Spoon Carving First Steps

Rainy day char cloth.

2012-01-21T19:48:00.001Z

Well.

First of all I would like to wish you all a happy and prosperous new year.

I've been spending my time since the festivities practising and adapting my spoon making techniques. I have been making Nordic style spoons and large serving spoons.

I wanted to increase my speed in manufacture, out of curiosity mainly.

I have been using my new Adze to great effect hollowing the bowls of the serving spoons in particular.

The Birch I was using was quite twisty and full of burs and knots, not at all suitable for highly finished treen.

So fun and experimentation has been the order of the day.

I'll write a tutorial on the Nordic spoons later in the month.

I had a visit from a friend of mine who is studying ancient cultures.

Lucy has recently returned from a dig out in Texas and is keen on carrying out some hands on experiments with stone tools.

Next week we will take a length of Birch, and using fire, shorten it to a length suitable for a long bowl, much like a sour dough bowl, long and shallow.

Her professor will make up some late stone age flint tools, an adze and blades.

With these tools we shall see what can be carved and how.

I am going to have to set a good fire on Monday morning.

I want to use a technique that I have not tried before.

Flint and steel...

Although this technique has nothing to do with the time period we are studying, it is a technique that I have not used before.

To coax a relatively cool spark from the steel into life, I will need something called char cloth.

I ripped my knee through my best (100%) cotton trousers last week, so I have an abundance of suitable material to make plenty of charred cloth.

The weather is pretty grim at the moment, so instead of using a conventional fire out doors, I decided to process the cotton in the firebox of my old range.

I needed a tin, with a removable press lid.

Sarah has been baking cakes so a syrup tin became available.

You can see the light coloured cloth under the lid.

I popped a small hole in the lid and carved a stick that plugged the hole...

I took the stick out and kept it handy for the latter part of the process.

I then rolled the cloth up and popped it in the tin.

I put the lid on nice and tight and made sure there was a pair of pliers handy to remove the hot tin from the fire later...

I put the tin in the hot embers.

Very soon smoke poured out of the small hole...

Increasing....

And then dying away and finally stopping.

Once the smoke had stopped I removed the tin with the pliers and sealed the hole with the wooden plug...

I let the tin cool.

Then removed the lid....

Char cloth.

So, a quick rummage in my bits and pieces draw resulted in a steel, a piece of flint and some Daldinia concentrica...

I placed a small piece of char cloth on top of the flint and started striking it with the steel, producing small clusters of spark...

After a few strikes the char cloth started to glow, it had caught a spark.

I put the glowing cloth onto the fungi and nurtured the ember...

The fungi easily took the small char cloth ember and started smouldering much like charcoal...

Come Monday I will ignite some char cloth, pop it into a piece of Daldinia concentrica and add it to a tinder bundle with which I can light my fire.

I'll keep you posted on how we get on with the experimental archaeology...

I must take the opportunity to thank Chris Grant for making the 'J' shaped steel striker and my MaChris knives.

Enjoy...

Happy New Year...

2012-01-01T10:56:00.003Z

Wishing you all a happy and prosperous 2012.

Jon Mac and Sarah.

Spoon carvers Khomus harp...

2011-12-13T15:05:00.000Z

Well...

There it is...

I've reached the grand old age of 50.

Really not so bad as I've found out.

Sarah and I gave a small bash here at home where my oldest and closest friends joined together and ate a splendid lamb Balti, cooked by Richard and Tas.

My good friends and family all chipped in and bought me a new edge tool.
An Adze from G.Bruks.
Sweden.

Now I can hollow out my larger bowls and Ale hens a little quicker than when using the hook knife.

Thank you all so much....

Sarah had been busy with other secrets as well.
She had spent the summer trawling around trying to find a Khomus mouth harp.
She finally tracked one down at Hobgoblin London.
It was a complete surprise when I opened the small parcel on the morning of my birthday.

This delicate instrument came without a case.
So I decided to make one for it as soon as I could...

Well... It did the job...

But Dolly and Choti thought I could make a better one.

So I squared of another piece of Birch with my Axe and started afresh.
The first one was made with a knife and hook knife to start with... I'm afraid to say that because of the small size of the box I decided that I would have to employ another small tool.

A tiny relief carvers gauge.
You can make it out in the centre of the picture.
As you know, I usually limit myself to three simple tools.
Axe, Knife and hook knife.
But on this occasion I had no choice as the dimensions of the box were dictated by the dimensions of the Khomus.

Well here it is...

I can pop the cord around my neck and wear it as a pendant for safe keeping.
It has a camel bone bead on the back to keep the cord tight.

And I managed to hide the cord holes underneath the harp...

Here is a movie of me playing my super Khomus harp

I have played a mouth harp for about forty years.
But not one of such quality.
I will keep practising.
And enjoy the unique sound that these instruments produce.
Happy days.

Enjoy...

J

Tracking with Mark Lane...

2011-11-16T10:27:00.001Z

Mark Lane ...Wilderness Guide.

My good friend Mark sent me an e mail the other day. He suggested I get up at a good hour on Saturday morning so he could pick me up and take me to a near-by forest for some tracking and stalking tuition.

Back in the day I was quite used to being woken in the middle of the night by the sharp shrill alarm of the telephone...Someone the other end of the line would give me a grid reference and a quick over view of the call out we were about to under take. With these messages came a large dollop of adrenalin that would coax you through the first stages of readying your tea/coffee and rations for a long nights search, dressing, grabbing your Bergen pack and then the drive through what was usually dreadful weather to the R.V. The adrenalin would usually last until your team had been briefed, supplied with various specialist equipment and finally deployed.

Well....

None of that happened on this morning.

I awoke and made a good strong pot of coffee to have with some Irish boiled fruit cake as is my habit of a morning.

Mark arrived promptly and off we went.

We had a good old blurry first thing in the morning chat as we made our way to the forest on the other side of the valley.

Mark provides tracking and wilderness skills training for 'Devon Discovery'. He is an associate at Embercombe and runs his own, very well crafted, skills training from a forest location in the Teign valley.

We arrived at the forest and sorted out our kit for the day. (I found that my small Platypus water bladder had sprung a leak, won't be relying on that type of water carrier again. Back to a proper metal bottle for me.) The sun had yet to rise and all was quiet. As we put on various coats and Bergen's Mark made an off the cuff comment that there was a possibility that someone would soon pass us and enquire as to our business.

Well that person soon arrived in the shape of the local game keeper.

We had a chat with him and set off for the forest clearing where Mark would run me through some zoning in exercises...

We arrived at about 6am, dark and warm.

Mark asked me to find a nice comfy spot where I could quietly sit and 'Zone In'...

The forest was peaceful and quiet except for the occasional call of a distant owl and the bark of a local Fallow deer. I let my mind drift into the forest.

As the light came up there was a sudden explosion of barking and screeching... A squirrel's drey had disgorged it's squabbling contents into the day. A few seconds later I heard that distinct whirring sound, as if a round you had sent up range had deflected, and was now heading back down range...I was crouching in the leaf-mould........ I tensed and made myself small as I knew something bad was about to happen....And a crunch ! as a large branch landed close beside me. It had fallen from way up in the canopy of the Scots pine I was beneath. Mmmm ! That's lucky I thought, as Mark appeared out of the morning light.

Mark briefed me as to what we were going to achieve during the day. The first thing he did was to run out about 100 metres of fine cord, at about shoulder height, through and around the trees with twists and turns. I was blindfolded and lead to the start point of the course. Mark had explained that this was a 'Sensory/Physical awareness exercise.

By denying visual senses you force your other senses to work harder – hearing, smell, touch. It improves foot placement and balance. It slows you down and helps you understand muscle control and balance.
I set off, placing my feet purposefully so I could understand the nature of the obstacles before me.
As I moved carefully along I began to think of my whole body balance, my breathing became heavier as I tensed-up. Didn't expect that to happen. My thoughts turned to my feet, knees and hips. A life time of lifting, carrying and working in the out doors has taken it's toll on these joints, because I had to test each step these places where put under abnormal stress. I stopped.... I realised that my internal dialogue was becoming so loud I could no longer hear the call of the wild going on all around me, the morning watery bird song and the tap of a wood pecker. I started off again. This time ignoring my internal and concentrating on the external.
Soon enough I had reached the end of the string maze.
This little exercise had highlighted the way I move through the forest and my interaction within it. I used to rely on my inner calm and awareness arriving unheralded on my walks. I may now be able to get into the flow of things quicker than in the past.

The next exercise...

Stalking / moving quietly - focussed on breathing, vision (peripheral vision, ground mapping), balance (engaging core muscles and lowering centre of gravity), foot placement.
Now I had tuned in my balance Mark explained how it is beneficial to be able to quickly map the terrain you need to move over, keeping your vision busy looking for Shape, Shine, Shadow, Silhouette, Movement and your ears busy listening for Sound - rather than spending time looking at the ground.
As a retired Search and Rescue team member I know how difficult this can be. But once we had slowed things down it became comfortable.

After a brief chat Mark decided we could move into the close cover of the forest and try out my new skills.
One of the first things we found was a bird 'kill site'.
We stopped to investigate and decided that the blackbird was probably taken by a Sparrow hawk. We looked closely at the feather Calamas, the hollow shaft that grows from the bird. Mostly the Calamas was crushed suggesting a raptor, although some were chewed signalling the presence of Mr Rat who probably visited after the Sparrow hawk had finished its' meal.

Mark then found some fresh Fallow deer tracks. He showed me a super trick using two rubber bands to measure stride length and to help identify where the next track was. I popped the two bands on my walking stick and Mark showed me how to use this useful tool.
You can just make out the bands on Mark's stick as he searches for a missing print.

We also talked briefly about using 'baseline' behaviour of an animal to identify its direction and rhythm. We moved quickly to get closer to the animal, we took care to allow for changes in baseline behaviour, the animal moving off the trail. In this case we found a 'lay-up' but the deer heard us and moved on. We could see the fresh prints and then they stopped. They must have moved off the track. We used the stick trick to find which direction they had moved in. Had they turned left and jumped the stream ? Whilst Mark cast about for the next print I looked at the puddles further along the track. The water was clear so they had not passed that way. Mark found prints near the stream, they had crossed.

One of the bands and a deer print is seen directly above...

Well we lost contact with that group.
As time was running on we wanted to get to another part of the forest. Here Mark has access to some super woodland where he runs his courses.

We carried on searching for tracks and sign and experimenting with the measuring trick.
A set of badger tracks seen just below the rubber bands...

...shows how a light source can highlight up fine detail.

You can also use a mirror, although there was not much light to talk about at this stage of the day.

We found some more sign.
Fresh shiny deer droppings with the distinctive bottle shape and dimple.

And after a little more work we finally managed to photograph our friends the deer...

We were now close to a place where we could light a fire and settle down to some lunch.
Mark picked up some Birch bark and we collected some twigs from nearby pine trees.
Every thing was damp after the rains we have had, and boy, has it rained.
I usually carry a tiny stick of resinous pine root that I was given the last time I was up in Scotland with Chris Grant. If you fluff it up using the spine of your knife you will make tinder that will ignite quickly once a spark has been introduced.

With our sticks and tinder Mark managed to make fire, good going considering the dampness of all our makings...

Once the fire was going Mark cooked us some wonderful sausages...

What a great way to finish the course.

We sat and ate together and discussed the mornings work.
Now I have been given the skills to vocalise what comes naturally when I am out and about, I believe I can hone my natural skills and become a more accomplished stalker/searcher. Mark has given me the tools to understand my journey through the forest in a different light.

Mark can be contacted via his web site at...

Mark Lane Wilderness guide.

I can't tell you how much I enjoyed my time with Mark and I would highly recommend you spend some of your time with this remarkable chap...

Enjoy...J

A spoon carving Victory...

2011-11-08T18:41:00.000Z

HMS VICTORY

The only surviving warship that fought in the American War of Independence, the French Revolutionary War and the Napoleonic wars.

This 100 gun man'o'war was laid down at Chatham docks in the year 1759. She was completed in the year 1765 and after sea trials she was put on the 'ordinary' list of reserves. In 1778 she was commissioned into the line as Admiral Keppel's flag ship when France joined the American War of Independence.

This mighty Oak warship won many battle honours during her service, perhaps the most famous for the people of Britain was her victory over the combined Franco/Spanish fleet off Cape Trafalgar in 1805.

She was by that time the flagship of Admiral Lord Nelson. Her captain at Trafalgar was Thomas Masterman Hardy.

Her crew of 820 hailed from the British isles (700) and (120) from 18 other nationalities including Americans.

At daybreak on Monday the 21st October 1805 Nelson's fleet of 27 engaged the larger Franco/Spanish fleet of 33. A great sea battle ensued.

At about 13:30 the enemy were routed...

17 enemy ships had been captured.

Admiral Nelson had been killed by a French marksman shooting from the fighting tops.

There was much loss of life and bloodshed.

But the threat to Britain had been removed.

Nelson's body was bought back to England pickled in a barrel of Rum.

Over night he became a national hero...

Time passes and old enemies become great friends.

H.M.S Victory now rests in dry dock at
No2 Dry Dock Portsmouth's Royal Naval Dockyard.

She has, over the years, been restored to her former glory and work still goes on keeping her ship shape.

My old friend and master spoonmaker Ralph Hentall gifted me a couple of pieces of the old Victory. He is often given pieces of wood that have historical bearing with which he carves commemorative spoons. These are often sold with the correct letters of proof, and the money raised goes toward further restoration of the specific project.

Well, this piece has been sitting at home with me for some time now. I finally decided that I should make a basic, simple spoon from the piece; a spoon that a matlo serving aboard Victory might have carved with his knife.

As you can see, the spoon blank was already cut out by band saw so there was limited room for manoeuvre.

I recently saw a film that included some footage of Russian folk eating from large bowled spoons, much like metal soup spoons of today. I decided that given the food aboard a ship 'o' the line back in Nelson's day would have been quite basic, I would carve a spoon to suit.

I perched 'Choti' on my carving stump so I could keep an eye on her, she is getting stronger by the day but still needs supervision.

The handle ended up with an octagonal profile...

The Oak is old and hard and although my knives were super sharp and kept a good edge I had to polish them from time to time on my King water stone.

The finished spoon...

No decoration save for a single 'V'...

More information about the on going restoration of this magnificent ship can be found at...
H.M.S Victory

Oh ! And by the way. Remember I mentioned that Nelson's body was pickled in Rum for the return journey ?
Well, folk lore has it that the sailors aboard Victory drilled a tiny hole in the great barrel containing his body.
They used straws to sip the Rum from the barrel.
Once home the barrel was found to be empty of Rum and only containing the body of Nelson.
So next time you take a tot of Rum for free you will be
'Tapping the Admiral'...
A phrase still in use here in the West Country...

Enjoy...J

Where spoon carving and chickens colide...

2011-10-12T15:25:00.000+01:00

Sarah is having one of those birthday things. I panic at this time of year because I still haven't managed to save enough to buy her a Roller.

Instead I will cook her a splendid meal and present her with some smaller gifts.

A friend made a visit the other week, he came with a small chicken under his arm.

He told me the chicken had been picked on by the White Sussex that make up the majority of the flock. This can happen sometimes and the only thing to do is remove the bullied chicken.

I agreed to take her in and spent the next day observing her as I worked on one of Sarah's presents. Her crop was full and fit to burst, but her droppings were peculiar as they consisted mainly of grass. I came to the conclusion that the other birds had kept her from the chicken feed and she was crop bound with grass. This is dangerous, if nothing is done she will starve.

I set about syringing Olive oil down her throat and massaging her crop in the hopes I could loosen things up. I fed her Honey water for her strength.

Well, over the next two days she got weaker and weaker until I thought she would shed her mortal coil and go meet the choir invisible. I resorted to an old wives tale and gave her a tiny amount of Eau de vie....Kill or cure.

The morning arrived and she was up and about. We were so pleased.

Well, I set to feeding her baby food via a syringe, she seemed to like this as she would open her beak ready for the orange coloured mush.

After a lot of care she is now getting her strength back and follows me around the ground floor making chickeny noises.

After consulting one of our good friends who lives in the smoke up country, we decided to call her...

'Choti Bop Bop'

Choti is 'Urdu' for little, and the Bop Bop I added as that is her call...

She is still quite weak but I'm sure she will make a good recovery.

She has been watching as I make a special present for my Sarah...

I think she will love it...

I may not need to buy a Roller after all...

I guess the simple things are the most beautiful...

Enjoy...J;-)

Autumn foraging and Gateau Aux Marrons...

2011-09-26T16:41:00.000+01:00

Autumn has arrived up here in the hills.

The weather has been a mixture of wet and warm days with chilly nights....

Autumn smells purvey the forest...

The last of the summer sun glints through the turning leaves...

In between carving and looking after our chickens I have spent some time foraging about for some Autumn treats...

I have found quite a few Leccinum scabrum (Birch Bolete).

These are processed by carefully removing the pores from the upper flesh...

Leaving the edible flesh ready for cooking or drying...

Slice the caps into slim strips with a sharp knife...

I personally dry these morsels on kitchen paper left on a light windowsill. But I have been told by an old friend of mine that threading them onto a length of cotton and hanging over a heat source, a Rayburn for instance, is the way to go...

The Birch Bolete and other types of Bolete are a nice addition to any stew or soup.

But it is not my favourite.

Some years ago my French friend 'Alain' took me mushrooming up in the hills above his cob cottage in the South of France. He introduced me to, in my opinion, the most wonderful mushroom....

(Cantharellus cibarius.)

CHANTERELLE....

These butter yellow mushrooms are delicious.

I remember a long hard ride on my old sidecar from the French Alps to Alan's home in the southern part of France. I arrived at his home and was given a super warm welcome from both Nathalie and Alain.

They sat me down at the ancient table in their living room and fed me a meal fit for the most weary traveller.

These simple ingredients will delight the taste buds.

Chanterelle.

Fresh eggs.

Butter.

Salt.

Heat the butter in a pan and add the Chanterelle and salt, gently fry, add eggs and whisk.

Serve with bread and wine...

An absolutely delicious meal...

I've also managed to collect a quantity of Cob nuts and plums...

The Cob nuts need releasing from their shell. A tap with the poll of your Axe or a baton will crack the hard shell open...

Once you have them released from their shells they are ready to eat...

I like to roast mine...Remove the shells and pop them in an oven at about 150 degrees for a couple of hours. This should dry them and make them a little crunchy, also improving the flavour...
Sarah and I have a super recipe in which we use roasted Cob nuts...

GATEAU AU MARRON...

For this recipe you will need...
Roasted Hazelnuts....
8oz (225 g) Plain chocolate, chopped.
8oz (225 g) Butter, softened.
8oz (225 g) Unsweetened Chestnut purée.
8oz (225 g) Caster sugar.
1-2 Tablespoons Rum/Cognac.
To Decorate- grated chocolate, or cocoa powder and icing sugar...

Rub the roasted Cob nuts together to release the papery skins. Winnow out the skins by blowing over the tray.
(Outdoors is best)

Place the chocolate in a bowl over a saucepan of hot, not boiling, water and leave until the chocolate starts to melt. Stir the chocolate until it is smooth, then remove from the heat...

Crush the Cob nuts...

In another bowl, beat together all the remaining ingredients, except the grated chocolate or cocoa powder and icing sugar...

Stir in the chocolate...

Add the roasted and crushed Cob nuts...

then spoon into a loaf tin or ring mould...

Cover and leave in the refrigerator over night....

To Serve.

Dip the tin or mould briefly in hot water, place a plate over the tin or mould then, holding the tin or mould and the plate firmly together, turn them over and give a sharp shake. Lift the tin or mould away.

Sprinkle grated chocolate or cocoa powder and icing sugar over the top and serve sliced.

ENJOY...J

We know you will...J;-)

Dartmoor Mountain Rescue 'A'sec (S.A.R) Grand opening...

2011-09-23T11:50:00.003+01:00

The Members of Dartmoor Search & Rescue Team (Ashburton) would like to invite members of the public to The Grand Opening of their new Base and HQ from 14:00 on Saturday 24th September.

The Abbot of Buckfast Abbey will preside over Ribbon Cutting at around 14:15, after which there will be an opportunity to look around our new home, meet the
Team Members and discover more about what we do. Refreshments will be
available.
The base is situated at grid SX745677 at Furzeleigh on the old A38 between Buckfastleigh & Ashburton.

We look forward to seeing you all there!

Spoon carving and spatular making with the Endy Kids...

2011-09-20T19:15:00.001+01:00

Kevin, Jenine and the three Endy kids came up for a 'Mac-cation' last weekend. Kevin and I wanted to chew over some ideas and we also wanted to introduce the children to some spoon carving knife holds and techniques. Kevin told me he had taken the kids to the Wilderness gathering and they had been taught simple knife safety amongst other things. By all accounts they had a great time at the gathering and Kevin's business went well. He kept selling out of equipment and made many trips back to Endy central for re-supply. Well it looked like the children had been taught well, as they all understood about how to pass a knife and how to keep the blade away from danger areas on the body.

I thought a simple shape would go down well with the children so I decided to make a spatula with them.

We started the morning with a little music. I have played a mouth harp since I was about seven years old. A good friend of mine lent me a harp made in East Africa... We all had a go...

The instrument consists of a bent stick and a tough strip of rattan. You hold the instrument across your mouth whilst tapping out a rhythm with the stick. I have had a cast about to try and find something on You Tube to give you an idea of what it sounds like. Can't find anything on this particular harp, so I'll post a recording here some when soon...

I wanted to keep the project simple. I split down some Birch with my Leuku...

I don't usually pencil in the shape of my spoons, but I thought in this case it would make the process a little easier. I used a spatula I had made some years ago as a template...

Once the children had decided on the general shape of their spatula I set them off with some of my smaller knives... We used a variety including a short 'Frost', a 'Roselli' carpenters knife and a 'Mini MaChris' or 'MiniMac' as we like to call it. Of course 'Dolly' helped out as well...

Amelia gently lets in the handle...

Sophia wanted a pointy end with which she could poke the sausages...

I cant tell you how much fun we had. The kids were only too happy to work and listen to instruction, it was a pleasure teaching them...

Even little Isaac or 'Badger Man' had a go, with dad's help...

I think he preferred swinging in Sarah's swing seat though...

Kevin came up with some funky designs for their makers mark...

Which I burned on with a soldering iron...

I thought I had better make one of my own...

I decided to carve a little raven helper on mine...

We cooked some sausages on a fire for lunch and the children had the opportunity to use their spatulas...

Every body left full of sausages and Sarah's cakes.
Sarah and I look forward to the next Endy visit...
Enjoy...

Sean's Dartmoor...

2011-09-09T21:26:00.002+01:00

Recently my good friend Sean Mulhall came to visit with me and Sarah up here in Hennock, Devon.

For a while now I have wanted to show Sean some of my favourite places on Dartmoor. We took the opportunity of good weather to head on up to the town of 'Princetown', which is situated in the centre of the Moor. The town's history started in 1785 when Sir Thomas Tyrwhitt leased the land from the Duchy of Cornwall. His idea was to improve the land for farming, there was also a need for a prison in the area to house the P.O.W's from the Napoleonic wars who were being held in rotting hulks in Plymouth sound...

I also wanted Sean to have a look at the old mine workings at Eylesbarrow and then sweep down to Drizzlecombe and have a look at some wonderful standing stones dating from the Neolithic. These stones may have been on this site for 9000 years. Modern thinking suggests that a site like this evolved over many years and it is difficult to place the exact timing.

We had a great time hunting around and chatting about all the features we found. Sean has made two films of our day, unfortunately the keen wind of the moor whisked quite a lot of our conversation away, and it may be difficult to follow our drift.

In the first movie we are at Eylesbarrow tin mine. This deep, hard rock mine was in production in the first half of the 19th century. I am trying to explain to Sean to what use a double stone row consisting of granite stones standing about two or three feet from the ground with half moon cut outs on top, was put too.

Here you can make out a pair of stones, they would have been upright at the time, with a half moon socket cut at the head.

If you can, imagine an axle with a cast iron wheel at the centre, the ends of the axle would sit nicely in these two cut outs...

You can just make out a line of paired stones running into the distance. Each would hold an axle with a wheel at it's centre. On top of the wheels would be a long iron bar, resting as it were on the wheels. Now imagine you need to transfer power from a rotating water wheel in the near-by valley up the hill to the mine workings. The water wheel would turn, and connected to this would be one end of the bar via a crank. The bar would be pushed first one way and then pulled the other. The bar can be some hundreds of meters long. At the working end there would be another wheel. Again, via a crank this wheel would then turn. Machinery from the various work shops and crushing stamps could be powered from this spinning wheel.

Here is a good Link describing a flatrod system.

And another Link which gives good information regarding the mine layout and workings...

Here is a plan of the mine...

I remember some years ago watching some people shelter in this sump in the ground. At the time this sump had a nice grassy bottom and it was devoid of water. A good place to get out of the strong winds common on Dartmoor you would think. I remember telling them it wasn't such a good idea. If you find a sump on the moor they are usually full of water, one of the reasons a sump may be dry, especially after rain, is that it is in fact an old choked mine head, the water draining freely through the old rotting collapsed winding gear on top of the shaft. As you can see in this picture, the shaft has collapsed. Lucky the people I spoke to that day heeded my warning. I read some years ago how deep this main shaft is, my memory isn't as good as it was, but I am sure it is over a hundred fathoms...

After the mine I showed Sean some navigation techniques and detailed him to take us to Drizzlecombe. Sean did very well and I have promised him a night-time trip across the moor in the near future, when he will be able to use all the skills he has mustered....

Well, he has set his bearing and off we go....

You can just make out the standing stones on the right of the Barrow or burial mound...

We arrive at Drizzlecombe..

This is a Menhir at one end of the stone row and a photo of Sean standing at the Menhir the other end...

A happy map reading chap...

We had a pick-nick at the barrow or burial mound and Sean found some salad to add to the bread and cheese...

You can make out the Barrow in the fore ground...

We practised a little micro navigation and found a near-by burial tomb. I believe the deceased was buried in a foetal position...

I felt close to my ancestors as Sean and I discussed what the lay of the land might have looked like over four thousand years ago...

The beautiful landscape of the moor...

We both had a great day and learned even more about what Dartmoor can offer in history and bio diversity...

We had a rummage around Ditzworthy warren house on the return leg and found some interesting foraging...

Before I sign off...

Sean has a new Web page at...

Silver Fox Bushcraft.

ENJOY...

Patti.L's Road trip...

2011-08-16T16:46:00.003+01:00

A very brave American lady stepped on to an aircraft somewhere in the northern U.S.A a couple of weeks ago.

She was on her way to a holiday of a lifetime here in England.

She had friended me and a couple of other carving/turning chaps on Face Book, and after a while she decided it was time to visit.

She had arranged that an old friend of mine, John.R, would take her on a guided tour of the sights of the West Country, middle and Northern England and include popping over the border into Wales.

"LAND AHOY" !

Or whatever they shout in aircraft these days...

'Meri old England'...

After John had collected Patti from London Heathrow they headed on the A303 toward the 'West Country', my home for the last 30 years or so.

At about half way Patti and John stopped off at 'Stone Henge'

Stone henge is prehistoric and dates back about 5000 years. Here is some more information...

stone henge

After a tour of the henge Patti and John headed on to our home in the hills.

They arrived early evening, Sarah and I settled them down in there respective rooms and after showers for the hot travellers we all gathered round the kitchen table for a chat.

I had promised to make Patti an authentic Indian curry and so she watched me with great interest as I conjured with all manor of different spices.

My curry recipes are given to me by my great friends Tas and her sister Alefyah...

Here is a link to the recipe so you can try it yourself...

Tas's authentique Indian curry...

Well...Once it was cooked and served with Basmati rice and Naan bread we all tucked in. It went very quiet for a while as this curry is so delicious.

Patti declared it a great success and I think she may be a convert. I'm sure the spices required are available in the U.S...

Well after a little wine and some good conversation about carving and our different cultures we all went to bed full and happy knowing we had all made new friends...

Up early and a breakfast of strong black coffee with Irish fruit cake(well for me anyway) our intrepid travellers set off for the 'grand tour'...

Some days later and quite a few hundred miles covered with lots of exciting new places visited (John is a mine of historical information) Patti and John arrived back at our home. We feasted on Jamaican jerked beef and resumed our conversation with Patti and John telling us all about their adventure.

John and I decided to take Patti up onto Dartmoor and visit some of our more local ancient monuments.

I have mentioned Grimspound in my blog before and Patti said she would love to visit the place with both John and I conjuring up a vision of what the place might have looked like in the late bronze age period...

It takes a little while to tune your eye in but after a short while you start to discern the small stone rings that were once the dwarf walls to the teepee shaped buildings...

A little closer with the rolling hills of the Moor in the background...

Patti and John.R at one of the entrances...

Grimspound, Dartmoor,Devon.

After this we nipped over the road and had a look at some building remains dating from the medieval period.

We found a curious sign attached to a bridge...

And then found the reason for the sign...

Then on to Challacombe...

Here is a super link that tells the history of this thoroughly interesting area...

Challacombe

We then walked through some stunning scenery to have a look at the old 'Golden Dagger' mine...

Above is a view toward the old mine with the white building being the 'Warren House Inn' ...

The day was good and hot, so after all this exploring we set of for Widdecombe and a good old fashioned cream tea...

Then back to my home for a spot of carving...

Patti is a very clever relief carver and carves the most beautiful things. She has recently decided to take up spoon carving as well. Apparently it is common in America for spoonmakers to use all manor of electric tools, band saws, Dremmels and the like. Patti asked me if I could show her how to rough out a spoon blank with an Axe.

I sharpened up the old Roselli and we set to. Patti is a determined woman, but at first she had quite a difficult time conversing with the Axe god. We had a great afternoon practising and I filled her head with all sorts of advice...

I seem to remember we had a good roast that night and of course great conversation about carving techniques and stories of travel...

The next morning I knew would be our last with Patti and we sat together chattimg and carving in the conservatory...

It came time for her to go ...

She had taken a liking to one of my 'Ale hens', so we did a trade, and now the hen lives with her in the northern U.S.A...

Patti has gone home now... But she is trying hard with the Axe work still, and enjoying every challenge...

Her first home grown Axe hewn spoon blank...

We all had such a great time.

I have met quite a few people from Face book and other social media sites. Chris Grant, the chap who makes such wonderful knives, the MaChris being one of them, and my great friend Sean Mulhall who has taught me so much in the time we have spent together.

I guess what I am trying to say is, there are some super people out there and I have been tremendously lucky to meet some of them in their adventure called...

'Life'...

Enjoy...

20000 Visitors....TWENTY THOUSAND !!!

2011-08-16T16:46:00.002+01:00

WE HAVE JUST REACHED ......

20000 !!!

VISITS....

TWENTY THOUSAND !!!!

Sarah, Dolly and I would like to thank you all for your continued support...

THANK YOU...

Jon Mac...

A slideshow of some recent work...

2011-08-14T15:31:00.000+01:00

The project...

2011-08-02T17:23:00.009+01:00

A few weeks ago I was asked by two local chaps ( Alan and Dave ) if I could teach them some spoon making techniques.

We organised a day when we were all free and met up in the garden...

We had a very productive day making spoons and eating sausages cooked on an open fire...

Some weeks later Nikki popped round and asked if I could make a large Kuksa for her husband Dan. It would soon be his birthday.

It needed to be big enough for his morning porridge.

I said it wouldn't be a problem...

Nikki wanted me to carve a 'JonMac' style Kuksa with the distinct beaver tail...

In the meantime Nikki had asked Alan if he would make some porridge spoons to match the Kuksa...

Alan has come on leaps and bounds since his course with me a few weeks ago...

I think between us we have done a great job...

I'm sure Dan will enjoy his early morning Porridge...

Well done Alan, a splendid job...

Enjoy...J

Alan and Daves spoon carving work...

2011-08-01T12:55:00.001+01:00

A few weeks ago Alan and Dave took a spoon carving and knife sharpening lesson with me.

Here is Alan with one of his first Kuksa...

And close up...

A small Kuksa made from Laburnum...

And a selection...

He is improving at a great rate....

I think I'll have to 'Up my game'...

Here is Dave with his first Kuksa...

And a beautiful spoon...

And some of his more recent work...

I think these are very good...

I think you'll all agree they have both done some fabulous work...

Enjoy...J

Hen and Chips...

2011-07-04T18:39:00.000+01:00

Recently I have been carving Ale hens.

These hens are simple to make, and once you have confidence you can make them as stylised as you like...

I have decorated some of my hens with a very simple line of chip carving.

Using the back of the knife gently score a guide line around the cup.

You can just make out the scratch in the photograph.

Then push the tip of a very very sharp knife into the wood at the top of the triangle. If you have trouble sharpening your knife then head off to the art shop and buy a scalpel. The scalpel tips are fragile so be careful. The blade must be angled toward the bottom left of the triangle...

And keeping the blade point in the top of the triangle rock the blade toward the bottom left...

Pull the blade out and replace the tip at the top of the triangle.

This time the blade must be angled toward the bottom right of the triangle...

And rock the blade down...

Now the tricky bit...
Carefully push the tip of the blade into the triangle, at a slight angle. Push until your knife tip has reached the pinnacle of the triangle...

Once you think you have cut the wood fibres up to the pinnacle, swing the blade to the right...

The chip should easily come free...

Done !

I have seen some extremely ornate chip carved treen.
This is the start point...

I use the same three cut technique to form the eyes...

And with a hot nail I burn in the pupils...

The finished Hen...

Not quite...

Now Dolly says it's finished...

I'm sure you're going to have fun with chip carving...

ENJOY...J

Ale hens...A pictorial tutorial...

2011-06-15T21:41:00.007+01:00

Ale Hens...

A pictorial tutorial...

A short while ago I ran a couple of spoon and Kuksa making courses up here in Hennock. I explained and demonstrated techniques for sharpening Axe, knife and the dreaded hook knife. And showed them how to hold and properly use a MaChris carving knife. My students took it all in their stride and,at days end, and after some good hard work , they managed to get most of the Axe and exterior knife work completed. They spent the next couple of days hollowing out and knife finishing the work, they live near-by and were able to pop in for further tuition as they progressed. Whilst watching and helping my students, it occurred to me that my Kuksa design I have worked with for many years may be a little tricky to the novice carver...

The beaver tail, cutting across the grain, is both hard and delicate work...

I had a good think about the problems my students encountered and decided to try out a different design. I cannot lay claim to this design as it originates from the cold north, an ancient design from Norway.

A split billet...

I made Hens both with a billet in the whole and a billet cleaved in twain. The whole billet tended, as I imagined, to split at the heart. A little bees wax mixed with Tung oil sealed the cracks and my friends have drunk long and hard from them without any mishap. I would therefore recommend using a split billet as the chances of splitting are much reduced...

With your Axe remove the corners of the billet...

This in effect makes the head and neck of the hen...

Cut the underside to form the neck, and chop the bowl so as to sit a little lower than the head...

And form the front of the bowl shape...

Chop the unwanted section of the handle/head until you have a rough bird like silhouette...

Once the Axe work is complete, set to hollowing out the bowl. The quicker this is done the better, as it will reduce the chances of the bowl splitting...

Cut across the grain to start...

Once hollowed it is time to get the knife out and refine the shape...

And carving the head...

I have gone for a simple shape that represents the spirit of a Hen Goose...

Almost there...

Add some chip carved eyes ...

And singe her beak with a flame...

A little decoration here ...

and there ...

and the Hen comes alive....

I found this Kuksa shape a lot easier to carve than my usual beaver tail, and quicker to...

I hope you enjoy making yours...

ENJOY...

Hugginn and Muninn...Laburnum Shawl Pins...

2011-05-17T10:08:00.000+01:00

I've been busy making more tuning pegs for Ben's larger Ngombi harp. He can now play happily without the harp de-tuning...

Once that job was finished I wanted to explore the possibilities of using little Hugginn and Muninn on a couple of shawl pins.

The Saxon spoon I made some weeks ago with little Munninn sat on the end, was received very well, and stirred a lot of interest in people...

And Sarah has finally finished her shawl.

I had previously carved her a pin that looks a little like Odin.

Which gave me an idea...

Hugginn and Muninn.

Munnin...

Hugginn...

I have carved these two pins from a billet of Laburnum.

An incredibly hard and beautiful wood.

Coffee coloured on one side and cream on the other...

I used a flame to blacken one of them...

And left the other one natural in colour...

I started carving the first pin using a MaChris made from 01 steel and found that the 01 is a little fragile for this tough wood.

The result was micro sized chips on the cutting edge.

So I bought out the big guns...A MaChris carving knife made from Silver Steel.

( BS-1407 )

This hard steel coped with the Laburnum without a murmur...

One of these may be travelling up the road in a few days...

I'm not sure if I will have to post them or whether they will make the journey under their own steam...

I've also been finishing of a basket of Kuksa blanks...

And I have also made myself a new spoon from a nice piece of Apple...

This one is staying in my kitchen...

Well...I have to get working on putting sharp edges on my knives and Axes as I have a couple of chaps arriving at the end of the week for a Kuksa carving course. I am thoroughly looking forward to introducing another couple of people to the carving/Bushcraft world...

Happy Days...

Enjoy...J

A few stills from a Dartmoor Search and Rescue teams training exercise.

2011-05-16T18:58:00.001+01:00

A few months ago I was chatting with my old mate Keith about the possibility of letting Sean (Silver Fox) make a promotional video for the Ashburton Search and Rescue teams fund raising effort. Keith cleared the idea with the section committee and subsequently invited Sean and myself along. Sean has made three movies, which I have already posted. Sean encountered some technical difficulties trying to film at night with limited light sources, but with a lot of heavy and time consuming editing he has produced a very enjoyable set of films.

We met Keith at the team stores where the current emergency vehicles are kept

Here Sean is filming the interior of the Land Rover. Inside is carried some of the team kit, M.I.B.S stretcher, air winch-able aluminium stretcher, radios and other important kit.

. Here Sean is chatting with Keith about how the S.A.R team operates.

The team meet once a week on Dartmoor for some kind of training event. These weekly training exercises are also augmented with weekend training, dotted through-out the year. So a big time commitment from all the volunteer members. Tonight the scenario was based around a quick search for the missing person (miss per) with the training leaning toward dealing with the casualties immediate problems and then recovering the casualty from a deep gorge using one of the light weight aluminium stretchers. The winter training season was drawing to a close when we filmed, however, this evening was very cold, sub zero, with a stiff breeze causing a big chill factor. I was already looking forward to a Cognac by the fire at home. The team training corps consider winter training, at night, the most valuable. Once the light summer evenings arrive, the training takes on a different feeling with less navigation and searching and more rope work/ water rescue events.

We arrived at the rendezvous to find the control vehicle being set up ready for use. This is the main command and control vehicle from where the search is directed. Here you can just make out one of the team members setting up the main antenna. Once he has attached the antenna to the mast and cleared the immediate area, the mast will be extended.

And 'Control' will become active.

Whilst this is happening, the other members will form small search teams, they will be briefed by their respective team leaders, and deploy into the dark night. All teams will have wireless communications with 'Control'.

Here is one of the search team navigators working out the best route to take his team accurately and safely into his search area. All team members are highly skilled navigators and have to pass stringent navigational tests before being accepted into the team. The team members will each take on a specific job within their small search units for the duration of the search. In each team you will find a Team leader, Radio operator, navigator and first aider.

The chap in this photograph became a team member just after me, back in the day, he has served for approximately 14 years now.

Here you can see Sean at the casualty site the next day. Note the difficult terrain underfoot...

The miss per was found and treated. During any first aid it is most important to make the casualty comfortable and warm. Here you can see a K.I.S.U or bothy bag covering the casualty. The more people that you can fit comfortably inside the warmer it gets.

And here in the daylight with some of my neighbours...

One of the teams approaching our position...

The volunteer casualty was found, treated and eventually evacuated to the safety of the initial rendezvous.

Once the exercise has finished (End Ex) the whole team is de briefed. During a de-brief, valuable lessons can be learned, standard operating procedures reviewed .

The team 'Controller' takes centre stage...

And then every one retires to the local Public House for a warm by the fire and a pint...

The Mountain Rescue team members, up and down the country, are all volunteers and give their time with great enthusiasm and professionalism. If you see a collecting tin in your local, don't hesitate to give some change....

It will have a decal like this...

Thank you on behalf of the

Dartmoor Rescue Group

(Ashburton Section)

Sean and I spent the next couple of days on and around the moor taking in the sights and sounds...

Enjoy...

Sean's Mountain Rescue Movies...

2011-05-12T08:41:00.000+01:00

Sean Mulhall was given permission to follow Dartmoor Search and Rescue on one of their training exercises.

Here are three movies that will give an insight into the outstanding work of my friends at Dartmoor Rescue 'Ashburton'.

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

These men and women are all volunteers.
They can be called upon at any time of the day or night via a '999' emergency call.
They give a tremendous service to our community.
You can donate to the team
HERE

Find out what your local teams are up to
HERE

Thank you for taking the time to watch these movies and thank you
Sean
(Silver Fox Bushcraft)
For your valuable time.

ENJOY...

Nettle cordage...

2011-05-04T09:03:00.001+01:00

A couple of summers ago we cleared some of the stinging nettles from the bottom field. I used them to make cord for us to use in the garden. I will have to do it again this year as I have run out. Sarah and I took some photographs at the time and posted the article on our other blog. I thought it would be a good idea to transfer the information to this blog for the new season fast approaching ...

First I strip the leaves by pulling the nettle through my clenched fist. Leather gloves are a boon at this stage. I gently bashed the stems on a flat board to open them out and make them easier to work.

Then I carefully separated the fibres from the pith. This is easier to do when the nettles are fresh. And then split each fibre bundle into four strands.

I hang the fibres up to dry. I leave them for a day or so. The tough pith can go in the compost.

I then start by tying together four strands, holding the knot in my left hand. With my fingers I twist two strands together and then the other two strands get twisted together all in the same direction. This leaves me with two partially twisted bundles. I now want the two bundles to twist together into one cord.

Twist the two bundles simultaneously, close to the hand holding the knotted end, as if you were a cowboy rolling a cigarette, and when tight, release the knotted end. The bundle should spin together. Hold the cord at the junction of the newly made cord to stop it from undoing, and repeat the process...

Before you run out of the initial fibres, add new ones by simply laying them along side the originals, they will twist in as you go. I had to pay attention to the thickness of the cord as it was made. Add more fibres if you need stronger cord.

After a bit of experimenting I managed to make cord strong enough to use on a bow for friction fire lighting. But thats another story...

ENJOY...

Saxon spoon...

2011-04-14T18:39:00.000+01:00

A short while ago I was asked if it was possible to make Saxon style spoons for some battle re-enactors.

I gave Ralph.H a call and he kindly furnished me with some details.

Here is my interpretation...

At the same time I have been finishing of a batch of Kuksa...

This is the last piece with these distinctive markings...

I decided to add a little detail of my own. I have no idea if this is historically correct, but I liked the idea of adding one of 'Odin's' little helpers.

'Munnin'

He is one of two Ravens that gave old Odin a helping hand.

'Munnin' who is memory and 'Huginn' who is thought.

They would fly around the known world collecting information for Odin...

Anyway...

The shape of this spoon is correct for the Saxon times, with a little artistic license...

ENJOY...J

Jons' Spring Time Pique Nique

2011-04-11T16:08:00.000+01:00

This is a story I have cut and pasted from my other blog. You may have read it a while ago but I am re posting a couple of relevant stories for those that missed them previously...

Yesterday I packed a few things in my rucksack and went for a walk...
I wanted to find out how the woods are getting on after a long cold winter.
The leaf canopy seems to be a little late this year. I didn't expect to find many plants showing through the leaf litter. I was thrilled to find some of my favourite salad plants have made an appearance...
The first and most obvious being the lovely....
Beech ...
( Fagus Sylvatica ).
You can eat the leaves early in the season when they are brand new....

I quickly gathered a good amount, popped them in my pocket and carried on through the forest.
On one of the lower tracks I encountered a very tasty plant.
We call it...
Jack-by-the-hedge....
( Alliaria Petiolata )
It has a rather nice garlic taste, very mild and perfect for a salad...

There are quite a lot out at the moment so I will pop back for a few more soon...
The next plant I came across is rather special.
The Pig Nut
( Conopodium Majus )

They are very small at the moment, I will post some more pictures later in the season...
What you have to do is very carefully follow the stem down to the ground, and with your fingers dig down...following the stem. The stem turns through 90 degrees as it nears the tuba. If you are successful you will find a tasty morsel in the form of a soft skinned nut. These can be eaten raw, as I like them, or lightly roasted on the embers of a fire...

They taste to me like a peppery chestnut...
You can quite clearly see the delicate stem turn before it meets the tuba...

And washed in the stream...

I found plenty of young

Goose Grass...
( Galium Aparine )
Quite a hairy little blighter, you will have to cook it, by boiling or steaming.
I have in the past eaten quite a lot of this plant, but to be quite honest it isn't a clear favourite.
Chopped and added to a stew to mask the taste is the way to go....

The next plant I found will have to be treated in the same manner.

But after steaming or a light boil this plant is a more palatable option...
Black Berry
( Rubus Fructicosus )
Pick and cook the young shoots...

A nice treat on a sunny day is the
Navel Wort...
( Umbilicus Sylvestris )
A succulent addition to your salad ...

So some of these little, green, round gems were picked and put carefully in my rucksack for later...
With my thoughts turning toward a super pique nique I wanted a hot drink to go with it...
Finding a suitable pine tree I took some young needles.
These will make a fine tea to go with lunch...

And just to give my taste buds a final tweak I picked a few leaves of
Wood Sorrel
( Oxalis Acetosella )

Now you don't want to go eating a lot of these tasty morceaux as they are full of Oxalates, which are not good for you, but gives this plant an apple peel citric taste...

And so once I had found my salad I repaired to the nearby stream and set about making my pique nique...

Boiling water for the Pine Needle Tea...

Add a little sugar if you have it...

I had a splendid walk and a great Pique nique...

Enjoy....

My Mark...A short story by Sarah.

2011-04-11T15:54:00.000+01:00

Jon always signs his work with his own special mark.

He was asked about this during an exhibition and the story was much enjoyed.

It is his initials made into mountains and a moon.

It also represents the most amazing night we spent together when we were travelling in France.

We were travelling from Geneva into the French Alps. Jon had been in France for a couple of months. I flew out to join him as soon as I finished work.

He picked me up from Geneva airport in the late afternoon. By the time we were out of the city and heading for the mountains it was already getting dark.

It was a beautiful clear night and the moon was full and shining very brightly.
It was a special moon because it was a blue moon - once in a blue moon you get two full moons in a month.

The moon was so bright the mountains were clearly visible and the roads were the most amazing silver ribbons between them.

We stopped a few times on route just to take it all in. As we stood soaking in the view all we could hear was the song of the crickets.

It is a journey we shall never forget.

J+S

I re-posted this story from our other blogspot...

The end of the sap season...

2011-04-09T08:55:00.000+01:00

The Birch sap season has finished locally, and it is time to plug the tap that I made three weeks ago .

I found a nice piece of Birch from my carving pile and made a long plug, slightly tapered...

I took my carved Birch plug, Axe and a folding saw into the forest and removed the old spile...

Then popped the plug into the old tapping hole.

Here is a close up of the old spile...

And the hole in the Birch.

I'll soon repair it...

Here is the plug.

With a slight taper at the end...

Pop it in and hammer it home with the pole of the Axe...

Then cut the free end nice and neat with the folding saw...

All done.
The tree should heal nicely around the new plug.

I am casting around for a stand of Birch for a 'syrup camp' next season...

Enjoy...

The Ngombi harp...

2011-04-08T13:13:00.000+01:00

Last week my friend Ben asked if I could make some new tuning pegs for his Ngombi harp. This harp is made by his friends in the Bacha tribe of the Pygmy/Bameto people, who live in the jungles of The Gabon, West Africa...

I set too carving the pegs from some seasoned Chinese Ash that Ralph.H had given me last year.

First I split some wood down and carved it into a uniform bar shape...

And then carved the peg shape at the end...

From time to time I offered up the peg to make sure it was a good fit. The original pegs were made a little to thin, which made it difficult for Ben to tune the harp...

When the peg eventually fitted with a nice interference, I partially cut through the other end...

And snapped the peg off...

I made eight pegs in total.

All fitting beautifully...

Here is the finished harp...

I asked Ben if he would play the harp for me, and he kindly agreed...

I think he plays it beautifully...
Enjoy...
J

H.Roselli Bearded Axe...

2011-04-05T17:18:00.000+01:00

A new movie by Sean Mulhall.

How I sharpen the H.Roselli Bearded Axe...

PART ONE...

PART TWO...

Sean and I had a great time making this short movie.

ENJOY...

Grimspound with Jon and Sean...

2011-04-04T14:54:00.000+01:00

My friend Sean from Silver Fox Bushcraft came and stayed with us a week or so ago.

He made a few films whilst he was here.

Here is one of us visiting Grimspound on Dartmoor ...

Enjoy...

The sun...

2011-03-28T17:51:00.000+01:00

The Sun...

Makes all the difference to the creative mind.

I have been spending more time carving in the orchard with the chickens.

In a hammock....

Happy days indeed...

I had to make an 'A' frame from two fence posts, four inches by eight foot, to support one end.

I had a suitable old cider apple tree for the other end.

I drilled a hole with an auger and hammered a length of threaded bar through the hole. Then tightened the top of the frame together with a couple of nuts with washers to stop the nuts pulling through.

I will take some detailed photographs and post them later...

My boots and the auger...

You can make out the 'A' frame to the right of the photograph...

Probably have to get in touch with the chaps at Lakeland Bushcraft and order another one for Sarah...

The view is amazing.

Blue sky...

A few weeks ago I roughed out a handful of Kuksa and some spoons

Well, now the sun is out and the hammock hung, I have finally finished two of the Kuksa.

This is a photograph of the scalloped handled Kuksa immediately after oiling with Tung oil...

And another with a more conventional handle...

I have knife finished the outer bowl and sanded the internal bowl and handle.

A nice contrast...

The next day the oil has soaked in...

Leaving a beautiful satin finish...

Another couple of thin coats over the next few days and they will be... 'Good to go'...

The natural wood markings remind Sarah of mountain ranges and glacial flows...

What with the hammock the Birch syrup and the new Kuksa it is turning into a great Spring...

Enjoy...J

This years first Birch Syrup...

2011-03-22T12:22:00.000Z

The first Birch syrup of the season...

ENJOY...J

The Birch sap is rising here on Dartmoor...Spring has arrived.

2011-03-20T07:43:00.000Z

The Birch sap is rising here on Dartmoor.

I have selected my tree and bushed the blade of my MaChris into the bark.

You can see the sap drip from the hilt.

This indicates the sap is rising...

I then drill a hole and drive a Hazel spial into it...

I have shaped the spial as an open ended trough...

The short film shows the sap dripping into one of my Birch Kuksa...

I carefully hang one of my old surplus water bladders over the end, and catch the sap for using later in the year when the Elderflower is out and about. Sarah makes the most wonderful cordial from the flowers.

I may boil some down for syrup depending on the yield...

Happy Days...J

The MaChris appears on The Ray Mears blog...

2011-03-18T14:31:00.000Z

A while ago I posted a blog describing the Evolution of the MaChris knife ...

(Birch sap drips from the end of a MaChris bushcrafter)...

(Cutting a Hazel spile for Birch sap tapping)...

Well imagine our joy when Chris Grant and I found our abridged story published on the Ray Mears Woodlore Blog ...

We are currently working on introducing an incredibly tough and robust steel to the range.

I will update later...

Enjoy...J

It certainly is a 'WORKSHOP HEAVEN'...

2011-02-20T19:49:00.000Z

My great friend Matthew Platt from WORKSHOP HEAVEN sent me a box of goodies the other week. The package contained a new set of Japanese water stones. Just as well, as my old ones have seen better days. My stones see a lot of work and it was great to remove a brand new Ice Bear double sided stone from it's pristine box. Along with the 1200/8000 grit water stone there was an Nagura stone, vital for making a super fine slurry for polishing your razor sharp edge.

I use water stones because my knives will never smell oily or taint the work I am producing, and my knives are incredibly sharp after using one. I was so pleased, a knife is only as good as the stone you sharpen with...And in my opinion these are the best...

This is the 1200 grit side...

And the 8000 grit side....

Complete with Nagura stone...

I could not resist giving one of my MaChris carving knives a quick edge...

I keep my water stones in a plastic sealed container along with the Nagura stone and a scouring pad for cleaning the stones and wiping the blade. The scouring pad/sponge is also used for adding water to the stone during the sharpening process...

Here is the box sealed...

First the stone is soaked, and then the knife gets a few swipes on the course side...

A quick wipe with the sponge and then turn the stone over for a good polish...

Rub the Nagura stone on the fine side 8000 grit...

You can see the resultant slurry...

Once finished with the slurry paste, give the stone a wipe with the sponge...

Add water and complete your final polish. The result is a super sharp blade ready for a run through some good wood...

Here are some movies of the Japanese water stones in use...

And an idea for bushcrafty out door folk...

Matthew also sent me some space age sharpening film...

It is a sticky backed film that would be useful for sharpening your edge tools when lightweight traveling. I wanted to test it, so I cut some stainless steel sheet that I had in my workshop. I guess you can choose what backing to use, a flat aluminium sheet would be good as your blade wouldn't be damaged by a mishap, or perhaps a piece of nylon chopping board. Any way, I cut a strip and drilled some holes for a piece of wire to fit through so as to hold down the sheet...

I stuck a different sheet to each side...

The sheets are super fine and I was able to put a good polish on one of my old knives...

I can not vouch for the durability of the film as yet, but I will be testing this system when out and about. The sheets are very cheap to purchase and I could see a benefit in experimenting with this idea for lightweight backpacking adventures...

Matthew also has some great little stones all ready to go from the box...

A super little diamond whetstone...

I think these would be great for owners of compound ground knives...

I can highly recommend these Ice Bear stones. I have been using them for five years or so and I always have a little grin on my face after I have sharpened one of my treasured knives...

Workshop Heaven

ENJOY...J

Thank You Spoon carving first steps visitors...

2011-02-05T08:50:00.000Z

I would like to take this opportunity to say THANK YOU to all the visitors to Spooncarvingfirststeps...

We have just passed TEN THOUSAND visits...

And a big THANK YOU to the followers from Blogger, Face Book, Twitter and Woodlife...

All the very best...

JON MAC

Magali Roques...The Laguiole bladesmith

2011-01-29T20:32:00.000Z

Last week I received in the post a rather large parcel. It had a return address in France. I excitedly took it indoors and opened it, with 'Dollys' help of course...

Inside I found all manor of good food from my friend Magali, who lives in the Departement Aveyron, southern France. In this area the French make some splendid Roquefort cheeses and Magali had sent me some... Wonderful...

Along with some regional Saucisson and a tin of Jambonneau superieur absolutely fantastic...
Magali makes the most beautiful Laguiole folding knives...
Sarah and I use one daily at the table and Magali's design and attention to detail caught my eye, and I want to share her skill with you...

Here is a Laguiole with a scene representing the hunt on one side...

and on the other a representation of fishing for trout on the 'Dourdou' river, close to where Magali lives...

Magali carefully carves her knife cheeks in wax, and then uses them in a Lost wax casting...

(Below)

Wax: Cardabelle flower for the knife named "lou pastre"...

Magali uses sterling silver in her castings and the blades are made from 12 C 27 steel...

Magali at home in her workshop...

She has other designs and can make you a Laguiole for any occasion. The knife below would have come in extremely handy on a recent trip when a friend forlornly asked if any of us had a bottle opener...

At the moment there seems to be an Argument between the town of Laguiole and the bladesmiths who use the Laguiole name, and a chap who thinks he owns the name and has contracted knife production to the Chinese. I would hope to see the Laguiole name stay in France with the super artisans who make these stylish folding knives...

Magali has a blog at...
laguioleartisanauxdart.blogspot.com
You can contact Magali via her E mail :-

didier.roques0343@orange.fr
or

Face Book

Laguiole-sud-aveyron-creation