Working with pipestone

["Kat" <kreese@xxxxxxx>]

Catlinite is a real delight to carve. This material is
sacred, so be prepared to take time and do it as well as
you can. It is soft enough to cut with steel tools. I do
not recommend a percussive point approach to stock
removal, such as sculptors use on marble. A hacksaw or
even carpenters saw is fine for roughing out the block,
if you use a diamond saw any coolant but water will ruin
the taste.

My own practice is to store the pipestone in water, as
this seems to make the texture finer. Drill bits will
work just fine, if you buy one go with a masonry bit.
Connect the bowl and stem holes early in the game, my
preference is to start with small bores and enlarge them
as the work progresses, rasps and coarse files work
great, also bits of broken grindstones.

Then very coarse, open abrasive papers, then
progressively finer, right down to 600 or so. Many people
use beeswax on the finished piece, I do not, preferring
to allow a patina to develop on well carved surfaces.
Smoking obviously will do no harm, but too much heat
will shatter your work, do not try treatments that you
may read about for soapstone. Good luck and feel free to
ask more specific questions as they arise.

Robert

Oh, and a more general note, handle your work as it
progresses, and go by touch as much as by sight, any
form that feels good in your hands will be aesthetically
sound.