The Quarrying of Soapstone

 

 Les Pierres Stéatites Inc is the only commercial talc mine I know that mine soapstone for sculpture.

  I recently took these pictures showing the removal of the blocks of soapstone in the new quarry.

 

 The stone is cut from the floor of the quarry , by drilling a line around the desired block of stone.
The block will then be separated along the grain of the stone.

 Here you can see them removing the soapstone block by block.

 

 
  One of these blocks will weigh about four tons.

 
  Here are shown some of the tools that are used in separating the stone from the floor of the quarry.
  By cutting the stone from the floor by hand, the mine can supply quality, fracture free blocks of soapstone for carving

 

 
{Showdates Past and Future} {Biography} {Introduction to Carving} {Basics of Carving}
{Sources of Soapstone} {Sources for Tools}{Soapstone} {Quarrying Soapstone} {Repairing Soapstone}
{Carve a Loon} {Carve a Polar Bear} {Carve an Eagle} {Carvings on Hand} {Archived Carvings}
{Malvina Hoffman} {Ropey Atsiqtaq} {Links} {Inuit Art Beginnings} {50 years of Inuit Art}