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Re: needle carving
Board: Tools of the Trade
Reply to: #934060 by Topcollector
Sep 1, 2016 8:32am
Thread (disabled) Board
Maybe I fall into the same boat.
Re: needle carving
Board: Tools of the Trade
Reply to: #934062 by koalacat
Sep 1, 2016 9:30am
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Hey Koalacat, let me know when you will be in the area again and let's see if I can do a better needle carving demonstration, the last one was a bit short.
Re: needle carving
Board: Tools of the Trade
Reply to: #934060 by Topcollector
Sep 1, 2016 3:17pm
Thread (disabled) Board
That's why I invented the wire knife:

http://www.atlasquest.com/gallery/viewalbum.html?gAlbumId=809

IMHO, it's easier to get accustomed to carving with a wire knife than with a needle. A needle will cut in two directions while the wire knife only cuts in one direction, but the cutting edge on a wire knife is in line with the handle rather than canted at an angle. The cutting edge is also a straight edge, while the cutting edge on a needle is curved. The wire knife also has a pointier point, making it clearer where you're inserting it into the rubber.

With either a wire knife or a needle, you're going to need a pin vise or some other form of handle.

The best thing about a carving needle: When it gets dull, you can just buy a new one for 30 cents or so. You can also buy very tiny ones, tinier than you'll ever be able to really use for carving.

BTW, if your eyes are even a question mark, you should try more magnification and more light before you do anything else. Even 20 years old and 20/20 vision, you'd benefit from magnification and light when working the fine details in carving a stamp. If you can see clearly enough, the shortcomings of your tools become obvious and there's no question what you need to become a better carver. There are a couple of carvers out there that actually use a jeweler's loupe while carving!

Of course, if your eyes are truly bad -- astigmatisms, cataracts, just generally blind as a bat -- there may be no helping. In some cases, you may be better off designing a stamp on your 'puter and sending the design off to someone else for carving. There are many skilled carvers on the Stamp Swap board willing to help out.
Re: needle carving
Board: Tools of the Trade
Reply to: #934095 by Kirbert
Sep 2, 2016 12:38pm
Thread (disabled) Board
IMHO, it's easier to get accustomed to carving with a wire knife than with a needle. A needle will cut in two directions while the wire knife only cuts in one direction, but the cutting edge on a wire knife is in line with the handle rather than canted at an angle. The cutting edge is also a straight edge, while the cutting edge on a needle is curved. The wire knife also has a pointier point, making it clearer where you're inserting it into the rubber.

All VALID Points!

The Rubber Rabbit makes the following statement (see bottom photo with notation) ...
"DO NOT use it like a gouge to carve the rubber. It is used the same way as an X-acto blade is used — by slicing V’s." ~ https://therubberrabbit.wordpress.com/2011/10/18/carving-with-a-needle/

By holding down the Ctrl key and continually hitting the + key you can magnify this bottom photo to fill your screen (although soft). ~ https://therubberrabbit.files.wordpress.com/2011/10/103-640x480.jpg?w=300&h=225

IF...the intent of needle carving is for slicing V's as a "needle knife" shouldn't it be reshaped/ground more like a knife blade instead of looking like a pointed gouge? The idea of using a larger Veterinary needle (high grade steel) definitely has merit, but as a knife blade (as shown in the photo)? Wouldn't needle reshaping serve a purpose by grinding off some of it's elongated point for a mini U gouge? Only requires one pass to remove the same material (in half the time) instead of two tiny V knife incisions?
Re: needle carving
Board: Tools of the Trade
Reply to: #934147 by Frenchie
Sep 2, 2016 5:32pm
Thread (disabled) Board
A needle won't work as a gouge no matter how you modify it. Been there, tried that.