Sharpness: A leather strop with a twist

Carving wood means having sharp knives. I use regular old sharpening stones, but also resort to sandpaper, ceramic rods, and leather strops with polishing compound. I'm confident that I can bring most blades to a nice edge, and many blades with good steel to armhair-shaving perfection. The strop I've put together here carries a small ceramic rod. The rod is great for touching up a blade just before a few swipes on the leather. The ceramic rod's handle has a flathead nail in it, which contacts a rare earth magnet in the strop board, holding the rod safe and secure. This a rough version, and I plan on making the next one a little smoother looking, but the idea has borne fruit. I think it's a neat little sharpening kit.

St. Patrick's Day party favors (part 2)

As you can see, some of these pins and fridge magnets are soaked in linseed oil while others are painted with acrylics. It's a nice break to carve these simple little items, plus I'm using up scrap wood from other projects. (and yet the clutter continues to build.) Next I'll add pin backs and glue on magnets.

Fridge magnet: Rumor from Imaginary Monsters

The Imaginary Monsters webcomic is up to #129! Imaginary Monsters is a quirky, silly, fun story with tons of wild visuals and dungeon adventures. I'm a fan.

In a comic series full of crazy characters, it can be tough to pick a favorite. Mine is a little guy named "Rumor." He's a minor supporting character with only a handful of appearances, but something about him just tickles me. I carved a Rumor figure, glued a magnet on the back, and gave it to Pete Lazarski, the creator of Imaginary Monsters.