Carving stone is a way of sculpting. Stone differs from other materials in that it is difficult to shape it perfectly, given its density and unpredictability. Carving stone takes patience and planning. Here are some guidelines to follow to understand the process.
Steps
Part 1 of 4: Choosing the Right Stone
Step 1. Choose soapstone (soapstone), if you are a beginner, and a few tools for carving
The consistency of this material is similar to that of a stick of dry soap and is very malleable. It can be modeled without too much effort.
- The soap is so soft that you can engrave it with harder stones that you can also find in your garden, even nails are enough. It exists in many colors such as gray, green and black. Use soapstone if you want to create a small sculpture that won't be damaged as easily if you accidentally scratch or bump it.
- You can find it at a marble worker, quarry, or fine art shop.
- Alternatively, you can look for it from wholesalers who specialize in building materials. However, in this case, the stones are precisely intended for construction (for example for kitchen countertops) and are harder to work than those that are sold for artistic purposes.
- Know that some soap products contain asbestos which causes lung cancer, mesothelioma and asbestosis when inhaled.
Step 2. If you want a good compromise between strength and malleability, alabaster is the best solution
It is a stone that is available in many different colors and you can find it at many retailers.
- This material is the most suitable if you want a strong and colorful sculpture. You can buy white, gray, beige, yellow, red and transparent stones.
- Although alabaster is harder than soapstone, it is engraved without too much effort. It is ideal for novice sculptors because it maintains the given shape without the need for specific tools and effort.
- An alternative to alabaster is limestone; this is easily worked but the available colors are few (usually only some shades of gray). Furthermore, limestone becomes difficult to engrave if the chosen piece is not suitable. It is a harder material than alabaster and is less polished.
Step 3. Avoid very hard stones such as granite and marble
To carve these materials you need special tools such as the electric milling machine and the pneumatic hammer.
- Granite and marble are carved in large quantities because they are the best materials for statues and other large objects that must also be durable.
- Working on large boulders of hard stone requires considerable effort. Even the most experienced carvers spend up to 80 hours on a relatively simple piece.
Step 4. Choose a boulder that is much larger than the sculpture you want to make
Carving is a process of subtraction. Unlike painting (where color is added to give shape to the image), sculpture removes material to bring out the work of art.
- Limit yourself to one project that you can finish relatively quickly. This advice is especially important if you are working by hand, sculpting for the first time and are not sure if you will enjoy this hobby.
- To start we recommend a block of 7.5-12.5 kg. Pieces smaller than 7.5kg break when carved with chisel and hammer. The larger ones take a long time to work to the shape you want.
- If you have decided to work soapwort to make a heart-shaped pendant, then you need to take a piece much smaller than the 7.5kg one. Just remember that you will most likely need to use less precise tools, such as harder stones or files to shape it. You also won't have much chance of correcting accidental errors.
Step 5. Inspect the block for cracks and crevices
Since you work with natural materials, it is not uncommon to find structural defects. Get a block with few imperfections to reduce the risk of breakage when carving.
- Cracks and crevices are easy to identify when the stone is wet. Spray it with water using a spray bottle. If you find imperfections, follow the path to understand where they end up. If it is a crack that runs through the entire piece, then the risk of breaking is very high.
- Tap larger boulders with a hammer or chisel handle. If the stone makes a "ringing" sound, there is a good chance that the material is solid where you hit it; if instead you perceive a "dull" noise, then there could be a fracture that absorbs the energy of the blow.
- Ask an experienced sculptor or clerk to help you find a good stone to work with. If you are a beginner and are unable to assess its integrity, go to a fine art store and not a building materials store.
Part 2 of 4: Getting the Necessary Tools
Step 1. When carving, always protect your mouth with a mask
Even if you work with small stones, remember that they can contain asbestos and silica, both of which are dangerous materials if they are inhaled.
- To limit the amount of dust produced, wet the rock before carving it. Also try to work outdoors (in the garden or under a porch). If you have to carve large blocks (for example 12-13 kg), place a fan that blows the dust away from you.
- Some professional carvers suggest wearing a respirator when the work piece is very large. However, this safety measure is mainly taken when using electrical tools.
- You can find the dust mask in hardware and home improvement stores. Make sure it has two rubber bands and a folding metal bar to ensure maximum snug fit at the nose. The cheap masks sold in the supermarket are not enough for carving work on large boulders.
- You can also buy respirators at DIY stores. They are a decidedly safer alternative solution and their cost is around € 50.
Step 2. Put on safety glasses
If you wear prescription glasses, overlay a safety mask.
- When using a hammer and chisel there is a high chance that small pieces of stone will splash directly into the eye. While not as life-threatening as inhaling dust, it is still a very painful accident. It may also interfere with the view making the carving work less accurate.
- If you are carving a small stone, you can limit yourself to safety glasses instead of using a mask. They won't be very easy to fit over your prescription glasses, but they won't fog up as much as the mask.
- Over time, eye shields scratch and can blur vision. Always keep a spare pair to replace when the scratches are quite limiting. You can buy these glasses in hardware stores.
Step 3. Consider wearing gloves when carving large stones
The stone is abrasive and blisters, cuts or scratches on the skin are not uncommon.
- As you gain experience, you will have more calluses on your hands and gloves will be less essential. However, it is always better to be safe than sorry. A good pair of work gloves protects you from accidental cuts caused by work tools.
- You don't have to get special gloves if you plan to carve small to medium-sized stones. As long as you don't use power tools for long periods, a good pair of gardening gloves is all you need.
Step 4. Purchase a hammer, chisels and files
Online retailers, such as Amazon, offer kits for beginner sculptors starting at € 30. Alternatively, head to the fine arts shop or craft shop where you can find many different tools.
- If you work with soft stones such as soapstone, these tools are not necessary, however they guarantee faster and more precise work.
- For novice sculptors, a soft hammer with a weight of 750g or 1kg is recommended. Check that it has two flat surfaces. Unlike those used for nails, sculptor's hammers have larger surfaces to be able to repeatedly hit the chisel with greater ease. If you are not very tall, use a lighter hammer so you will handle it better. If you are a tall person, you can use a heavier tool which guarantees you faster work, as you will remove more stone with each hit.
- The fundamental tool is the chisel. The simpler ones consist of a metal end with two surfaces. The notched one has several points that make it look like a small fork. The latter is optional, but is very valuable in finishing work.
- The final shape is obtained thanks to the limes. You can choose to buy several, but it is necessary that their size is suitable for that of the sculpture you want to make. If you have decided to carve a large statue, you need large files. In any case, buy some small ones to define the details.
Step 5. If you want to carve a large boulder, get some sandbags to place it on while you work
- Fill the bag with inexpensive, coarse-grained sand, such as those used for cat litter boxes. Real sand is too heavy and stabilizes too much to provide the necessary support for the stone.
- Make sure it is fairly coarse bedding sand. The more expensive one has a tendency to clump together just like the sand on the beach, while the cheaper one is lighter and supports the stone in many different positions.
- Close the bags with string remembering not to overfill them, in this way the stone can crush them and rest comfortably.
Part 3 of 4: Carving the Stone
Step 1. Make a sketch of your artwork on a sheet of paper
It is always wise to visualize the finished project before starting work, as sculpture requires the ability to evaluate space in an abstract way. Even if the drawing is a two-dimensional representation of your work, it will help you better visualize the three-dimensional sculpture.
- Alternatively, you can "sketch" the statue with clay to create a model. This way you can add and remove the clay until you get the shape you want. This process not only helps you to develop your project, but prevents you from eliminating the stone that would have been more appropriate to leave.
- Beginning sculptors should start with abstract shapes and avoid highly detailed images, such as the human body. Learning to use the tools while trying to make a precise and symmetrical figure is a somewhat frustrating and challenging process.
Step 2. Check the stone for grain direction
Just like wood, stone also has veins that indicate the direction in which it has developed.
- The wet rock allows you to better visualize these lines which appear as distinctive colored patterns. Carving following these veins guarantees the structural integrity of the project.
- Make the length of the sculpture develop according to the grain. Avoid breaking them perpendicularly as this is more difficult and leads to unpredictable results.
Step 3. With a crayon draw the cut lines directly on the stone
This is the pattern you need to follow to carve it.
- You can also use a pencil or a marker, but the graphite tends to fade very quickly while the ink could stain the stone indelibly. The crayons can be effortlessly removed when needed, plus they come in many colors that help you mark out certain areas of the sculpture as it takes shape.
- Be sure to trace the lines of the sculpture on all sides of the stone. Respect the proportions in height and width, remember that this is a three-dimensional work of art that must be carved evenly.
Step 4. Grab the hammer with your dominant hand and hold the chisel with the other
If you are right-handed, the hammer will go in your right hand.
- Hold the chisel in its middle part, as if you were holding a microphone. Move your thumb to the side where the other 4 fingers are. This grip will seem unnatural to you at first but will protect your thumb from clumsy strokes.
- Hold the chisel firmly, without ever losing contact with the stone. If you bounce it or move it in your hand, the hits will be inaccurate and the stone will break randomly.
- If you are carving along an edge, use a flat chisel instead of a serrated one. If you place only one of the chisel teeth on the rock you can cause it to break making the tool unusable, as well as generating a potential risk of injury.
- Hold the chisel blade at an angle of 45 ° or less. If you hit the stone head-on you generate what is called a "stone bruise". Basically the blow whitens the area which will reflect much more light and become an imperfection of your artwork.
Step 5. Hit the end of the chisel with the hammer
If you are at the right angle, splinters of rock will come off.
- If the blade gets stuck in the stone without detaching any fragments, then the angle is excessive. Change position by reducing the angle of the blade on the surface and consider carving in a different direction. An excessive angle causes the "bruises" described above.
- On the other hand, if the chisel forms a small angle, it will slide over the surface of the stone without removing any pieces. This is a very common occurrence when carving hard, smooth rocks. To prevent this from happening, increase the tilt or use a notched chisel.
Step 6. If the stone is unstable, place it on the sandbags
When working with small stones, it is not easy to find a safe position and attempts to hold it steady with your hands exhaust you.
- If the stone moves, even just a little, then you are wasting energy, because the force with which you hit is not entirely used to eliminate pieces of material but dissipates with the movement of the boulder. Avoid this problem by using sandbags.
- Carve standing up instead of sitting. So you can tilt the chisel down and maximize the effect of the hammer blow, as well as reduce the movement of the rock. It is not uncommon to have to correct the position of the boulder every few minutes.
- If you notice that the stone is moving, lean heavily against it. Just make sure the direction of the chisel is away from your body.
- If you are working on a folding table, place the sandbag and stone directly on top of its legs. These are the most robust areas of the support surface and the energy of the blows will be transferred all over the material instead of being absorbed by the elasticity of the table.
Step 7. Chisel towards the center of the boulder and not towards the edges
At these points the material is thinner, with less support and can break uncontrollably.
- If you carve towards the edges, you may peel off pieces of stone that should remain. Prevent this problem by directing the chisel towards the center of the boulder or follow the length of the edge rather than working it perpendicularly.
- If there is no way to avoid carving the stone towards the edges, apply gentle, slow strokes. Although a special glue is available for "repairs", these will still be visible when the job is done.
Step 8. Cut in the direction of the cracks and not perpendicular to them
Remember that even the best boulder may have micro-cracks on the surface. To minimize the amount of material lost, always work in the direction of the imperfections.
- Place the chisel along the slits and not perpendicular to them. Every crack, regardless of size, is a point of fragility of the material. Engraving in these areas causes chipping on all sides which will then be difficult to file. This is a significant problem when working with soft stones.
- To avoid chipping, use files when you are about to finish sculpting. The chisel puts stress on the material compared to files and makes cracks even more visible. Filing along the cracks helps you smooth them out and mask them better.
Part 4 of 4: Finishing the Job
Step 1. File the stone just by pushing the tool away from you
The file is the ideal tool for the final details, to smooth out the chisel marks and for the finishing touches.
- Most sculptor files have a unidirectional serration, meaning they only cut along one direction. The correct way to use it is to push it away from the body instead of the classic "back and forth" motion.
- Grinding the stone with a traditional motion could be effective, but you risk wearing out the file too quickly. Instead, return the tool to the starting position and push. This technique also gives you the benefit of seeing how the surface changes with each hit.
- Files are typically made of steel, although professional files are often diamond-coated or silicon carbide (these are much more expensive). For soft stones, steel ones are sufficient.
Step 2. Glue the pieces of stone that accidentally fell off with the epoxy glue
This is a specific, mostly two-component product that you need to mix before use.
- This procedure is used when working with large blocks of stone and when the lost material significantly compromises the final result (for example, you lose a portion of the "arm" of the statue).
- When carving small stones, the sculpture is usually reconsidered by trying to reshape it without the missing piece. For example, if you were trying to carve a heart, you can turn it into an arrow.
Step 3. Sand the finished work with 220 grit sandpaper
Remove file scratches and chisel marks to give the sculpture a professional and neat appearance..
- The "grit" number of the sandpaper refers to the number of abrasive particles present per square centimeter. The higher this value, the smoother the ground surface will be. To sand soft stones, avoid grit 80 or less, otherwise you will damage your sculpture.
- It is advisable to always sand when wet. Use a specific water-based paper instead of the traditional one, to prevent it from falling apart when in contact with the liquid.
- If you sand them dry you can see the cracks and marks to be smoothed. However, you produce a lot of dust and the use of a respirator becomes essential. To avoid excessive expenses and not to produce dangerous powders, sand when wet and wait for the sculpture to dry each time to evaluate the result. Remember where you have noticed imperfections and continue sanding. This is a technique that requires patience but allows you to save money and stay safe.
Advice
- You have to use small mallets as the chisels get smaller and more precise.
- You can make sandbags yourself by cutting old jeans and sewing them back up after filling them with sand.
Warnings
- Do not carve stone without wearing safety glasses, a dust mask, leather gloves and earplugs.
- Pay attention to the grain of the rock. If you chisel against the grain, the stone will break randomly.
- Do not try to lift heavy stones without the help of another person or a suitable machinery.
