C-190.1 - Whittling Chip 101

John Lewis

November 3 ,2018

Items to Cover

• Introductions

• Whittling Chip for Cub Scouts

• Types of Knives

• Safe Handling and General Knife Safety

• Caring for Your Knife

• Pocket Knife Pledge

• Knife Safety Quiz

• Soap Carving Exercise

• Carving Ideas

• Supplemental / Additional Resources

• Knife Safety Quiz Answers

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Introductions

• Your instructors

• Intent of course

• Introduce yourself• Name

• Scouting experience

• Pocket knife experience and knowledge

• Have you ever sharpened a knife on a stone before?

• Have you ever carved something before?

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Whittling Chip for Cub Scouts

• Earned during the Bear year

• One of the key milestones during Cub Scout years that the boys look forward to completing

• Requires a basic set of dexterity, maturity and understanding of safety

• As responsible leaders and adults, we must properly teach and monitor our boys• Make sure the boys understand the consequences of misuse – cutting corner

of Whittling Chip card for egregious violations, temporary suspension of knife privileges, 4 cut corners and you have to redo the requirements

• Starting with plastic knives or using the lipstick on the blade exercise

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Types of Knives

• First, a knife is a tool, not a toy!

• 3 basic designs Cubs can use• Jackknife – 1-2 blades hinged at one end of knife

body

• Penknife – 2 or more blades hinged at both end of the knife body

• Multipurpose knife – 1 or more blades along with various tools (scissors, leather punch, etc.)

• Other designs, such as fixed blade knives will not be covered in this presentation

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Safe Handling and Knife Safety

• A knife is a tool, not a toy!

• Keep your blade sharp

• Keep knife clean and dry

• Always cut away from yourself

• Never carry an open pocketknife!

• When not using your knife, close it with the palm of your hand and put away

• When using your pocketknife, make small, controlled and steady cuts

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Safe Handling and Knife Safety (con’t.)

• Never use a knife on something that will dull or break it

• Never throw a knife

• Safety Circle• With closed pocket knife in palm of hand, stretch arm out and make a 360

degree rotation. If you do not touch anything, you have a safety circle from which to start carving

• Be mindful of people around you. If they approach or enter your safety circle, immediately STOP, lower your knife and ask them to please be mindful or exit your safe zone

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Safe Handling and Knife Safety (con’t.)

• Handing off a knife• Always hand off a knife with a closed blade

• Have clear communication when passing off your tool• Make eye contact with receiver

• Have receiver acknowledge he has a firm grasp on the knife (saying ”Thank You” when one receives the knife is a polite and clear gesture to the person passing the tool)

• Remember – Think before your act• Lead by example

• Respect nature

• Safety first!

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Caring for Your Knife

• Inspect knife for any damage before use

• Clean your knife• Wipe blade and body after use a soft cloth

• Use great care to not cut yourself during the process!

• Move cloth from top to bottom (sharp edge) of blade

• Gently knock or blow out debris, especial in and around the locking device and hinge• Toothpicks, cotton swabs or an old toothbrush can get in many of the cracks and crevices

• Oil hinges (and blade, if needed)• Mineral oil or 3-in-1 both work well

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Caring for Your Knife (con’t.)

• Keep the blade sharp with a tool or stone• With a sharpening stone

• Lay stone lengthwise out from you on level surface. If needed, use a lubricant

• Lay knife edge on stone at 15-25 degree angle with sharp edge away from you*

• Holding the angle, gently push the knife away from you applying very light pressure

• Now repeat the action for the other side of the blade back toward you**

• Alternate above two steps equal number of times until blade is sharp

• Wipe blade as necessary

* different knife makes may have different angles on the edge – try to understand what your make used from the factory, else find the angle that best suits your needs

** this is one of the few times you will be moving the blade towards you!

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Pocket Knife Pledge

• I understand the reason for safety rules

• I will treat my pocketknife with the respect due a useful tool

• I will always close my pocketknife and put it away when not in use

• I will not use my pocketknife when it might injure someone near me

• I promise to never throw my pocketknife for any reason

• I will use my pocketknife in a safe manner at all times

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Knife Safety Quiz

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• Part I: Circle the correct answer • It’s OK to cut toward yourself ( T / F )

• It’s OK to pass an open knife as long as you’re very careful ( T / F )

• A dull knife is safer than a sharp knife ( T / F )

• Dirt on a knife blade helps keep it sharp ( T / F )

• Never carve your initials on anything that does NOT belong to you ( T / F )

• When someone hands you a knife you say “Thank You” to show good manners ( T / F )

• A pocketknife should always be closed when it is not in use, or in your pocket ( T / F )

• You should close the blade with the palm of your hand ( T / F )

Knife Safety Quiz (con’t.)

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• Part II: Fill in the blank • Close the blade with the ________________ of your hand.

• A __________________ should never be used on something that will dull or break it.

• People watching you work with your knife should not enter your _________ .

• Your knife should always be kept ___________ and _________ .

• Always ________ when carrying a knife.

Knife Safety Quiz (con’t.)

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• Part III: Circle the correct answer(s)• When using a knife, do not make ( big / little ) shavings or chips.

• A ( dull / sharp ) knife is more likely to cut you.

• A knife should be cleaned ( before / after ) cutting food.

• A fixed blade knife should be passed to another person ( blade / handle ) first.

Knife Safety Quiz (con’t.)

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• Part IV: The Pocketknife Pledge: Fill in the blank • I will treat my pocketknife with the ______________ due a useful tool.

• I will always ___________ my pocketknife and put it away when not in use.

• I will not use my pocketknife when it might _____________ someone near me.

• I ____________ never to throw my pocketknife for any reason.

• I will use my pocketknife in a safe manner at _______times.

Soap Carving Exercise

• Needed• Bar of Ivory soap• Sharp pocketknife• Great idea of what to carve!

• Simple, basic shapes without thin details or a relief work best for beginners

• Before you start carving• If you have a clear mental picture of what you wish to carve, proceed to

carving step• Else, use an toothpick or small stick to outline the surface of the soap with

your idea before starting• You can also overlay a printed design onto the soap and outline it using a

toothpick our other sharp, pointed object

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Soap Carving Exercise (con’t.)

• Starting the carving process• Place soap on hard, flat surface

• Firmly holding soap on half closest to you, start your first (small!) cut on the end farthest from you.

• Because soap is soft, be gentle and try to cut all the way through the thickness of the soap to start, working towards your outline

• Gently continue making small cuts, turning bar of soap as necessary to keep the working end farthest from you

• “Step back” and check your work as you progress

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Soap Carving Exercise (con’t.)

• Adding details• You can gently scrape edges to smooth high spots

• Use your pointed object to add relief or details

• Finishing/Polishing• Let soap carving dry for two days

• Take a napkins and gently wipe down carving to remove loose soap “crumbs”

• Use fingers to gently work over any remaining rough spots

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Carving Ideas

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Carving Ideas (con’t.)

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Supplemental / Additional Resources

• Additional carving ideas – Check Pinterest or Google Images (when searching for soap carvings)

• Cub Scout Bear Handbook – 2015 Revision

• https://meritbadge.org/wiki/index.php/Whittling_Chip_Course

• http://cubscoutideas.com/4053/cub-scout-whittling-chip-requirements-pocketknife-safety/

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Knife Safety Quiz Answers

• Part I: Circle the correct answer • It’s OK to cut toward yourself ( T / F )• It’s OK to pass an open knife as long as you’re very careful ( T / F )• A dull knife is safer than a sharp knife ( T / F )• Dirt on a knife blade helps keep it sharp ( T / F )• Never carve your initials on anything that does NOT belong to you ( T / F )• When someone hands you a knife you say “Thank You” to show good

manners ( T / F )• A pocketknife should always be closed when it is not in use, or in your pocket

( T / F )• You should close the blade with the palm of your hand ( T / F )

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Knife Safety Quiz Answers (con’t.)

• Part II: Fill in the blank • Close the blade with the ___PALM___ of your hand.

• A ___POCKETKNIFE___ should never be used on something that will dull or break it.

• People watching you work with your knife should not enter your ___SAFETYCIRCLE___ .

• Your knife should always be kept ___CLEAN___ and ___DRY___.5. Always ___WALK___ when carrying a knife.

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Knife Safety Quiz Answers (con’t.)

• Part III: Circle the correct answer(s)• When using a knife, do not make ( BIG / little ) shavings or chips.

• A ( DULL / sharp ) knife is more likely to cut you.

• A knife should be cleaned ( BEFORE / AFTER ) cutting food.

• A fixed blade knife should be passed to another person ( blade / HANDLE ) first.

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Knife Safety Quiz Answers (con’t.)

• Part IV: The Pocketknife Pledge: Fill in the blank• I will treat my pocketknife with the ___RESPECT___ due a useful tool.

• I will always ___CLOSE___ my pocketknife and put it away when not in use.

• I will not use my pocketknife when it might ___INJURE___ someone near me.

• I ___PROMISE___ never to throw my pocketknife for any reason.

• I will use my pocketknife in a safe manner at ___ALL___ times.

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