There are numerous techniques and materials which may be employed to add character and individuality to these scrap wood projects. The possibilities are limited only by the interest and ability of the group and the working time available. We shall consider several of these methods which can be readily adapted to individual or group shop programs.

An electric needle or wood burner may be used to produce interesting designs on any wood surface. This technique is particularly useful for outlining figures, letters, or designs which are applied to a light wood surface. As an alternative, the background may be shaded with lines or stippled to emphasize the outline of the figure or design.

It is well for the child to practice on a piece of scrap wood before attempting to use the wood burner on his project. After allowing ample time for the instrument to "heat up," the wood burner should be held as one would hold a pencil, and guided slowly over the lines of the design or figure. Only a minimum of pressure should be required to produce a sharp line. Using too much pressure may result in gouging of the wood surface or distortion of the line, since the point of the wood burner tends to follow the grain of the wood.

The use of wood burners is not recommended for groups of young children, and it requires careful supervision by the instructor.

When working time is limited, it is often impractical to use oil paints and enamels to color these projects, particularly if more than one color is required. Quick-drying lacquers may be adapted to this purpose, but children frequently find them difficult to work with.

Colored pencils moistened with water may be used effectively to color small areas within a design or figure which is to be applied to a natural wood surface. Care must be taken that only the tip of the pencil is immersed in water to minimize running or spreading of the colors. When thoroughly dry, the surface should be given a protective coat of shellac, which may be applied lightly with a soft brush or from a pressurized spray dispenser.

Wax crayons can be applied directly to natural wood surfaces. After the coloring is completed, a coat of shellac or clear varnish will give the surface a glossy protective finish.

Felt marking pencils offer a third method for applying color to small designs or figures. These pencils consist of a cartridge of quick-drying ink which feeds a small felt tip. Since the unit is entirely self-contained, the hazards of dripping and spilling are completely eliminated. Felt marking pencils are available in a number of primary colors and are excellent for outlining figures and lettering.

Whenever a very fine sharp line is required for outlining or lettering, India ink may be used to good advantage. It is best applied with a narrow-tipped lettering pen, with quick strokes used to minimize spreading of the lines. Each time the pen point is dipped in the ink it should be tested on a scrap of paper to prevent a blot on the wood surface.

Tempera paints are probably the most versatile and readily adaptable of all the coloring media now available. They may be mixed with water to obtain almost any desired hue or consistency. When they are applied directly from the jar as a thick creamy paste, tempera colors are suitable for outlining figures or coloring areas within designs. A thinner mix is excellent for spatter painting. The technique is quite simple. A stencil is prepared by sketching a simple design or block lettering on a piece of heavy drawing paper and removing certain areas with a sharp knife or razor blade. The stencil is fastened over the. wood surface with masking tape so that only those areas which have been removed from the figure will be exposed. An old toothbrush is dipped in the tempera paint, held over the stencil with bristles facing upward, and stroked with a nail or toothpick. The exposed areas of the wood surface are spattered with color which is broken up in interesting patterns. Additional thinning with water will produce a paint which can easily be applied to an entire wood surface to give a solid color. After the surface has dried thoroughly, it may be given a coat of shellac or clear varnish to produce a glossy protective finish.

A flat finish in a solid color may be obtained with rubber base paints. These are available in a number of pastel shades and are water soluble. Rubber base paint dries in about thirty minutes, and children find it easy to work with.

Interesting effects can be achieved through the use of chip carving to decorate wood surfaces. This technique should be reserved for advanced groups working closely with an instructor. Simple geometric patterns may be carved into soft wood surfaces by removing pyramidal-shape chips with a sharp knife. The wood used for this purpose should be carefully selected. A piece of fine-grained white pine or basswood will usually give good results. Chip carving requires a razor-sharp knife with a short, thin blade. X-Acto knives are well suited for this purpose.

A geometric design composed of arrangements of squares, triangles, and diamonds is drawn on the wood with a sharp pencil and a ruler. Then the chips are removed with clean strokes of a chisel-edged knife. The technique may be perfected by practicing on a piece of scrap wood until the operator becomes skilled at removing clean-cut chips, leaving sharp, crisp facets of uniform depth. When the carving is complete, any splintered edges should be smoothed with sandpaper.

The carved surface can be given a natural finish of linseed oil or liquid or paste wax. If color is desired, the design may be painted with tempera colors and rubbed with a damp cloth when nearly dry. This removes much of the superficial color, leaving the recessed areas darker by contrast. After drying is complete, the surface should be given a protective coat of shellac or clear varnish.
 
Ten-, twenty-, forty-, or even sixty-penny nails may be prepared to form dies for stamping wood or leather surfaces. The nail is placed in a vise so that the head may be shaped with a metal file. With the nail firmly supported, the edges of the head may be filed to form various geometric shapes, such as squares, triangles, or rectangles. In addition, a triangular file may be used to cut ridges or grooves in the surface of the head, or circular depressions may be cut with a drill.

When the head of the nail has been filed to the desired shape or design, the end of the nail is cut off with a hack saw, so that the finished stamp will be about three inches long. The stamp is applied by placing the prepared head against the wood surface and tapping the opposite end sharply with a mallet. One or two sharp blows should be sufficient.

Tooled leather or metal foil panels fastened to contrasting wood surfaces offer great possibilities for original design. A set of simple modeling tools can be assembled from ordinary household items. A nut pick or the cartridge of a ballpoint pen which has "gone dry" will serve for tooling simple designs on metal foil or leather. Interesting patterns can be created by using a kitchen fork, which tools four lines at once, or a pastry cutter, which produces a saw-toothed line. A simple stippling tool may be prepared by setting five small wire brads in the end of a three-inch length of hard-wood dowel so that they form a circular pattern. Stamps for leather or metal foil may be prepared by file-shaping the heads of ten-penny nails as described above.

Sheets of copper or aluminum foil can be purchased at craft stores for about thirty to forty cents per square foot. As an alternative, smaller pieces of aluminum foil can be salvaged from various food containers, such as those in which frozen pies are marketed. The foil panel is trimmed to the desired size and covered with a sheet of tracing paper bearing the design to be tooled. This assembly is then fastened to the surface of a piece of soft scrap wood with tape or thumbtacks, and the lines are transferred to the foil with a modeling instrument. Then the tracing paper is removed, and the design is completed by deepening the lines and burnishing the background as desired. An interesting effect can be achieved by placing metal foil over a coin and rubbing the surface with a burnishing instrument until the imprint of the face of the coin can be seen.

The technique for tooling designs on leather is similar to that described above, except that the leather should be moistened thoroughly before being fastened to the board. A stippling tool may be used to advantage in decorating the background so that the figure stands out. Additional decorative touches may be applied through the use of stamps on leather work. While the leather is still damp, color may be applied with colored pencils.

Many different craft materials can be fastened to wood surfaces, resulting in some very pleasing combinations. Cut-outs of wood, metal foil, plastic, or leather may be used to produce interesting relief effects. Best results are obtained with simple figures, geometric shapes, or initials which are cemented or tacked to the wood.

Interesting designs can be created by cementing colorful buttons, toothpicks, or plastic beads to wood surfaces. A package of 600 cylindrical beads, one-half inch long and three-sixteenths of an inch in diameter, can be purchased inexpensively at hobby or craft shops. Assorted shells may be arranged in patterns to represent various floral designs. Very fast-drying cements are recommended for this kind of work.

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