soap carving

[woodchip]

I'm interested in soap. Nope, not what you think. My wife makes me shower at least twice a day. Actually, I have a friend who wants to teach kids to carve soap. While the techniques may not be too different from woodcarving, he wants to know how to sharpen a plastic knife and how to 'glue' pieces of soap together. Any info would make him bubble with joy.

[Captain_Bandaid]

Re: soap carving

I would think that a plastic knife could be sharpened with some fine sandpaper. To glue the soap together, I think you could just wet it , push the pieces together and allow it to dry.

[Guest]

Re: soap carving

I let my kids carve Ivory soap bars with a wood knife made out of craft sticks. You know, the really fat popsycle sticks. Cut one in half and glue it to a whole stick. Shape and sharpen as you want.

Good Luck,
Richard

[King_of_Blades]

Re: soap carving

Greetings. Being new to woodcarving, I decided to try modeling my ideas in soap, with the idea of transferring them to wood if I liked how they turned out. If I didn't, then I figured less time would be wasted finding out. Unfortunately, the soap I was using (I forget the name, but it's cheap stuff) cracked, chipped, split, flaked off, and crumbled. I'm guessing that a better soap will work okay, but the idea is on hold for now.

~Andrew
King_of_Blades

[Guest]

Re: soap carving

There are a couple new books out on Soap carving that give all the info you could possibly need.

[AlArchie]

Re: soap carving

Try that sandpaper, as suggested; it should sharpen those plastic knives just fine. For cub Scouts we used those and Ivory soap; fresh stuff; if old it crumbles when you carve it. And sticking it together with water works great, too.

Al

[Captain_Bandaid]

Re: soap carving

If soap is not your favorite medium, try using children's modeling clay. You can buy it for $4 a pound at Micheals or Hobby Lobby at it is re-useable. Granted, it doesn't exactly carve like wood, but you can use it to establish the basic design of your idea. For a couple more bucks, you can buy some wooden sculpting tools and you're all set. Just remember, it is usually easier to put details into soft clay than to carve them in wood so don't go overboard.

[Guest]

Re: soap carving

Schiffer books <www.schifferbooks.com> has two books on soap carving. ISBN numbers 0-7643-1292-8 & 0-7643-0859-9. You may be able to get them through this site, Schiffers site or do a search for Wisconsin Woodcarvers Supply Company. You may also find them at <half.com>

[Guest]

Re: soap carving

I just carved some soap sculptures and I'd say to sharpen plastic knives with some sandpaper and to glue them together, I just added water and applied pressure. Good Luck!!!