation.
We continue to be solvent.
Dona Wisner reported on Petty Cash and we continue to have enough money to
buy cookies. She also reported
that our coffee pot is dying.
John Skaggs authorized her to purchase a new one.
She is working with Elaine Terrell in searching for a pot that will
fit our space.
Chuck Drewes reported that Gary McGraw is a new member as of last week.
Old Business: Tyrone was not
present to report on the Facebook page.
Jerome passed on information that the Christmas Party has begun meeting.
Jerome spent the last month trying to find the Repair person at Sacred Heart
about the door and was not successful in finding him.
He will continue to work on that.
New Business: There was none.
The meeting was concluded at 9:16.
Show and tell
The meeting was closed at 9:21.
Respectfully Submitted
Steve Terrill
Secretary
President - Jerome Mais, 398-7904
Vice Pres. -
Secretary -
Steve Terrill, 708-0471
Photographer - Larry Clark, 262-9982
Membership - Chuck Drewes,
985-8575
Newsletter Publisher, Gary Johnson 399-1697
Historian - Elaine Terrell 765-2886
Programs - Bob Matthews 544-2359 &
Denny Neubauer 515-508-9524
Picnic -
Soap Carving –Gary Lundquis
Passed Treasured Carvings
Again, as a
reminder, I would like to have our club members start bringing in along with
regular SHOW and TELL items, some of your carvings that you have treasured
from the past. We all have
carvings packed away or setting on a shelf that no one has seen for years
except our spouses. I will have
an extra table set up so we can show our favorites on the Wednesdays that we
have our meetings!
Jerome Mais
Door Prizes
Don't forget the Door Prize drawing
on First Wednesdays. Bring something you don't need or want anymore, but
know someone would be thrilled to win at the drawing.
Basswood Boards
I
have three basswood boards to give away---4 x 8 inches and 4 foot long, and
in good shape. If any interest check with me at 815. 988. 3314.
Thanks,
Roger
How Gordy got started
I would love to hear from more members on how they started carving. While
waiting for others to tell their story, I will tell mine.
I was born and raised in Rockford and became a journeyman carpenter after
spending ten years as a computer programmer. I had always enjoyed working
with wood and tools. Coming
from a family with six children, I learned to make my own toys including
soap box cars, rubber band airplanes, and any other ideas I could get from
Triad Toys on Broadway. As I got older and married, I started refinishing
and restoring old furniture.
This led to an interest in adding decorations to the walls.
At the time, there were crafters making pictures on boards that
outlined in relief a picture and then it was painted.
This idea got my interest in doing more than just the outline, more
relief carving, but I didn’t know how to go about it.
I found a Boy Scout book at the library that show basic carving
patterns. At that early time
there weren’t many other pattern books available.
That was in the early 80’s.
About that same time, I saw a carved baby shoe that looked realistic and
well worn and I just had to try my hand at carving one like it. That was my
first in the round carving. I
was hooked. My sister lived in
Decorah, IA, and the Nordic Fest became a yearly event just to see carvers
in action. I traveled to MN to take a class with Ivan Willock who introduced
me to gouges. Up to that time I had mainly used white pine 2 x 4’s to carve
and knives. I joined the
Woodworkers club which also met at Kenrock and found others interested in
carving. I was asked to
instruct a class in beginning carving.
That was in the late 80’s.
I taught adult education classes at Rock Valley spring and fall sessions for
the next several years. In 1993
there seemed to be an interest in the formation of a Woodcarving club,
separate from the woodworking club, so postcards were sent out to all that
had taken classes and a meeting was held.
Fifty-five people attended that first meeting! Thus the start of
Blackhawk Woodcarvers Club.
Challenging myself has always been a goal.
I have not limited myself to one type of carving and have
experimented with a variety of woods but have found basswood and butternut
to be my favorite. Projects for
the grandchildren have included a four-foot glider carved horse, a complete
farm with carved animals, and lately I used veneers to carve a butterfly and
dragonfly.
The latest effort to continue the art of carving is the Boulder Junction WI
Musky Area Woodcarvers workshop which my wife and I organize each year with
13 instructors and over 100 participants carving with hand tools instead of
power. I hope that I never stop learning and experimenting.
Gordy Moscinski
Show and Tell pictures by Larry Clark and comments by Steve Terrill
No pictures were taken of the show and tell items.
Bernie Budzynski showed a woodburned plaque of
his (daughter’s) house in Norridge, IL that he both burned and
colored. He had a picture of
the house and it is a realistic copy of the picture.
Bernie also showed a nice plaque of an owl woodburned and lodged
inside of a large egg shaped gourd with doors cut and hinged to make a show
place.
Jerome showed the Stellar Jay he carved like the one for his sister in
Colorado. She reciprocated by
making a quilted bird for Jerome that he showed.
Elaine Terrell showed a chip carved and painted plate that was her first
chip carving in the year 2000.
She entered it as a beginner in that year’s show.
The judge (a club member) told her that she did not belong in the
Beginner’s class.
Tips and Tricks
Jigs and Twigs
Many of you have figured out
some easy or unique way of helping out your carving.
For example, using a red
pen when transferring a pattern on to the wood so you can see where you have
drawn.
Send me some of your tips.
Pictures would help show it even better.
TIP:
After you paint a carving and the grain raises, rub it with a soft cloth and
it should get rid of the fuzzes.
Gordy Moscinski
Why, why, why do we press harder on the remote control when we know the
batteries are getting weak?