ultimate tools advice

["GeorgeJulieJessie Graham" <gjjgraham@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Dear David,

I prefer to rough out and carve with hand tools when I'm working with
soapstone and alabaster. For me, the time spent working with hand tools,
creating and exploring a new piece of sculpture is the most rewarding. When
you are carving alabaster and soapstone you can go as fast with traditional
hand tools, and not risk doing damage to the stone. When you really push
into alabaster with an air hammer, the stress on the material can go deep
and bit you in the rear later on.
The only time I use air hammers with soap or alabaster is to clean up hard
to get places. some times that can be a big time saver.

I like the short stroke half inch Trow and Holden  for soft stone work. It
is equally important to use the right chisel. A thin very sharp chisel, not
carbide , is more than enough.  Carbide chisels are stouter, thicker, built
for harder stone.  There is no point in grinding and tapering down carbide
to get what is cheaper and better for soapstone. If the angle of the edge is
too steep then the chisel plowes through instead of cutting. You will get a
cleaner cut with much less damage by using a regular steel chisel.  I like
to sharpen the edge so I can trim my fingernails.

If you graduate to harder stones, then you will need a one inch air hammer
for heaver work. The harder the stone the more you can let it dance. By
bareing down too hard you restrict the chisel. When I'm working on granite
I'm using the least amount of controll. It sounds weird , but consider that
the stone is so hard that you can relax against it, while with soapstone, if
you don't pay attention, the chisel can bite in and break off a chunk and
leave you crying like a baby!! Thats when you learn about epoxy. The smaller
hammer is great for finishing on hard stone.

I firmly belive that its a mistake to skip the learning process gained from
learning how to carve stone with hand tools first. The insight you gain on
how the stone feels as it breaks, how it sounds,  is invaluable.
Also, for a beginner, doing hand work gives you time to learn your own
creative style. Its hard to be creative with a 1" air hammer banging against
your carpel tunnels. In general, I use air and electric grinders to speed up
the cleanup process. I like to find where I'm at with hand tools and then
use modern equipment to clean up. You can get many different carving tools
that will cost a LOT of money, but they all start from a hammer, point, claw
and flat chisel.

So good luck, keep your chisels sharp and get a GOOD dust mask.

George Graham