Stone Carving Tips: Selecting the Right Stone
Now I know that most people are really decent and would have come back to show me their efforts, so I have put this lack of response down to the fact that most of these novice carvers simply chose the wrong type of materials to start with and therefore never actually managed to finish the piece of work.
Most of the hopefuls I saw over the years wanted to carve marble and so, in spite of my advice to try a softer stone, they trolled off happily with a nice piece of white Carrara or Italian Botticino Fiorito never to be seen again. (by me anyway!)
The simple fact is that stone and especially marble carving is hard work. Unless you choose a soft and relatively easy to work type of stone to start with and you select the right tools, you will easily become discouraged and give up long before you are able to develop the practical skills necessary to work the harder stones and marble.
To help would be stone carvers choose the right type of stone, I have tried to create a kind of Mohs Scale of hardness of the kinds of stone that you are likely to find in your local stone yards. This is not a scientific scale, it is based not only on hardness but also on the practical workability of the stone. I have assumed that you will be working with hand tools not power tools. The scale is numbered 1-10. 1 being the softest stone and 10 being the hardest.
1: Cotswold Stone. Tools: Hardened steel chisels with wooden handles similar to wood chisels used with a Wooden mallet. Steel chisels with steel bulb end, for use with lead mallet or "dummy". Can be sawn with a hand saw just like a timber saw. Advantages: Very soft to work. all types of chisel will work. Can be cut to size with a hand saw, excellent for practising hammer and chisel technique. Disadvantages: : Finished carvings will have poorly defined detail, the stone is too coarse to give a sharp finish. Risk of exposing hard shell in the course of work this may spoil the look of the finished job. Too weak to easily make thin panel carvings for example house signs or decorative plaques. Conclusion: : May be the right material for larger sculptural pieces.
2: Bath Stone. Tools: Hardened steel chisels with wooden handles similar to wood chisels. Wooden mallet. Steel chisels with steel bulb end, for use with lead mallet or "dummy". Can be sawn with a hand saw just like a timber saw. Advantages: : Soft to work. all types of chisel will work. Can be cut to size with a hand saw, excellent for practising hammer and chisel technique. Disadvantages: : Risk of exposing hard shell in the course of work this may spoil the look of the finished job. Too weak to easily make thin panel carvings for example house signs or decorative plaques. Conclusion: : Finer grain than Cotswold etc. Better definition of carving. Good choice for first project.
3: Portland Stone. Tools: Hardened Steel chisels with steel bulb end, used with wooden masons mallet. Fine tungsten carvers chisels used with small steel club hammer. Advantages: : Memorial grade is a very high quality stone, fine grained good definition of detail. Strong enough to make thin panel carvings for example house signs or number plaques. Disadvantages: : Availability of finer grade material. Some risk of exposing hard shell in the course of work this may spoil the look of the finished job. Conclusion: : Finer grain than Cotswold or Bath stone etc. Better definition of carving. Good choice for first project but harder to work than bath stone.
4: Portuguese limestone. Tools: Hardened Steel chisels used with steel hammer. Fine tungsten carvers chisels used with small steel club hammer. Advantages: : High quality stone, fine grained very good definition of detail. Strong enough to make thin panel carvings, for example house signs or number plaques. Readily available from fireplace manufacturers . Disadvantages: : Not often available in sizes thicker than 30mm. Conclusion: : Finer grain than any of the previous stones. Better definition for carving. Good choice for first project but harder to work than bath stone.
5: Italian Black Slate. Tools: Fine steel chisels, tungsten carvers chisels used with small steel club hammer. Advantages: : Very fine grained very good definition of detail. Strong enough to make thin panel carvings, for example house signs or number plaques. Disadvantages: : Hard to work, will chip easily while carving. Not for exterior use. Conclusion: : Good start if you want to carve slate.
6: York Stone. Tools: Tungsten chisels only, tungsten carvers chisels used with small steel club hammer. Advantages: : High quality stone, fine grained very good definition of detail. Strong enough to make thin panel carvings, for example house signs or number plaques. Readily available from garden centres. Disadvantages: : Very hard to work. steel tools will blunt very quickly, Dust is hazardous so wear a mask! Conclusion: : Not a good choice for novice carvers.
7: Welsh Grey Slate. Tools: Fine steel chisels, tungsten carvers chisels used with small steel club hammer. Advantages: : Very fine grained excellent definition of detail. Strong enough to make thin panel carvings, for example house signs or number plaques. Very strong. Readily available. Ideal for exterior use. Disadvantages: : Hard to work, will chip easily while carving. Conclusion: : Super quality slate but not for novices.
8: Westmoreland or Cumberland Green Slate. Tools: Tungsten chisels, tungsten carvers chisels used with small steel club hammer. Advantages: : Very fine grained excellent definition of detail. Strong enough to make thin panel carvings, for example house signs or number plaques. Very strong. Disadvantages: : Very hard to work, tends to chip easily while carving. Ideal for exterior use. Conclusion: : Super quality slate but not for novices.
9: Marble. Tools: Tungsten chisels only, tungsten carvers chisels used with small steel club hammer. Advantages: Very fine grained excellent definition of detail. Strong enough to make thin panel carvings, for example house signs or number plaques. Disadvantages: : Very hard to work. Conclusion: : Try softer materials first, if you must try marble look for a paper white marble from Turkey, take the advice of your local mason!
10: Granite. Tools: Nuclear powered laser cutters only! Advantages: :Super Hard. Disadvantages: : Ridiculously hard to work by hand. Conclusion: :Try bashing your own kneecaps with a hammer, it will hurt less!
That concludes "Walkers Scale of Hardness". I have almost certainly forgotten some stones and as the scale is based on my experiences over the years other people may have differing opinions. If you are a stonemason or carver and have a different view, or you have a local stone you think should be included on the list please contact me and I will consider editing or adding to this article accordingly.
Related Tags: sculpture, house signs, stone carving, decorative plaques, carved house signs, engraved stone
Steve Walker has been a craftsman in stone and marble for 40 years. Leaving school at fifteen he entered an apprenticeship as an ecclesiastical marble mason with an old London firm, and in his long career have practised as a stone mason, letter cutter, restoration carver, marble mason and carver, fireplace designer and manufacturer. He has worked in old fashioned traditional stone firms and in modern marble workshops, in almost every type of stone marble and granite. He is now the sole owner, and craftsman of StoneEngravings House signs - http://www.stoneengravings.co.uk
Your Article Search Directory : Find in ArticlesRecent articles in this category:
- Home Wall Art: Get Value For Your Money
If you have a beautiful home, it is only natural that you may want to decorate it so as to make it m - Bejeweled by Mens Ring Tiffany
Tiffany & Co. is one of the largest jewelry companies in the USA that has expanded the market in mos - Inexpensive Ideas in Making Wedding Centerpieces
One practical way to cut down the wedding expenses is to consider do-it-yourself ideas. There are se - Preserve Moments With Picture Frames
Of course we don't want our memories to suffer the brink of oblivion that is why we always try hard - For Home Decor, Try Wall Art Prints
In order to make a smaller room look and feel bigger, many home interior decorators will use large w - How to Choose the Right Gift For Your Bridal Party
Your wedding day will likely be shared with friends and family members who mean the world to you. A - Beautiful Baby Shower Napkins
There are many thoughtful and creative things that you can make for your soon-to-be bride friend. Sh - Learn How To Decorate Your Living Space With Abstract Wall Art
Abstract wall art can offer you different ways to decorate or redecorate and express yourself. A lot - Adding Class to Your Home With Wall Art Painting
Since mankind's dawn the wall art painting has been a desired form of decorations. Early cave dwelli - Use Fine Art Oil Painting To Decorate Your Living Space
There are many good things towards buying fine art oil paintings for your home. For example: If one
Most viewed articles in this category:
- Homemade Baby Gifts and Instructions Ideas
A baby shower is a wonderful event that is filled with joy and happiness. Getting a perfect and un - Enter Photo Competitions
A great morale booster is to win or even place in a highly regarded competition. Many professional p - Why I Love Melt And Pour Soap Making
I love making soap using the melt and pour soap making method. In my experience it's the easiest way - How To Do Metal Detecting In Dry Sand?
In general, larger searchcoils will give better depth with larger targets and better ground coverage - How to Face Paint: 5 Things You Must Know Before Getting Started
Learning how to face paint can be easy and lots of fun once you know how. It's a great way to have f - Tips For Metal Detecting
A pulsing current is applied to the coil, which then induces a magnetic field shown in blue. When th - Christmas Soap Making
Since Christmas is almost here, what could be a better gift than Christmas themed hand made soap to - Why Choose a Wine Gift Basket?
A wine gift basket is probably one of the most beautiful gifts that a person is likely to receive. - Create A Metal Detecting Book
Are you purchasing a detector to use occasionally at a lake or beach? Or do you now find yourself wi - Simple Face Painting Designs: Where Can I Find Them?
If you're looking for simple face painting designs, you're not alone. Trying to find simple face pai