My favorite carving book is :
The Weekend Crafter: Rubber Stamp Carving: Techniques, Designs &
Projects by Luann Udell
Also I liked :
Art Stamping Workshop by Gloria Page.
There are lots of tips in both of those.
Also, I use speedball #1 blades mostly but beware because you can buy
them new and they often start out dull :(
So I use a very fine grit sandpaper and sharpen them.
Also check your carving medium.
Don't use the white stuff that Speedball makes! It is terrible and
won't last long in a letterbox. Nasty crumbly stuff.....
The pink stuff is fine.
As to the others many folks seem like different ones, so shop around.
Choices: PZkut, Dick Blick's grey rubber stuff, Mastercarve, Staedler
erasers, pink pearl erasers.
I am sure that I have forgotten some here.
Good luck,
Nisha

--- In letterbox-usa@yahoogroups.com, "marie66dawn" wrote:
>
> I've been letterboxing for a couple months- and love it. I'd like to
> hide more BUT- I'm dreadful at carving. I know you aren't suppose to
> use store bought stamps- but mine looks like a 5yr old went to work on
> it. I have seen alot of amazing stamps out there. Was just wondering
> how in the heck you all get such fine detail? Do you use a dremel? If
> so what tips? I'm using a X-acto knife & speedball. Circles/ ovals are
> the worst. What exactly are the best tools? Would appreciate any
> advice. Thanks Hikinghams
>

My carving is absolutely horrid. I have decided to just accept that my
style will always be "early primitive" and try to find designs hat will
complement that :-)



A couple things that have helped me somewhat are:



Finding a mentor to show you how to carve I am very privileged to have
ScoutDog nearby and have been able to watch her carve. She does a
fantastic demonstration that helped me with some very basic techniques.



Another suggestion is to make sure your tools are SHARP. Carving tools are
the same as knives in that respect. Work much better when sharp.



Mama Stork

aka Pam in Cinci

_____

From: letterbox-usa@yahoogroups.com [mailto:letterbox-usa@yahoogroups.com]
On Behalf Of marie66dawn
Sent: Saturday, June 24, 2006 8:23 PM
To: letterbox-usa@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [LbNA] carving stamps



I've been letterboxing for a couple months- and love it. I'd like to
hide more BUT- I'm dreadful at carving. I know you aren't suppose to
use store bought stamps- but mine looks like a 5yr old went to work on
it. I have seen alot of amazing stamps out there. Was just wondering
how in the heck you all get such fine detail? Do you use a dremel? If
so what tips? I'm using a X-acto knife & speedball. Circles/ ovals are
the worst. What exactly are the best tools? Would appreciate any
advice. Thanks Hikinghams







[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

There's nothing wrong with store bought stamps. Some are very
talented carvers and others at least enjoy it. But for many this
hobby is about the hunting and finding not the art.
So, feel free to use store bought stamps. Personally I enjoy the hand
carved stamps but that's not really why I search for the boxes so I
don't care one way or the other.

I know some, who've been at this for quite a while, have never carved
their own stamps, others carve for them or they buy them. I believe
in England most all the stamps are bought.


Kim
Compass Points


--- In letterbox-usa@yahoogroups.com, "marie66dawn" wrote:
>
> I've been letterboxing for a couple months- and love it. I'd like to
> hide more BUT- I'm dreadful at carving. I know you aren't suppose to
> use store bought stamps- but mine looks like a 5yr old went to work on
> it. I have seen alot of amazing stamps out there. Was just wondering
> how in the heck you all get such fine detail? Do you use a dremel? If
> so what tips? I'm using a X-acto knife & speedball. Circles/ ovals are
> the worst. What exactly are the best tools? Would appreciate any
> advice. Thanks Hikinghams
>

There may be nothing wrong with store bought stamps but there are
those who are VERY disappointed when finding them. There are those who
will not even bother to look if they know the box has such a stamp
inside.

The general concensus amongst those who feel this way is that the
crudest handmade stamp is far better than one made by a machine. If
you want to maximize the number of folks interested in finding your
letterboxes, I recommend carving your own stamps.

As for the tools you choose to use, you need to practice, practice,
practice. That is the only way you will learn which is right for you.
Some superior carvers use the Speedball gouges and others various
types of blades or a combination of both. There is no way to know
which is best for you without just trying. Well prepared art,
magnification and good light will go a long way to improving your
results. When cutting curves, rotate the carving medium not your hand.
Both letterboxing.org and Atlas Quest have carving tutorials that are
very helpful. Good luck! Funhog

--- In letterbox-usa@yahoogroups.com, "CompassPoints"
wrote:
>
> There's nothing wrong with store bought stamps.
> Compass Points
>
>
> --- In letterbox-usa@yahoogroups.com, "marie66dawn" wrote:
> >
> > I've been letterboxing for a couple months- and love it. I'd like to
> > hide more BUT- I'm dreadful at carving.

I agree with CompassPoints regarding store bought stamps - nothing
wrong with them. But some folks get a little disappointed if they are
expecting a carved stamp and find a store bought one instead. A note
in the clues page about what type of stamp is in the box would help
finders decide on whether to search for the box. You may lose a few
finders who prefer to find carved stamps but those who are out there
for the adventure of discovering a new place and finding tupperware in
the park will go out for the hunt.

I enjoy carving and have been carving for years now, even before I
heard about letterboxing. I primarily use a speedball lino cutter with
a #1 and #2 blade: http://www.artmaterials.com.au/images/lino_cutt.jpg
. I use a disposable testors knife (it has a thin very sharp blade)
http://www.prop-shop.com/g/t/tes8801.jpg to help cut out finicky
things like letters and eyes.

Lone R

--- In letterbox-usa@yahoogroups.com, "CompassPoints"
wrote:
>
> There's nothing wrong with store bought stamps.....
>
>
> --- In letterbox-usa@yahoogroups.com, "marie66dawn" wrote:
> >
> > I've been letterboxing for a couple months- and love it. I'd like to
> > hide more BUT- I'm dreadful at carving. I know you aren't suppose to
> > use store bought stamps- but mine looks like a 5yr old went to
work on
> > it. I have seen alot of amazing stamps out there. Was just wondering
> > how in the heck you all get such fine detail? Do you use a dremel? If
> > so what tips? I'm using a X-acto knife & speedball. Circles/ ovals
are
> > the worst. What exactly are the best tools? Would appreciate any
> > advice. Thanks Hikinghams
> >
>