Читать книгу Victorinox Swiss Army Knife Whittling in the Wild - Felix Immler - Страница 6
ОглавлениеIntroduction
Why Another Whittling Book?
All my projects are unique, and they can all be made using the Victorinox Swiss Army Knife with a saw attachment. Every other whittling book I know calls for other tools like handsaws, drills, files, gouges, hammers, or axes—but not this book. I love whittling with the Swiss Army Knife because it allows me to be spontaneous and work almost anywhere at any time.
This book contains new whittling project ideas you won’t find in any other book. For months I developed many new projects as well as updated existing projects to require only a Swiss Army Knife. The ideas came from friends, workshop participants, YouTubers, or myself. A few classics such as the slingshot, the willow flute, and the raft can be found here as well. Because I often see my own ideas being copied, I think it is very important to give credit to the people whose ideas influenced these projects.
With over 700 photos and illustrations (and the videos on my YouTube channel), I explain the projects and techniques in this book with detailed step-bystep instructions. To make sure the pictures in this book make the instructions as easy to understand as possible, I joined forces with professional photographer Matthew Worden. He accompanied me through forests and fields for weeks while I developed my favorite projects. Thank you so much, Matthew! You are great!
Child’s Play?
Around 20 (!) new whittling books have been published in German since my first carving book, Working with a Swiss Army Knife, went on the market in 2012. Whittling appears to be experiencing a big increase in popularity. Most of these books are made for children or beginners. They often contain the same projects and attempt to show how easy it is to get started. This book has a completely different message: whittling is not that easy! This is especially the case if you want to take on a project any more difficult than the roasting spit.
Whittling is a wonderful hobby for young and old. Even today, whittling with a Swiss Army Knife still captivates many children. Completely analog and battery-free, it is a companion for adventures big and small and creates valuable experiences outside of the digital world. It is creative and practical, and invites you to engage with nature. I personally have found so much joy in it that I have made it my profession. Whittling requires endurance, strength, fine-motor skills, knowledge of natural materials, imagination, and much more. Children who want to get involved need focus, concentration, the right knife, and suitable projects. They have to practice often and be able to rely on a good, patient teacher. My experience from well over three hundred workshops has shown me that it is important to work closely with children when whittling. In order for them to really develop creative ideas, they need more than just being given a stick and a Swiss Army Knife. Many children want to start working on “cool” projects right away, like the apple slingshot or the paddle steamer. This only works, however, with the active help of a skilled adult whittler who can show the child how it’s done if he or she is struggling. With a good role model and a satisfying goal in reach, children become more inclined to keep at it and practice the necessary techniques. Whittling as a team is fun and helps strengthen your relationship.
For Kids and Adults Working Together
Novice whittlers who have never held a Swiss Army Knife before will become quickly overwhelmed by the projects in this book. Even children who already have some experience will quickly reach their limits. This does not mean, however, that this book is unsuitable for children. On the contrary, the idea behind this book is that children should always work with an adult, which has a great positive side effect. Nothing helps create a stronger bond than working together to achieve a common goal—a wonderful opportunity to build relationships between two generations.
In this regard, the book is meant for whittling enthusiasts of all ages. The selected projects appeal to children just as much as adults, but the techniques require fine-motor skills and often also technical understanding.
Sizes and Dimensions
In general, all of the projects in this book can be made larger or smaller than specified. In nature you have to work with the material that you can find. For this reason, my instructions focus on the procedure, the functional principle, and relative dimensions of each project. My instructions are not meant to be read as recipe-like steps with strict size requirements.
This book should also be a source of inspiration to help you practice techniques. It describes tricks and tips and should hopefully inspire you to practice, to develop your own unique style, and to create your own designs. All projects have multiple ways of reaching the same goal. Be brave! Be creative! The instructions in this book describe just some of many possibilities.
Videos and Instructions
So that you don’t have to take the entire book with you into the forest, you can download videos and instructions from my YouTube channel and website to your mobile phone. You can start your carving adventure in the forest with just a Swiss Army Knife and smartphone in your pocket! The videos that show, for example, how the whistle sounds or how far the flinging arrow flies can also be found in the playlist “Schnitz it yourself” on my YouTube channel.
The Right Knife
I used the Victorinox Huntsman Swiss Army Knife for all projects in this book. In general, any Victorinox model with a saw, awl, small blade, and large blade would be suitable. A Swiss Army Knife with scissors is very practical for many projects but isn’t absolutely necessary. Because I have to draw or make markings for most of my projects, I replaced one side of my Swiss Army Knife with a handle that contains a pen and penholder. If you want to add one to your Swiss Army Knife as well, you can find it in the accessories section of any Victorinox retail store or on the Victorinox website (www.victorinox.com).
Almost all handles have a slot for a pin next to the corkscrew (see picture 20 on here). Because a pin can be helpful for some projects, I added a Victorinox pin as well. The knife can also be fitted with an ordinary needle from your household sewing kit.
Of course, larger Victorinox Swiss Army Knives from the 111mm series or the 130mm series can be also used for the projects in this book. I personally do not prefer the larger Swiss Army Knives because they don’t have a small knife for very fine work, which is really important to me.
The Go-To Tools in My Backpack
Along with the Swiss Army Knife, I always carry string and a lighter. Many projects require the use of string. I prefer to use natural string like hemp, jute, or flax. This way I don’t have to feel guilty if I, for example, leave a waterwheel in a stream because I know the string will decompose naturally if the wheel is washed away. Ever since my wife showed me her trick using a hot glue stick and a lighter, I’ve always carried them with me as well. If you use a lighter to heat the end of a hot glue stick until it is transparent and softened, it becomes a great way to seal cracks or glue things together. And hot glue hardens again very quickly, which is really practical.
