Stone Carving Tips and News

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March 16, 2017 In Stone, Techniques, Tips for Beginners, Tools

Splitting/cutting stone

Ravinder from India once drilled a series of small holes in a 6’ deep block of marble. He inserted feathers and wedges in each hole and hammered a little on them each hour for a couple of days. Sure enough, the stone developed a crack through the 6’ resulting in 2 blocks.

In marble, determine the bedding plane or grain direction.

Drill the holes, insert the feathers and wedges, and hit them sequentially. Most times the stone will split quickly. If not, wait a few hours or overnight before proceeding to allow the crystals to line up.

 

July 1, 2015 In 2Sculpt, Stone, Tips for Beginners, Tools

Sandbags

For smaller or uneven stones a sandbag will stabilize the art-to-be. You can cut the legs off an old pair of jeans, fill it 2/3rds with play sand, and seal the ends with plastic ties. I like using old truck tire tubes from my car repair place (sometimes a little hard to get, but free). I then cut them in half or thirds and similarly secure them with ties after filling them partially with sand. This way if I hit the rubber “bag” with my grinder it just bounces off rather than cutting it open.

June 17, 2015 In Safety, Stone, Techniques, Tips for Beginners

Heavy Lifting

Don’t. One wrong twist or extension can have long-term implications. I got impatient and reached over the edge of my trailer to lift the edge of a heavy stone just a little. Cantilevered at a 90-degree angle I did the worst thing and pulled my lower back. That took over a year to heal. (If this should happen, get on a flat surface and start stretching immediately to minimize the damage.)

Of course, always lift with your back straight and have your legs take most of the weight. But machines, even simple ones, make much sense. To move horizontally I pry the stone up a little with a pry bar and then insert two short 1-1.5” pipes so that I can roll the stone forward. I may have to lay a few boards on the floor or grass so the pipes will roll but I will slowly get to my destination.

You can lift a stone with a portable engine hoist (around $200). You can also tilt a stone forward and put a 2×4” block under it. Then lift the other side and put a block under that side. Now lift the opposite side and insert a second block of wood. Keep repeating this process until you reach the desired height. See this interesting Youtube of a guy building his own Stonehenge with any power tools: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-K7q20VzwVs

Remember never lose height. If a stone is already up in the air, like on a pickup bed or car trunk, do not throw it on the ground to be lifted anew onto a stand. Do everything you can to avoid having to lift it a second time.

May 7, 2015 In Stone

Marble Formation

Marble is compressed shells and bones. Its adventure starts on the seabed where these calciums deposit and eventually become limestone. Then one of two forces, volcanic activity or tectonic plate movement, compress and heat the limestone changing its molecular structure. It is still calcium carbonate but has formed crystals that often shine. The Greek word for marble, mármaro, means sparkle. The colors in marble are from the other earth chemicals that leach into the stone as it is being formed: iron, copper, carbon, magnesium, etc.

Note that there are other calcium carbonates that are formed by waters that drip or flow such as travertine, calcite, and onyx. These are all in the marble family. To test if a stone is a marble or one of its cousins put a few drops of muriatic acid on the stone. If it fizzles it is most likely a calcium carbonate. (Do not breathe the fumes. The acid is neutralized with water.)

April 22, 2015 In Stone, Techniques, Tips for Beginners, Tools

Glue

Sometimes we need to secure a small crack, a micro-fissure, in a stone. Most often a few drops of super glue (Cyanoacrylate) will hold it until you finish working the area. I use the inexpensive stuff but for tight cracks, you might consider the really liquid versions of these better ones: Starbond, Zap, or Jet. They now make gel super glues for slightly wider openings.

In alabaster, this might be all you need to do. However, on marble, this type of glue may not be a permanent fix. Further, this doesn’t work well when you are gluing two pieces together. Epoxy, which is a two-part glue, is much stronger. Again you can use the inexpensive type from the hardware store. There is a more liquid type called penetrating epoxy (Tenax, Wood and Glue, and others). I do prefer the slower curing time ones – 20 minutes versus 5 minutes – to let me position components best.

Final note: If you are gluing two pieces together you may think all is well. However, it is possible that the pieces will break again along the very next row of crystals. Therefore, even though it is kind of a pain, it is best to put a small pin between the pieces which are to be reunited. This might just be a short ¼” stainless rod (or bolt with the head cut off) and then gluing the pieces with the epoxy.

January 18, 2015 In 2Sculpt, Techniques, Tips for Beginners, Tools

Sanding Tips

You must use silicon carbide sandpaper (or diamond sheets or pads). The grains of aluminum oxide paper quickly round out and stop cutting.

I use the first two grits of sandpaper dry and the rest wet. I wash off the stone between grits and allow it to dry for inspection before continuing. I then use a crayon to note the place I missed and continue. You can use an old sheet of 1000-grit sandpaper for a few minutes between grits to bring out missed scratches. Tongue depressors, ice cream sticks, small flap wheels, cone-shaped tapers, and silicon carbide rubbing sticks all aid in getting into tight places. Silicon rubbing “blocks” are flat surface chunks which, when used wet by hand, can get the bumps out of a surface. (Bumps are often felt while not seen.)
Half your sanding time is on the first grit—getting out those deep scratches. Then the next grit might be 1/4 your time and so on. The last grit is a “breeze.” Scratches hold light. Get them out and the stone glistens.

taper silicon_carbide_flapwheelSC Griding SticksSC Grinding BlockDiamond Hnd Pad

January 18, 2015 In 2Sculpt, Safety, Stone, Techniques, Tips for Beginners, Tools

Mounting Sculptures

A base is like a frame. It accentuates the sculpture. It is important to select a base that is not too busy or large for the sculpture. You don’t want to take attention away from your masterpiece. You want to have a stable base but sometimes it looks best if the sculpture overhangs its support. On the other hand, the “footprint” of the sculpture should be at least and generally not much more than 1-1.5″ from the edges of the base. As a very general rule, the height of the base should not be more than 1/3 the height of the sculpture. The base can be granite, irregular stones, steel, plexiglass wood (I like ebony stained walnut), etc.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

©2015 Ken Miduch

This is an art, not a science, so each case is different.

Azzurro Acquamarino Marble

©2015 E. Woodbury

Here is the detail methodology of “basing”:

• Get a flat and level surface to work upon
• Determine sculpture position; secure and hold it
• Mark bottom level line
• Cut bottom; check for flatness (might use a tile)
• On larger bases, cut out center of the bottom to make flattening easier
• Determine hole location in sculpture bottom (find center with a pebble)
• Drill hole with hammer or core drill (consider the bedding plane)
• Determine hole in base: mark sculpture footprint on the base or cut out a template (cardboard or masonite); mark “up”
• Drill base
• Decide on pins: stainless steel or turning pin: gluing one or both sides or using threaded connectors. Consider the ultimate weight of the piece.
• Put non-scratch feet base or adjustable feet on larger pedestal
• Proudly display sculpture

December 14, 2014 In 2Sculpt, Safety, Tips for Beginners

General Safety

All the stones sold from 2sculpt are safe: no asbestos, arsenic, radioactivity or trans-fatsRespirator. Still, you should always wear a paper mask and safety glasses. If you are using power tools and therefore creating a lot of dust you need ear protection and should have on a respirator.  Whereas a paper mask catches about 40% of the dust, a double respirator labeled as P100 will provide about 99% protection. Gel bicycle gloves without the fingers are my favorite for vibration.

October 11, 2014 In Tips for Beginners, Tools

Power Tools

The most important tools are the basic hand chisels, a 1.5# hammer and a rasp. The first power tools should be an angle grinder (7.5 amps or more) and a diamond blade (or a Dremel if working very small) and perhaps a straight “die” grinder. The next step is a big but wonderful one: an air compressor. This will open up the world of lighter but more powerful tools.

Electric angle grinders come in different sizes which refer to the blade size they can accommodate. A 4.5″ or 5″ grinder can both use a 5″ diameter blade with the larger size having a more powerful motor. There are more rare 6″ and 7″ grinders but usually the next step up is 7/9″ “body” grinder. This is used for 7″ and 9″ blades. It is important not to put larger blades than the rating of the grinder. There are two reasons for this. A larger blade (like a 7″ on a 4.5/5″ grinder) will be too close to your fingers. Secondly, blades have safety ratings based upon speed as follows: 5″ blade – 12,000 rpm; 7″ blade – 8,000 rpm; 9″ blade – 6,000 rpm. Check the speed of the gMakita angle grinderrinder you want to purchase.

Again, the higher the amperage the grinder the longer it will last through the dust we create. Get below 7.5 amps and life is usually short. The best brand of 5″ angle grinder is 11 amps. The top brands are currently Makita, Metabo and Bosch. Unfortunately, many of the known “American” brands are made in low-quality producing countries.

The other electric power tool to consider after the angle grinder is a straight or “die” grinder. These take 1/4″ shank tools particularly burrs. The air versions of these are much lighter and die grindercheaper but use a LOT of air – more than can be produced on a portable compressor. For under $ 150 you can get an electric version that can give you the same, albeit, heavier results.
Compressors open up a whole other world of tools for stone sculpting (and keeping your car tires full). A portable compressor should be rated for at least 4.6 cfm at 90 psi (30 gallons). This will run an air hammer. To drive an air grinder you need a larger stationary machine that preferably has at least 12 cfm at 90 psi (60 gallons). Tank size is noted and is an important variable. If the tank is smaller than these sizes the compressor will be running all the time which will shorten its life.  If you use the portable compressor, as mentioned above, there is nothing wrong with getting an electric die grinder that uses 1/4” shaft tools.

 

 

 

 

Andes Onyx by Art Wells

Ming Green by
Syd Summerhill

Azzurro Acquamarina by Bart Ingraham