I came across this article by Veritas from 1996 05F15.01) which talks about bending wood with steam. It details using a tea kettle or clothing steamer can soften the wood so that it can be bent into different shapes. I would suppose you could use this process to soften the surface of a hardwood for carving. With hot steam flowing through tubing that goes into a closed container where your wood project is, its possible to bend and soften even the hardest wood. Check out their updated selection of bending equipment.
