9-year-old's first whittling - with a Ladybug

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Water Bug
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#41

Post by Water Bug »

The idea of engraving the child's name on the knife is definitely worth considering.

My father had hand-engraved mine and my brother's names on one of the back springs of the Buck Stockman pocket knives he gave us many, many years ago. Not only did it personalize the knives and make them special, but it also kept my brother and I from getting them mixed up and fighting over them. :)

That Buck Stockman was so cool and fun to have. Unfortunately, just as I got to the point where I was really enjoying it, I lost it somewhere during a two-week insect natural history course back in my college days. When I got home, I tried replacing it with the same model, but by then Buck had changed the design and construction of that particular piece to the point where it just wasn't the same. Even if the model had still been identical in design, it wouldn't have been the same... you can never really replace a gift by buying it yourself, if you know what I mean. I was so mad at myself for losing a knife my father had given me.
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tonydahose
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#42

Post by tonydahose »

Jazz wrote:. Do you have pics on hand of the spine engraving? I think I've seen it before, but I can't remember. Thanks for the idea.

- best wishes, Jazz.
here ya go
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copied from this thread
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Jazz
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#43

Post by Jazz »

I knew I saw them before, but thanks again for your effort. They look great!

- best wishes, Jazz.
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Jazz
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#44

Post by Jazz »

Water Bug wrote:The idea of engraving the child's name on the knife is definitely worth considering.

My father had hand-engraved mine and my brother's names on one of the back springs of the Buck Stockman pocket knives he gave us many, many years ago. Not only did it personalize the knives and make them special, but it also kept my brother and I from getting them mixed up and fighting over them. :)

That Buck Stockman was so cool and fun to have. Unfortunately, just as I got to the point where I was really enjoying it, I lost it somewhere during a two-week insect natural history course back in my college days. When I got home, I tried replacing it with the same model, but by then Buck had changed the design and construction of that particular piece to the point where it just wasn't the same. Even if the model had still been identical in design, it wouldn't have been the same... you can never really replace a gift by buying it yourself, if you know what I mean. I was so mad at myself for losing a knife my father had given me.
Sorry you lost it. At least you remember your first knife. I honestly don't recall mine, but I was around 9 years old. :(

- best wishes, Jazz.
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#45

Post by swanseajack »

Hi Jazz, Ella and I were having a cup of tea when I revisited this thread. I showed her the picture of her knife on here. Ella says hello and thanks for the idea of a purple Ladybug. She is very pleased with it.
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#46

Post by Jazz »

swanseajack wrote:Hi Jazz, Ella and I were having a cup of tea when I revisited this thread. I showed her the picture of her knife on here. Ella says hello and thanks for the idea of a purple Ladybug. She is very pleased with it.
Well, hello Ella. :) I'm glad she likes it. My granddaughter and I did a LOT of whittling this weekend while camping. She kept her Purple Ladybug in either her pocket or hand all the time. We made whistles, a canoe, and just plain old whittled. I showed her how to safely open one-handed and told her why it was invented and after that that's the only way she did it - she even showed Grandma how to do it. She just loves her knife. I'll let her take it home in a couple of months on her 10th birthday. I'm still training her on safety - especially since she has a 3 year old brother running around. I used my modded to be pointy Salt 1 for my whittling. Anyway, here's a couple of pics of us...

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- best wishes, Jazz.
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#47

Post by swanseajack »

Hi Jazz. I often send Ella out the garden to cut me some Rosemary (I put it in with new potatoes-the whole family loves them) anyway, she was about to open the knife in the house and run out to the Rosemary bush, I reminded her it's safer to open it near where she will use it and close it before running back inside. Have you got any other safety tips for her that may not be obvious to us adults.
I haven't had chance to do any whittling this week with her, I'm ripping out a horrible 50's fire surround ready to put a wood burner in place, but she sharpens her own pencils with it. She does a good job too, to be fair !
My younger daughter want's a yellow Ladybug, which I will get her one day but she's only 4 and a half and as mad as a box of frogs! So she'll be waiting a few years.
That a rather nice spot you picked for a camp, what lake is it?
best wishes Marcus and Ella
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#48

Post by swanseajack »

ps I've got blue Crocs too!
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Jazz
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#49

Post by Jazz »

swanseajack wrote:Hi Jazz. I often send Ella out the garden to cut me some Rosemary (I put it in with new potatoes-the whole family loves them) anyway, she was about to open the knife in the house and run out to the Rosemary bush, I reminded her it's safer to open it near where she will use it and close it before running back inside. Have you got any other safety tips for her that may not be obvious to us adults.
I haven't had chance to do any whittling this week with her, I'm ripping out a horrible 50's fire surround ready to put a wood burner in place, but she sharpens her own pencils with it. She does a good job too, to be fair !
My younger daughter want's a yellow Ladybug, which I will get her one day but she's only 4 and a half and as mad as a box of frogs! So she'll be waiting a few years.
That a rather nice spot you picked for a camp, what lake is it?
best wishes Marcus and Ella
I can't remember the lake's name - :confused: but it's near Canmore, Alberta. It was nice but the next day rained a lot. I told my granddaughter (Jade) that very same tip - she was walking on the roks with it open. :eek: I'd tell Ella: be careful of others around you when your knife is open, never show off with it, and when you whittle, it's very important to keep your legs out of the way or you can cut them bad if the knife slips, if you haven't already told her these things. As for the Smurf blue Crocs - I wanted black but they didn't have any when I got them and I was impatient - but they sure are handy shoes, and with me and Jade together, it's hard to lose us. :D

- best wishes, Jazz (Jerry).
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#50

Post by swanseajack »

Cheers. I wanted a grey pair, but we were in a rush to explore some rock pools :confused:
M
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#51

Post by Water Bug »

Excellent pictures, Jazz! Thanks for sharing these!

Really cool of you spending quality time with your granddaughter and teaching her the beauty of knives.
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#52

Post by dialex »

Hi Jazz, thanks for the great story and pics. I still have to learn to carve a wooden whistle... :o
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#53

Post by swanseajack »

I wonder if jazz would indulge us and teach some big kids how to make a whistle? We could pass on the trick to our kids! :)
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#54

Post by Jazz »

swanseajack wrote:I wonder if jazz would indulge us and teach some big kids how to make a whistle? We could pass on the trick to our kids! :)
I'd be happy to. Just be patient and I'll do the best pics I can. I'm busy today because my granddaughter is here for the day and we're gonna go ride horses, hopefully. :D

- best wishes, Jazz.
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#55

Post by swanseajack »

Cheers Jazz, I'm sure there are loads of parents and grandparents who want to learn.
Have fun .
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Jazz
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Whistle Tutorial

#56

Post by Jazz »

Well, here it is. I hope this helps someone have some fun...

First you need a piece of wood (a stick or a block)...

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Now, either drill a hole or use an awl to make a hole...

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If you use the block you should make it round...

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Next, either use a small saw to cut HALFWAY through the hole, or cut and chip slowly to the same depth...

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Cut an angle cut to the place where the saw ended (if you used a saw - if you whittled it, it should already be there)...

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Now cut a smaller piece of wood or twig to size to fit snugly into the hole (whittle slowly and try it for size a lot - be careful you don't break the whistle with this step)...

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CONTINUED...
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Jazz
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#57

Post by Jazz »

......Now, let's finish up:

Trim the round twig or stick so the top is flat (about 1/2 the thickness) and trim all the little fuzzies out from around the hole carefully (see arrow for the area I'm talking about)...

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Push the twig in (flat part at top, and to just past where you can see it come through works best, I've found). Now, test blow - you may need to push the twig farther or pull it out a bit, or even trim a sliver more from the thickness. Mine's loudest where you see it in my pic...

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If not snug enough, you may have to use some NON TOXIC wood glue (I had to). Now after the glue is dry (if you used any) trim the twig flush with the whistle front...

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You can also drill a side to side hole for a string if you want (careful it's past where the whistle hole ends inside, or you'll wreck the whistle) and fancy it up however you feel like. Also, you can sand it if you want. Good luck and have fun. :) I must also add that my Salt 1 is a great whittler - I love it!

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Here's a recap on a piece of paper that you can save if you think it'll be handy...

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I hope to see some pics of your whistles ;)

- best wishes, Jazz.
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#58

Post by Simsmac »

Wow, that is a great tutorial! I am definitely going to try that out. What kind of wood could one use? Would Pine, Beech, or Birch work ok? Those are the only trees with soft wood that I can think of that I would be able to find...
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#59

Post by swanseajack »

Nice one Jazz. That Salt is quite similar to a Delica 4 shape??
Hi simsmac. IIRC cherry, apple and other fruitwood wood is suposed to be the best for carving and turning..
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#60

Post by Jazz »

Simsmac - You could use any wood you want, as long as it's not poisonous. I used basswood here because it's real soft and I didn't want to take forever. I've made fancy, sanded, and finished ones to sell as pendants out of many different hardwoods. They just might be a bit harder to carve. Thanks for the compliment.

Marcus - I modified the Salt 1 to make it pointy. I have another one that I left stock - I like both versions. It has just a wee bit more belly than my Delica 3 and that makes it that much better..

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- best wishes, Jazz.
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