A thought on cuttlebone

I was thinking about the whole cutting cuttlebone issue last night. I know some of you were struggling with getting an even cut. It is not an easy thing to accomplish. I haven't tried this approach yet but I see no reason that it shouldn't work:

1. Cut a large cuttlebone (like the ones distributed in class) in half and trim the ends as before.
2. Split the cuttlebone to make a mold and do the same with the second half.
3. Use the resulting thick pieces of the two splits to make your mold. This way, you don't have to worry about splitting the mold evenly (as was so troublesome during class); you just use the thickest cuts from both pieces.
4. Sand the faces of the two splits to fit together flush.
5. Carve your mold into the cuttlebone but be sure to leave 1/8" surrounding the cavity on the face of the smaller piece.

We will spend a bit of time in class refining the molds that you are working on. Be sure and get a good start and email me if you have any questions.