Quick tips 6

I didn't get to where I needed to be with my latest work to write it up this month so I'll give it to you next month.  So we're back to "Quick tips" for now.

• to wet a workpiece, use water or saliva on your finger
  
• the colour of the stone when wet closely mirrors the colour it will be when polished
• to dry the piece you are working on just blow on it - you'll be surprised how quickly the thin film of water on the face of the piece dries off so you can see details on the surface without reflections
• if you can't see the detail with your naked eyes use your loupe's - whether they are a handheld or headband-mounted version.  You can't look at a piece too many times during carving because it reduces the chance of having to go back and re-grind later with a thorough check of the surfaces before going onto the next stage
• and if you have an important, intricate piece to carve, cut two or more blanks to avoid having to go back to square one if there is an "accident".  You can always stop their progression along the way - you'll likely come back and finish the others later when you have more time

That's it for now.  Happy carving!