Even if I say so myself, I was quite pleased with how my Forty Hall print turned out, and it was glorious to sell them to friends and visitors at the event. It inspired me to have a cleaning up session on my court card block. I had struggled with the detailing on it and although the block was admired, the prints from it were a little messy. I knew the tendency of apple wood to crumble in the narrow lines compared with pearwood, so I proceeded cautiously. I was happy with the results though – the pictures show the difference in the Queen of Spades before and after some tidying – clearing away some high standing lines of wood that were printing unintentionally, including on the faces – had to be so careful here – one slip of the gouge and, no more nose! It has happened! .
There is a fair bit more to do, but I’ve learned the absolute importance of frequent sharpening, and I now use a waterstone for the purpose instead of an oil stone.