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Since finishing that picture Finkbeiner, who lives in Burbank, has completed a large floral study and a figure of Christ in plastic. Besides, he has made many small objects: necklaces, pins, jewel boxes, lamps, etc. Most of them are jewel-like in their coloring. He recommends his hobby to anyone seeking an artistic outlet that does not demand a large outlay of money and that has possibilities for profit.

Finkbeiner asserts that no special skills are necessary. He himself has studied watchmaking and commercial art, both of which have been helpful, since plastic carving is a work requiring a certain precision and fine detail. The hobby may be for you if you have patience with fine work and a steady hand. An eye for design helps, too, but that can be acquired if you feel you weren't born with it. (After all, who is?)

ED FINKBEINER took up his hobby about five years ago when he became fascinated by the beauty of some costume jewelry that looked like fresh flowers frozen in crystal-clear ice. He found out they were made by a process of internal carving; that is, the design was made by inserting a small drill up into the plastic from below and guiding it so the cutting took the form of flower petals and leaves. Dyes supplied the realistic color.

At a hobby shop he found two books showing how to make flower petals, fish, birds, leaves, lines of all kinds—almost anything he would want to do, except an ambitious project like copying a masterpiece—that technique he figured out for himself.

The books were "Working with Plexiglas," published by Rohm and Haas, Washington Square, Philadelphia 5, Pennsylvania, and "Internal Carving in Plastics," by Harry A. Zoback, Horton Publishing Co., 585 Avenue of the Americas, New York 11, New York.

Along with the books Ed bought some inexpensive pieces of scrap Lucite and a high speed flexible shaft rotary drill. Its various burrs, bits, and emery wheels made him think of a dentist's office. He set up shop in his garage and started experimenting to see what the dozen or so drill bits would do. Then he tried to copy the designs in the books and found it quite simple to do—a twist of the wrist is actually the essential motion in this hobby.

He also found that hobby shops and plastics firms supply pre-cut and polished pieces in almost any shape and size: squares, circles, ovals, hearts, etc. Also backing pieces for these shapes: beveled or scalloped pieces of opaque plastic in white, black and colors. They showed him how to cement one of these pieces to the back of a pin, for instance, to hide the evidence of cutting. He also learned that Lucite and Plexiglas are trade names and one is just as suitable as the other to his work.

The actual carving goes fast. A penetration can be made that produces a leaf-like shape in a second or two. Then a few deft touches with the drill give it little pointed edges. Watching Finkbeiner carve a flower is like seeing one grow as if by magic right before your eyes.

The drill motor must be fast, he says, at least 10,000 r.p.m. or the plastic will soften as you drill it and the lines will not be sharp. His drill runs at 27,000 r.p.m.

THE CARVING Finkbeiner does falls into two general types: the internal carving, which is fairly deep carving up into a cube-like piece from as small as possible an opening; and the surface carving, which is more like etching out a design on a thinner sheet of plastic.

Internal carving produces the effect of an object frozen in clear ice. To do such a piece, say a paper weight with a full blown red rose and green leaves inside it, Finkbeiner would start with a block of plastic perhaps an inch and a half thick and three to four inches square, polished on the top and sides so he can better watch the carving progress. (Unpolished, the plastic is dull and milky white.)

He chooses a ¹/8-inch tapered drill reground especially for this kind of work, and available at craft and hardware stores. (Zoback's book shows how to regrind a regular high-speed twist drill for this purpose, though he doesn't recommend it to the amateur.) This drill is a sharp tool that requires respect and caution. Finkbeiner advises planning each move ahead, so that you know where the drill is going to go at all times. He uses a light pressure and keeps his fingers away from the front of the drill. For safety and a cleaner result he braces his right thumb against the material better to control the drill.

FINKBEINER FASHIONS a rose in this way:

He inserts the drill in the center of the piece of plastic, perpendicular, into the underside until it is three-quarters of the way through. At that point he rotates his wrist so that the drill forms a cone-shape cavity, which will be the bud at the rose's center.

Then he reinserts the drill a little to the side and at a slight angle to make a row of three petals, not quite so deeply cut as the center bud. Each new petal starts at a point slightly behind the end of the last, but he leaves at least ¹/16 inch between the overlapping parts.

The side-to-side motion needed to fashion the petal is done by moving the plastic with the left hand. The right hand directs the drill in a forward and backward direction. In making a petal he gradually increases the depth of the cut to make a slight point, then tapers it again.

After he surrounds the center with a row of three petals, he adds a second row, this time with four petals at still more of a slant outward. He follows this with another row of five wide-open petals—always being careful not to cut through from one petal to another. He is careful too, never to get too close to the top of the plastic, for cutting on through it would not only ruin the design but might break the drill.

These sketches may help visualize the rose making steps:

Top view of bud, then with first row of petals added.

Side view showing angle of drill for bud, then for first row.

He makes a separate entry for each row of petals.

Like this^    ^Not this

(Roses are an exception to the general rule that the point of entry into the plastic should be kept as small as possible.)

To carve the rose leaves, Finkbeiner uses the same drill but with a different motion. This time he wants a saw-tooth edge. More simple than the rose, the leaf is formed (in two separate halves which meet at a cup-like angle) by inserting the drill the required depth, then withdrawing it a bit—about ¹/32-inch—while the left hand moves the plastic ever so slightly to the side. In this manner he makes a series of points and notches. He uses less and less of the drill length as he goes from the tip to the shallow base of the leaf. He makes the matching half of the leaf from the same penetration point, which is the pivot along which the drill moves, leaving realistic veins in its wake. These sketches will help explain how the leaf is done.

Front View: A. Point of entry. B. Start of leaf.

Side View: A. Point of entry.

Front View: Circle (c) shows size of opening for drill. Note cup shape of the two halves of the leaf.

Side View

Care must be taken not to cut through from leaf to rose petal, or the two colors of dye will intermix.

NOW THAT the rose and leaves are carved, Finkbeiner can color them. First he removes the white chips left in the cavity. He either runs the drill in a second time or picks the chips out with a needle. (If left in, they make spots of more intense color, and can be effective in some other designs.)

He fills the rose cavity with a premixed aniline dye, using the medicine dropper top that comes with the bottles of this especially prepared coloring. (Tiny areas in some intricate designs require a hypodermic syringe for applying the dye.) Then he fills the leaf cavities with green dye.

To seal the cavities after the color is set, Finkbeiner spoons a bit of dry plaster of Paris into them, then adds a few drops of water so that it will make a permanent seal over the carved places. He taps the cube gently on the table so that the plaster will settle into the extremities of the carving. After the piece stands two or three days undisturbed, the plaster will have dried and pulled away from the surface, giving it a velvety look.

To finish the rose paper weight he will cement a backing of opaque material onto it. Rather than using the ready-made ones, he will probably cut one from black plastic and bevel the edges by holding it at a forty-five-degree angle against a sanding wheel. Lacking a power wheel, the "wet and dry" type of sandpaper can be used, wet. Begin with a coarse paper—240- to 300-grit and end with a 600-grit. Then it will require only light buffing for a high polish.

To cement the backing in place, Finkbeiner uses the regular method you would employ for putting a back on a brooch or locket: With soap and water he cleans the two surfaces to be cemented together and dries them well. He pours a thin layer of plastic cement (¹/32-inch) into a flat plate or pan a little larger than the backing piece. He lays the backing in it, face down, for about thirty seconds, moving it often so that it won't stick to the plate, since the cement is actually a solvent and softens the surface of the plastic. After thirty seconds he removes the backing, handling it by the hard edge, and places it, soft side up, on his worktable. He then immediately presses the bottom of the carved piece against the softened backing, giving it slight pressure to remove air bubbles.

He leaves his work undisturbed for twenty-four hours. After a final polishing and waxing with a household wax, he has a gift fit for a queen, This sounds like a lot of work even for a queen's gift, but if you like to create beautiful and unusual things, it is great fun and relaxation. Nor are all the steps essential. For instance, the plaster filling may be omitted, although it adds a charm to the finished product. The color can be omitted if you would like a satiny white carving.

ONE OF the fascinations of working with this material is that it lends itself to experimentation—there is seldom one right way to treat it. People are getting striking results with such techniques as polishing the carved areas (by rinsing with plastic cement) and using metallic or fluorescent powders or bits of glitter for color.

Finkbeiner's surface carving of pictures, like the Whistler's Mother, is an example of experimentation which he finds most challenging. He does not even have to sacrifice the 3-D effect which makes internal carving so attractive. He retains that look by etching out the main parts of the picture (for instance the figure of the mother) on one sheet and the background on a second sheet placed behind the first one. The two sheets are then mounted in a single groove and thus held together by the frame.

When he surface carves or etches on plastic, Finkbeiner again braces his thumb against the material. If the sheet is too large for this, he braces his thumb against the forefingers of his left hand held beneath the plastic. For still larger pieces, he attaches a rubber suction cup and uses that as a thumb brace.

In most cases surface cuts are not more than ¹/8-inch deep so the pressure used is very light. There are no undercuts as with internal carving. To scrape away a bit of the surface in order to make the design in it, Finkbeiner has the choice of several types of burrs. The most useful are:

1. Ball burrs—round burrs of various sizes. These can be held like a pencil to carve lightly on a large shallow surface. They are also good for deeper carving of any rounded form, such as bird or fish.

2. Wheel burrs—shaped like a fine-edged wheel. These can be lightly pressed or swept against the surface to make a tapering shape such as a blade of grass, a stem, daisy-like petals, or a conventional design. Width of the line produced with the wheel burr depends upon the depth of the cut, of course, since the wheel widens toward the center.

3. End mill burr—a short ground cylinder. This is a versatile tool that makes grooves, shallow lines, small leaves, grass, wheat, and special effects such as fish scales.

In coloring the surface carvings Finkbeiner may brush them either with dyes or with thinned oils.

BESIDES THE large pictures, Finkbeiner surface-carves smaller pieces from which he makes night lamps or TV lamps. In them birds, tropical fish, foliage and flowers glow in luminous color because the light is reflected through the plastic and "breaks out" along the carved surfaces.

This type of lamp is simple to make. From the supplier you can buy a simple base especially for this purpose. It is a few inches long with a light fixture to hold a small fluorescent tube. (The heat from an ordinary light bulb would soften the Lucite or Plexiglas you mount on the base.) There is a slot along the top for inserting the carved sheet. By using two thin sheets and inserting them as one, you can get the 3-D effect described earlier: For instance, a fish carved on the front sheet and water plants on the back sheet. These completed lamps Finkbeiner has sold for $10 and $15, and after seeing a similar one in a gift shop for $27.50, he doesn't feel he overcharged a bit.

It is easier to sell the small pieces, though, ordinarily—especially the costume jewelry, for it is inexpensive and something truly different. For a pair of earrings carved with blossoms, or a matching brooch or locket, Finkbeiner charges $1.25 or $1.50, with a discount if the complete set is bought. Material costs on these small pieces is low, especially if you buy the "fixings"—earring mounts, locket chains, etc., in quantity through a hobby supplier. And these pieces take little time once you get the hang of it.

A more expensive item is a prism-like block (which you can buy or you can form it yourself when you get proficient) internally carved. It holds a small perfume bottle with a tall stopper which can be surface-carved with a freehand design such as a graceful spray of fine leaves. These Ed Finkbeiner sells for $5.

SELLING HIS work has never been a problem for Finkbeiner; rather it is finding enough time after his work at an aircraft factory and the demands of his San Fernando Valley home and yard.

Working at a large plant where he has a chance to make many contacts is a help in selling. Employees have learned of Finkbeiner's interesting hobby through company-sponsored hobby club shows and in the company paper. When lunch boxes click open there is talk of outside interests and Finkbeiner may pull a pair of orchid earrings out of his lunch pail to show around. Men on the lookout for a gift for a wife or girl friend find this an easy answer to their problems.

Finkbeiner's wife, just by wearing his unusual jewelry is a star saleswoman. At her work people often ask her where she got the handsome pin, locket, or whatnot and that is a perfect opening to tell about her husband's hobby. By giving gifts of jewelry, lamps, cigarette cases, etc., to their friends, they become salespeople, too—at least they send other folks beating their way to Finkbeiner's door, especially around holiday times.

Ed is lucky, too, that his community has many hobby shows and such things as home shows and do-it-yourself shows that welcome hobbyists' exhibits and make no charge for them. He always has his name, address and telephone number prominently displayed. Small cards could be made up for distribution at such places. The chambers of commerce in towns in your area should be able to tell you about any such shows that are scheduled.

Churches, lodges and other clubs often are looking for items to sell on commission to raise money. Contact the leaders of any of these active organizations in your town. Take along a variety of items and keep your price low enough so that the organization can make some profit, too. Ordinarily you will be expected to operate on a consignment basis—that is, the customer will be free to return any unsold items to you. You can specify a time limit if you wish, however.

The same will probably apply to any you place at a store. A merchant hesitates to buy outright from an amateur, but don't let that stop you. The main thing is to get your work on display and in time sales will multiply.

Possible outlets are dress shops, drug stores, gift shops or beauty parlors.

When you go to see the store proprietor, if you are a woman, wear some of the most attractive jewelry—with a nice plain dress to show it to good advantage. If you are a man, take a woman with you to model them. If a dress shop manager sees how much a pair of red rose earrings or a rose pin can add to a plain dark green or black dress she may welcome your jewelry line as an aid to selling her clothes. Of course it wouldn't do any harm to give the store manager a gift set—it will turn into a walking advertisement for you.

Fixing up your own attractive sales display—any sturdy box lined with velvet, for instance—can assure you that your products will be well presented, and that makes a big difference. If you live in a small community, it would be well to allow one store exclusive rights, so choose one that has a lot of patrons who are apt to be in the market for a bit of finery.