Fully Customizable Knives

I have upgraded my Custom Knives page on The Old Stump Blog.  I have now made it possible for you to choose the exact handle material for your knife from many woods and laminates.  Just scroll down through the page for a guide through the selection process.  After choosing the handle material of your liking, select the knife specifications and click the "Add to Cart" button to add your new knife to your cart.  Multiple tools can be ordered at the same time to save on shipping costs.  This new addition will allow you to choose every aspect of your new custom knife.  If you have any questions regarding the order process, just drop me a note at theoldstump@live.com and I'll get back to you.

Lower Prices on Palm Tools

I have finally streamlined the process for making my custom palm tools enough that I can reduce the prices of the tools quite significantly.  I have also streamlined the order process even further to allow you to choose your handle material, the patina on the copper ferrule, and fit the handle with the tool size and sweep that you want for a unique custom palm tool that fits your needs as well as your artistic taste.  Just click on the "Custom Palm Tool" tab above to go to the order page and follow the instructions posted there.

Part Four of Carving the Caricature Face

The long awaited conclusion of the Carving the Caricature Face Tutorial is now up and ready for your use.  In Part Four we finish carving the head by detailing the ears, the hair, and applying some finishing touches to produce a completed caricature face.  I hope that you will follow along and carve your own caricature head.  I would love to see what you come up with.  Just send me your story and a photo or two of your carvings at theoldstump@live.com .  I will not post any photos or stories without your expressed permission, so don't worry about going public if you are not ready for it.

You will find a link to the tutorial by clicking the "Tutorials Page" tab found at the top of this page and scrolling down to the bottom.  The link will then take you to a PDF document.  I suggest that you download the PDF as viewing it from the Google Docs page where the document is stored causes the images to distort for some odd reason.  Have fun and Happy Carving!!!

Part Three of My Tutorial

Part three of my "Carving the Caricature Face" tutorial is now available for use and download.  Please make sure that you download the PDF file as viewing it online tends distorts the photos.  You can access it by going to the top of this page and clicking on the Tutorials Page Tab or by clicking this link:  Part 3 - The Eyes

In Part 3 we spend the majority of our time focusing on the eyes.  Many cavers find the eyes the most difficult of facial features to carve.  The goal of this tutorial is to shed some light on this difficult subject.

I know that many of you out there are following along with this tutorial.  I hope that you are enjoying it and finding it useful.  I'm sorry that each part is slow in coming, but I do this as a hobby and not a business and it simply takes a lot of time to put something like this together.  Of course, if my carving friends find it useful, it is well worth the time spent.  In the next part, we will finish carving the head. 

I am considering going on with this piece if there is enough interest and continuing the tutorial.  We could possible make this fellow into a bust or even a full figure.  I think he would look great as a cowboy, a construction worker, or even a medieval blacksmith.  Please leave a comment on this post or send me an email at theoldstump@live.com if you would be interest in continuing on and what type of carving (bust or figure) and the subject.  I would love to hear from you and good luck with all of your carving adventures.