The advantage of working in soapstone is that it can be worked with hand tools. Other stones that can be carved are alabaster, onyx and serpentine.
When I first started carving, I had very little money but a lot of enthusiasm I relied on working with hand tools. I became so proficient with the files and rasps, that when I could afford power tools, I found I did not want them. The tools below are from my studio and are some of the tools I work with dailly.
Carving tools have basically always been the same, the chisel, the rasp and the mallet. Time may have improved the steel that the tools are made of, but the techniques remain the same.
At the left top, is
the Combination rasp. A combination of a flat file on
one side and a half round rasp on the other.
The second down is the Cabinet rasp is a wider version of the wood rasp. It also has finer teeth to give a smother finish before sanding.
Third down is the Wood rasp is available
at a local hardware store. I say that with tongue in cheek, because
in today's modern technology, the powers that operate the modern
hardware stores, they are getting harder to find. Generally the
10 inch rasp is available. The 8 inch and 6 inch rasps are harder
to find. Shown is the 6 inch rasp.
The bottom three are various sizes of Round files
that can also be an excellent file for fine and detailed work.
You require a single cut file. Other variations like the second
cut file or chainsaw file are too fine for your purposes.
Riffler rasps are
probably the most valuable tools you will have. The variation
of shapes and sizes allow the carver to follow the shape of the
sculpture more effectively.
These rasps are not commonly found in the average hobby store. A sculpture supply house is your best bet. Check the list at the end of the page.
At the left you can
see the five basic shapes of the Habilis Rasps. Starting
at the top, there is the triangular, flat, square, round and
half round rasp.
These rasps are cheaper then the riffler rasps, but give the diversity of shapes.
For cutting the stone,
I have found the "mini hack", a type of hacksaw made
by "Stanley" to be a very versatile saw. By using carbon
steel hacksaw blades and cutting, grinding or breaking the end
off, you can have a saw that cuts into a drill hole or any other
difficult area.
Eventually, a sculptor
finds that he has to create some of his own tools to complete
a sculpture. At the left, you can see three knives that I have
made to help create effects by shaving the stone.The top two
are knives created from power hacksaw blades designed to be used
as an extension of the arm. One is sharpened with a left hand
cut and the other has a right hand cut.
The bottom tool is made from a triangular file. The tip is ground at an angle to form a triangular shaped knife. The handle is formed to fit into the palm of the hand
A hand drill or power drill should be available for "pointing". This is a technique for removing large amounts of stone from hard to file or chisel areas. I have used the term pointing for a method that involves the removal of stone in by studio apprentices. My method is different, but the result is the same. A description will be found elsewhere in these pages.
The chisel and mallet
are still the prime tools of sculpture. You can purchase the
sculpture chisels from a sculpture supply store if you are working
on the harder varieties of soapstone. Generally, I find the common
wood chisel to be equal for using with the softer stones. I prefer
a mallet to a hammer for the control it gives me. At the left
are some of the mallets, hammers and chisels that I use in my
studio.
Francis Okie, a printing
ink manufacturer from Philadelphia, invented wet or dry sandpaper.
In pursuing his idea for waterproof sandpaper that would reduce
the amount of dust produced while sanding.
Wet or dry sandpaper solved two serious problems
caused by traditional abrasives. The reduction of dust produced
while sanding meant sculptors and carvers could breathe more
easily while using the product. It also allows sculptors and
carvers to rinse away material removed from the sanding surface.
SILICON CARBIDE: A black (sometimes gray) abrasive, produced from silica sand and coke (a coal product). This abrasive is very hard and sharp, good for use on Soapstone (e.g., hand sanding). Silicon carbide is the abrasive most commonly used for wet/dry sandpapers. Sandpaper for wet sanding has a flexible, waterproof resin backing, and is usually coated with silicon carbide. It is used for fine finishing and polishing.