Secrets for rounding off carving

[scottmc]

I just carved my first rifle and am happy with it.  But I would like to hear ideas on softening the sharp edges.  The Original that I tried to copy (RCA 22) seems to have rounded edges but maybe that is just from being a couple hundred years old and being handled.  I'm all ears!

[Pete G.]

Sanding sponge for drywall.

[Bill Raby]

I use rifflers.

[Marcruger]

I am not rifle builder or carver, but rubbing it with very fine bronze wool would round the edges a bit I am guessing.  I wouldn't use steel wool as you can get those rust spots that show. 

[rich pierce]

It’s like rounding a forestock or a wrist but on a tiny scale. Perhaps think of approaching it as the top half of a wrist. It starts out square, and typically we go to octagonal before finishing rounding. So, I chisel the top edge to 45 degrees first, carefully watching the grain. Then repeat with the new edges. Final cleanup could involve small scrapers, fine rifflers, and abrasives glued to sticks. There are some carving tutorials here and there are videos one can access as well.

https://americanlongrifles.org/forum/index.php?topic=50421.0

https://americanlongrifles.org/forum/index.php?topic=46011.0

https://americanlongrifles.org/forum/index.php?topic=12.0

[Bill Raby]

   The trick to really making it look good is to carve in some detail instead of just leaving it flat. You don't want to just sand over the whole to round off the edges. You need a lot more control over it. Expect to put in a good amount of time.

[scottmc]

Ok, thanks Rich and Raby.  I understand what you're saying, especially when Rich compared it to shaping the wrist.  I'll work at with chisels and slowly get some contour.

[john bohan]

Try those little sanding sticks also.

[Blacksmoke]

Fold a piece of 400 grit sand paper several times to give the paper some stiffness and lightly sand the carving until you are happy with the result. Then use 600 grit paper and do the same. Using the 600 grit paper again, wet the wood, let dry, sand, then repeat a number of times till no more whiskers lift up and you are ready to apply stain and finish.  Hugh Toenjes

[JTR]

With my restoration work, I use something like these small brass brushes.


If you search around, you can find them in various stiffness, all the way from soft to very stiff, as well as stainless steel, bronze and plastics. With some practice, you can create some very realistic wear patterns!
Practice first!

John

[Scota4570]

[JasonR]

Burnish with a dowel rod after your carving is modelled and after you apply any water based stain that causes whiskering. Not only will it improve those corners and help give a more natural look you're seeking, but burnishing is also a final step to compress any remaining wiskers. Just make sure one end of the dowel rod is rounded to eliminate any unintentional damage to your finished work surface. Kibler has a nice video about this FYI as I recall.

[scottmc]

I took the advice of a few here and this what it looks like now.  Much better to my eyes but I have a lot to learn.

[scottmc]