Rainy Day Whittlin'

[Kepis]

Bit of whittling on this damp January afternoon.

Feather stick/flower in Aspen and two net needles in well seasoned, rock hard Hazel.

Carved with Victorinox Hiker and TBS Boar EDC folder.

 

[Tengu]

Thats very neat.

 

[mikehill]

Great precise work !

 

[Mesquite]

Very clean, tidy work Mark

How small do you think you could carve a net needle?

 

[Kepis]

Very clean, tidy work Mark

How small do you think you could carve a net needle?

Cheers Steve, i guess if i used a scalpel blade i could use a smaller piece of wood, i did try carving one in a ice lolly stick, but failed, it ended up as a "reel" type design. At the moment with the way my hands and fingers are i guess the small one as pictured above is about as small as i want to go, its not much bigger than an SAK, so pretty small, when the weather warms up and everything starts to feel better and i can get outside, i'll perhaps give a real small one a try - keep you posted.

 

[Pattree]

Netting needles for lace were about 10mm wide. The ones I know were ivory but I don’t think they were carved with a knife.

If I am thinking right the gauge was about 8mm.

 

[Kepis]

How small do you think you could carve a net needle?

Had another go this morning, net needle carved from a Beech lolly stick, initially used my SAK small blade, but ended up using my Carving Jack as the tip is finer, needle pictured with my SAK for scale.

 

[Toddy]

Very tidy, and impressive lolly pop sticks are weird to work with somehow, I find they split.

I have very old bone needleworking tools. They're not ivory, they weren't 'posh' they were working tools. The difference shows clearly as they age. Bone's hard on the hands to carve though, and ivory is illegal, but antler is a bit more forgiving, just the core's very porous.

 

[Pattree]

Well done!!!!!
I agree with Toddy. Dunno what wood they use for lolly sticks but it seems to be long grained and has poor integrity. Good job!

Edited to add:
I don’t use fuzz sticks but a lolly stick can make a quick and effective one, probably for the same reasons that it’s difficult to carve.

 

[British Red]

The definition of "immaculate"

 

[Tony]

yeah, very nice indeed

 

[Kepis]

Very tidy, and impressive lolly pop sticks are weird to work with somehow, I find they split.

I have very old bone needleworking tools. They're not ivory, they weren't 'posh' they were working tools. The difference shows clearly as they age. Bone's hard on the hands to carve though, and ivory is illegal, but antler is a bit more forgiving, just the core's very porous.

The lolly sticks do tend to split fairly easily that's for sure, i surprised myself getting this one done as my failure rate using a lolly stick is very high, still perseverance paid off i guess.

Some years ago eldest started tracing our family tree, turns out some of my maternal ancestors were lace makers, would love to have inherited some of their bobbins, which i guess were either bone, ivory or box wood, unfortunately they are long lost to the sands of time.

 

[Kepis]

The definition of "immaculate"

Cheers BR, just trying to keep body and mind occupied and the challenge of carving small does that.

 

[Kepis]

Well done!!!!!
I agree with Toddy. Dunno what wood they use for lolly sticks but it seems to be long grained and has poor integrity. Good job!

These ones are Beech, food safe and doesn't chip or splinter, ideal for lolly pops

 

[Kepis]

Decided to load the needle, took about 1.5M of nylon string, no, im not going to tie a really small net, my hands won't take it

 

[Toddy]

The lolly sticks do tend to split fairly easily that's for sure, i surprised myself getting this one done as my failure rate using a lolly stick is very high, still perseverance paid off i guess.

Some years ago eldest started tracing our family tree, turns out some of my maternal ancestors were lace makers, would love to have inherited some of their bobbins, which i guess were either bone, ivory or box wood, unfortunately they are long lost to the sands of time.

I inherited the box with family lace making bobbins in it. Kind of strange to handle these and not know the people who used them.
They're mostly of bone, some are ivory and a few are wooden. Almost all of my own ones are wooden, though I have some brass ones a friend turned for me.

Actually, there's a thought for your carving. A netting rocket needle. Well, that's what I know it as. It's basically a bit of branch, mine's a little over an inch in diameter and a handspan long. The end is carved like a rocket, and below that the shaft is thinned down to about half an inch until the bottom half inch bit which is left just as thick as the branch.. It's easy to wrap with string, and then do the same sort of half hitch that I use on my lace bobbins. It holds a lot of string.
The rocket makes a very decent tool to make a net, and it's easier than the netting needle to make, especially if out and about and wanting one in a hurry.

 

[Pattree]

Picture? Please?

My wife has thousands of lace bobbins and sometimes uses hundreds at a time.
She also has some commemorative ones. There is a new Lace Guild one each year.

@Kepis At you familiar with lace bobbins. They are usually turned on a lathe but the special occasion asymmetric ones must be carved somehow. The Honiton lace bobbins are little thicker than your bamboo skewers at their widest. Some of the Russian lace ones are up to 12mm thick and spangled (decorated) with heavy beads or lead. They’d be a major exercise in tapering and reduction if they interested you.

Can’t find a picture of a netting rocket. Well I can but it’s a bloody big explosive device for launching nets! Yours sounds like a big version of a lace needle. It must put lots of twists into your yarn. Netting needles are counterwound and avoid that.

 

[Kepis]

Actually, there's a thought for your carving. A netting rocket needle. Well, that's what I know it as. It's basically a bit of branch, mine's a little over an inch in diameter and a handspan long. The end is carved like a rocket, and below that the shaft is thinned down to about half an inch until the bottom half inch bit which is left just as thick as the branch.. It's easy to wrap with string, and then do the same sort of half hitch that I use on my lace bobbins. It holds a lot of string.
The rocket makes a very decent tool to make a net, and it's easier than the netting needle to make, especially if out and about and wanting one in a hurry.

Sounds like the Rocket needle is similar in shape to a Danish lace bobbin, looks just like a 1920/30's style space rocket on a stick?

 

[Toddy]

Kind of, yes, but no handle.
Pointy at one end, hollowed down in the middle and then with an end to stop the string running off.

 

[Toddy]

Can’t find a picture of a netting rocket. Well I can but it’s a bloody big explosive device for launching nets! Yours sounds like a big version of a lace needle. It must put lots of twists into your yarn. Netting needles are counterwound and avoid that.

It's not for fine thread, it's for string, for cordage, it makes quick nets for carrying stuff, for growing peas or beans, that kind of thing.
I can't say I felt it twisted the string very much ....but then, think winding a bobbin on a sewing machine....it's a parallel wind on to stop over spinning and fankling of the thread. I just let the rocket dangle occasionally and it birls out any overtwist quite tidily.

The first one I ever saw was being used to make a net for over the top of a reed thatch on a dry peats stack. Then it was weighted down by rocks tethered onto it.