Acer, I really appreciate that coming from someone of your talent! Let me point out, in light of a recent thread on incised carving...all my carving is cut in with a 1mm V-tool. I then go around the incised lines with an exacto knife to deepen the cut a little before removing the background. It may be unorthodox but it works for me. For some reason, I have no control with a knife for initial cutting in.
I don't do much of what I call the european acanthus leaf style carving that requires the stabbing-in technique on longrifles. I have yet to see an original American made longrifle that used stabbing-in technique. Jim Klein & I have had this conversation about early carving, he has some beautifully carved originals, and we both agree they were all done using a veiner, no stabbing. I'm not saying it is wrong for our contemporaries to use it if it works for them, just not necesary once the other technique is learned. I used to use stabbing & cutting methods until attending a couple seminars at Dixon's Fair in 1989 by Dave Hardy and another by Frank(?) Hruska showed how to sharpen and use (control) veiners! Once I got home and tried it I loved it and improved ever since.
Sorry if this got off on a tangent. Maybe it should be the subject of another thread.
