wood carving

A few years ago, I believe when I was still very into the Lord of the Rings, I told my grandpa that I wanted to carve wood. He responded with approval and gave me the whittling set that he had abandoned, and soon after that I also abandoned it. But the soapstone carving has reawakened a jonesin' for such things, so maybe tomorrow I'll put up some pictures (if I get anywhere with it).

I'm looking for a very gentle way to polish the soapstone smooth selectively (to highlight particular elements)... further updates as events warrant...