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With only three craft sticks (Popsicle type), young folks can learn how to care for carving and whittling pocket knives in a relatively safe way - and have fun while doing so.
After completion, the Soap Carver can be used to make carvings out of bars of soap, cakes of plaster (made from a mixture of equal parts plaster of Paris and vermiculite - see sidebar) or modeling clay.
Important: The following project should be done with adult supervision, as sharp tools will be used to make your Soap Carver!
Materials for Soap Carver
3 standard-sized wooden Popsicle sticks
1 medium grit sandpaper
1 white wood glue (not hot glue)
1 pocketknife and/or saw
How to make the Soap Carver
Step #1: Mark one stick as shown in figure #1 and carefully cut off the corner.
Step #2: Next, carefully trim or sand a tapered edge on both sides of the blade that you cut in step #1.
Step #3: Mark two sticks a little over half way in length and cut them in two, as in figure #3.
Step #4: Looking at figure #4, cut a beveled edge on the cut end of each of the two sticks from step #3. Only do this on ONE side of each stick.
Step #5: Next, glue the handle side (the two sticks from step #4) onto the longer third stick as shown in drawing #5. Set aside to completely dry.
Step #6: Once the carver has had time to dry, you may now "sharpen" your carver blade, as shown by the dotted lines in drawing #2. Use the medium grit sandpaper as a sharpening stone and be sure to follow proper sharpening techniques and safety rules.
Step #7: You can paint, stain or decorate your carver and even drill a hole in the grip end for a loop of lanyard or leather as a strap. Make a holder for your carver from any sturdy material such as scrap leather, cardboard, etc. Keep your carver in its holder, called a sheath, when you are not using it.
REMEMBER: Always follow safety rules in handling any cutting tool. It is not a toy! Your soap carver can be used to carve soap bars, bars of plaster, modeling clay and... fingers if not careful!
~ Don Cantrell is a dedicated Scouter and woodcarver of Troop 314, Ashland United Methodist Church, in Columbia SC. |
