[tsterling]

I’m in the process of developing a “Getting Started” or “Resources” section for the forum. We get lots of questions from new folks about tools, woods, etc. Rather than trying to answer these types of general questions over and over, or sending them to the SEARCH function, I think it will be useful to have some distillations of previous postings concerning items of general interest. That way we can point them gently to the “Getting Started" section, hopefully to be answering more specific questions after they’ve browsed that section.

I plan on having two kinds of items available:
1. Adobe Acrobat PDF’s of useful subjects taken from Carving Path postings (small amount of editing)
2. Links to external sources

This section won’t be available for everyone to post in, just to keep things clean so there isn’t a lot of extraneous postings a newbie would have to try to wade through. That said, I think anyone who wishes to develop something for this area is welcome to, they’ll just need to go through one of the admin folks to post it.

I’m asking for everyone to put their thinking hats on to come up with useful stuff to go in here, especially external links to quality carving related sites. A small rule here, if the link is to a commercial vendor, like a tool or wood source, please make sure either you or one of our other members has had some sort of good experience with them. We only want to post reputable commercial source links.

What sorts of things were helpful to you in getting started, or what do you wish you had available?

Here’s what I’ve got assembled so far:

PDF resources

Finishes:
A general discussion from multiple topics
Dyeing Antler and Ivory
Potassium Permanganate

Metal Art Technique:
Jim Kelso's Grape Leaves Moth Tutorial
Jim Kelso’s Japanese_Patination Tutorial
Jim Kelso’s Aduki Pin Tutorial
Jim Kelso’s Lindsay Graver Tutorial
Jim Kelso’s Owl Tutorial
Jim Kelso’s Paperweight Tutorial
Jim Kelso’s Sword Fern Tutorial
Jim Kelso’s Scraper_and_Stone_Finishing Tutorial
Jim Kelso’s Uchidashi Frog Tutorial
Jim Kelso’s Vera Box Tutorial
Dick Bonham's metal fabrications
Ford Hallam’s Kozuka(?) tutorial

Tools:
General discussions from multiple topics
Jim Kelso’s engraver tutorial
Don Fogg's Toolmaking Tutorials

Workholding general discussions

Materials:
Woods, Tagua, Fossil ivory from multiple topics

Carving:
Natasha's tutorial(s)
Jim Kelso’s Leaf Tutorial
Tom Sterling's croc skull tutorial
Intend to add Janel's sequential pics
Eye inlay from multiple topics

External links so far:

Finishes/Colorants:
Urushi Lacquer: http://www.urushi-kobo.com/index.html
Potassium Permangante: http://secure.sciencecompany.com/Potassium...-P6507C670.aspx
Walnut and other organic dyes: http://www.kremerpig...h/krpigm061.htm

Materials:
Gold Powder: http://apps.webcreate.com/ecom/catalog/pro...ProductID=17914
Gold Leaf (Europe): http://www.cooksongold.net/

Fossil and hippo ivory: http://www.boonetrading.com/
http://www.kowakivory.com/index.html
http://www.osofamoso.com/
http://www.ivorybuye...workingtips.htm
http://www.ijtrade.c...mmoth/index.htm

Boxwood: http://www.gilmerwood.com/ (USA)
http://www.forlovers...ialty/misc.html (Canada)
http://www.store.octopus.com.tr/ (Turkey)
Steel for tools: http://www.toolanddie.com/

Music wire and steel: http://www.precisionbrand.com/products/def....asp?p_catid=48
Japanese-style art metals: www.reactivemetals.com
Antler and horn: http://www.hideandfur.com/
Inro cord: http://www.internets...nter/index.html

Instruction:
Tom Sterling's Free Netsuke Carving eBook: http://www.sterlingsculptures.com/

Tools:
Carving tools, including Dockyard brand: http://www.thewoodcraftshop.com
Small carving tools http://www.ramelson.com/

Various tools: http://www.leevalley.com/
http://www.axminster.co.uk/
http://www.capeforge.com/
http://www.kestreltool.com/
http://www.micromark.com/

Japanese-style tools: http://www.barenforu...cts/shimizu.php
Diamond burrs: http://www.mtmist.org/

[Debbie]

Tom,
This posting is wonderful, I was just tripping through the old postings and this one is great. It answers alot of questions new members are asking and they probably don't ever know this well of great information is available. Maybe it should be more obvious so people can find it - ya think - or did you swear that off too? I try to avoid thinking, I'm illequiped!!!!!!!!!!!!
Debbie

[Chuck Trout]

being able to easily find things dramatically increases the utility value, it also makes it easier for members to refer those who miss such resources to the information since they dont have to recall it and find it

actually I can hardly wait to download all those pdf's you have assembled

thank you

[cgb]

the tutorial pdf's seem to not be linked anymore

[tsterling]

cgb, on Dec 29 2009, 09:20 PM, said:

the tutorial pdf's seem to not be linked anymore

The reference pdf's are in the "Getting Started and Resources" forum and they sem to work just fine.