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Tools for Concave Carving |
www.sandhands.com/ |
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Nature is a good problem solver. Clams have to be tough, reasonably lightweight and easy to make. Here you see the end point of my evolution of tools for carving concave surfaces. Loop tools and such will make concaves, but the surface is left rough. I bought a big wooden potter's rib because its broad curves would carve what I wanted. The wood didn't hold up, so I made replacements in low-fire ceramic. These also didn't hold up very well. So I got a thick piece of scrap aluminum from an old street sign. That's why it's blue. Cutting and filing produced the shape, but aluminum wears rapidly under this kind of carving. The edge rounded off. One day I found this big clam shell on the beach. I smoothed its edge on the concrete sidwalk and started using it as carving tool. It holds an edge, is comfortable to hold, and works well. There are two problems: kids want to swipe them from my tool tub, and they break if sat on. I treasure these because they are made better than I know how to, and thus irreplaceable unless the sea gives me another gift. |
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concave.htm 2002 March 25 (page initiated, derived from new bigloop.htm)