I need to find my first carve image, I have it stamped somewhere, and post it on the first carve album on AQ. Homer actually was not half-bad, which allowed me to feel I could potentially reach the level of carving I experienced from locals (Poodle Circus, Team Springamajack, Spiralseekers, Maiden, Murray Herd, to name a few) involved when I started.

It is fun having nine years of carving under my belt - it has allowed me to practice so I can aim for the high heaven where Raven, stormrider, Kirbert and other amazing carvers' skills are!!!

As for losing a box or stamp, it pains me when no one finds a box before it goes missing. That still happens despite practice with planting skills. Once at least one person finds a box though, I relax a bit more and can mostly shrug if the box goes missing. There are a few stamps I don't want to lose so they become postals or PTs, but not too many are in that category.

I am glad when my stamps bring people joy or at times, awe. We all need to experience a broad range of emotions and things in life and boxing fits for me to do so. Like Rita added, carving is relaxing for me and though I aim for perfection I never reach it, but I rarely recarve anything, so my stamps have warts and all 😀

I have a few singles I've sent out in the past. DM me your address if you are interested!
belless

That series would of course have to be called 'Fly Fishing' 😉

The one they actually used only had 1 compartment but still 3 zippers, so there are apparently different ones out there.

Do you know where it was? I live near there and am an active GS leader. I can probably help.

Oh the things we do for a piece of rubber. Take a gander at these fine letterboxes in all their glory.
looking good

deniserows
with a camera

though I aim for perfection I never reach it

I disagree. I have "Renovated Work Environment" in my logbook and was looking at it again a couple of days ago. I'd consider that to be perfection. :^)

Will the Elvis Bra be making an appearance in Los Osos?

Woman to Blame
(for thinking a bra is way cooler than blue suede shoes)

is there anyone in the carlisle area who can come to my rescue?
send me a private message and i will explain.

thanks
smile
uneksia

{If the box has the GS Troop number on it, perhaps you could contact them somehow, either directly or through their regional offices. Possibly it was a word of mouth clue given to other troops, but none of them bothered to look for it?}

It did but I forgot it take it down. I never really thought of it being a word of mouth both because it was planted in 2015.

{Do you know where it was? I live near there and am an active GS leader. I can probably help.}

We found it right before The School House Quilt Block.
https://www.atlasquest.com/boxes/clue/?boxId=148571

It was behind the first of the two big pines mentioned in those clues.

It was such a fun box!! couldnt resist trying it on!!

Maybe this is common, but I never noticed it before. In a search for Lake George, NY boxes, I encountered two boxes with identical names, different planters quite near each other. It is mentioned in a comment as confusing. Does this happen much in other areas?

Does this happen much in other areas?

Duplicate names aren't uncommon, but when you list a box and enter a name, AQ will tell you how many other boxes on AQ have the same name to help you figure out a name that--perhaps isn't unique, but at least isn't super common.

But usually boxes with the same names are located well away from each other in different states or something that would minimize the confusion. Obviously, AQ does nothing to require this, but I don't think it's particularly common either.

-- Ryan

Maybe this is common, but I never noticed it before. In a search for Lake George, NY boxes, I encountered two boxes with identical names, different planters quite near each other. It is mentioned in a comment as confusing. Does this happen much in other areas?

I have found some boxes with similar names but never super close to each other. So that I avoid this, I do a search for all letterboxes when I come up with a name for a box to see if its name already belongs to a box to avoid a repeat name. Although I suspect I'll eventually run low on creativity and repeat a name...

I've never heard of exactly the same name, with no correlation between the boxes.
However, its not uncommon for 'add on' boxes to intentionally share some or even all of the same name.
One such example is the following:
https://www.atlasquest.com/results.html?typeId=1;name=What%27s+My+Sign;title=Marlborough%2C+MA+%2815+mi%29;coords=42.3467949761,-71.548104667;rad=15;location=Marlborough%2C+MA

In fact, I hope to plant a 'Jeopardy!' series soon which I hope will become an 'add on' series.

It wouldn't surprise me if the planter of the newer box was unaware of the existence of the older one, which has restrictions of some sort.

Did this go away during an update?

How do I retrieve it?

Rose

Check out this recent thread.

Hello. I am carving a stamp right now of a lady with very big tight curly hair and I just can not seem to get it to look right. Has anyone tred carving this type of hair and if so could you give me some tips on how to make it look right? Thanks so much!

Like this type of hair? If so, I can give you a lot of help because I've carved this image.

If not, then please give more detail. Is it "white" (non-inked) or "black" (inked) hair? Different techniques apply. For instance, if it is "white" hair I use a blade and carve around the hair. If it is "black" hair then I use a gouge with the smallest "V" that I have. Please give us more detail.

I had such a fantastic time at your event, and it was just an extra-special treat to "jam" with your son after a full day of hiking and inky fingers! I really appreciate all your hard work in planning, planting, and organizing such a wonderful day-and thanks to all the carvers for the wonderful stamps! 😃

Glad MY picture didn't show up on the big reveal! Lol....it was a really fun box though....thanks for sharing it at Maude's event!

https://i.pinimg.com/736x/d1/b6/ce/d1b6ce8222a77b50feb3e3fab7993d37--curl-types-curly-wurly.jpg
This is the type of hair that I am trying to carve.

I can't even remember my first carve or plant. I as the song says "let it go". I knew from the beginning that my boxes would have limited lives and I get a thrill when they live a long time.

I remember hearing about this bra when I first started boxing...cant believe its a real thing! lol

Thanks, Rocklun! Although it turned out well, I know the details that I missed ;P

Evenso, I don't foresee planting it anytime though. :)

Ambitious image!!

I would use my lighted magnifier, Staedtler reversed 1V gouge, deep breaths for patience, and begin to carve out the white areas around and within the black hairs, leaving the black as much as possible.

(Edited after reading Oberon_Kenobi's post): I do all my carvings using the reversed 1v and can get the level of detail you are seeking by doing so. As O_K said, make the image a size you feel comfortable carving - I would leave it the size you showed or make it 15% bigger somewhere in that range. When I carve, I hold the material in my left hand and carve with my right, allowing me to vary angle and pressure to get the blade exactly where I want it on the medium. I tend to carve the outer most areas of images then move my way into the center, this reduces risk of smearing or losing very fine details within the image (my transfer method is acetone on laser printed images which gives very crisp transfers but can smear just slightly with pressure). I will let the gouge dig into the material a bit, but I pull up slowly when ending cuts while heading toward a "v" in hair or something similar to give a fairly thin line going into that "v". Other times I will start from within the "v" very shallowly and do two passes, one for each side of the "v" but again very shallowly. When I am going toward the tips of single hairs or thin clumps of hairs, I make two passes heading toward the tip, going deep along one side, then the same along the other, making the tip a crisp point. For any area that has gray (not quite white, not quite black) I would do very thin and shallow gouge passes to give this a little feathered texture but not completely remove all the "gray" (since it is not quite white or black and can add "shadowing" if some is left).

A very neat image to work on, but would take me some time, definitely.
Good luck!

This is the type of hair that I am trying to carve.

Wow! That is a LOT of detail.

I haven't done anything nearly that detailed. You'll need some advice from someone who has.

However, I'll try, using what experience I do have.

Do your carving at that size or even larger. Take your time; it will take a long time too. Carve the narrow white lines with a gouge, but to start/end use a blade. If you want more precision (but more time) then use a blade for everything.

And for those thin (black) lines, get a small tool to hold the rubber still from the side opposite from where you're carving.

Good luck!

I have "Renovated Work Environment" in my logbook

I, too, have this amazing image from the Exploring the Seas event. IF you don't reach perfection, you certainly come closer than seems humanly possible. And who can forget the whiskey label (assuming others ever get the chance to finally see it!!) . . . my all time favorite!!