Thank you, Mike, David, and Curt, for the kind words.  The stamps are a
challenge because they're small and you have to think of what needs to be
removed to create the design.  The first few, I made the design on the end
of the stamp, which got me the negative image in the wood.  Also, the steel
is soft, so a mis-struck file line can mean a return to the grinder or
grabbing a flat file to take the stamp down to new metal for a fresh start.

David, I'd prefer beating the background into submission, as the excavating
part is both finicky and tedious.  But as Curt observes, the removal is
done first.  The flowers, if not struck correctly when they're laid out,
can be fragile.  My natural tendency is to pop up the excavated piece
instead of freeing it by continuing the cut horizontally.  Trying to pop
that little piece up and out near the edge of the flower can lead to
disaster.  Learning curve and all that.  One other wood-related awareness
is the change in density that happens when you move from the spring wood,
comprised of large-diameter cells, to the denser late wood.  The "weaker"
cells of the spring wood can separate, leaving a rough or frayed edge along
the carving.  Once excavated, it's time to go back over the surface with
the stamps.  I'm driving poor Peter wild because, as a beginner who's
methodical, I'm progressing at a slower pace than he's accustomed to.  But
it's my work and I want it to be my best.  Hurrying and best aren't often
found together, IMHO.

Take care,

Dwight

On Wed, Jul 1, 2015 at 10:02 AM, David G. Wittner  wrote:

> To be honest, I'm surprised there hasn't been more buzz about these. They
> look great! On the carving, do you have to excavate the background before
> stamping or do you just beat it into submission?
>
> Keep up the good work,
> DGW
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: OldTools [mailto:oldtools-
bounces@s...] On Behalf Of
> Michael Blair
> Sent: Wednesday, July 01, 2015 6:52 AM
> To: oldtools@s...
> Subject: Re: [OldTools] Stamps
>
> Delightful and useful.  Thank you.
>
> Mike in Sacto
>
>
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