Nice work, Randy. Yes, I've experienced that "pushing" you mentioned. I'm working on an Elk portrait and I've run into that. In fact that was exactly why I started this thread. The way my mind see's it is that I need the surface nearly dry so I'm punching through it, but the inside to be moist enough for the fibers to compress. When it's too wet, I can push it around like clay. I'm also researching mallets and mauls. I'm using a wood sculptor's maul made out of Lignum Vitae that weighs right at a pound. After watching a video last night where I guy was using a 4 oz maul for his beveling I'm wondering if maybe I'm having trouble controlling the maul. ???
