leveling

[Don Dougan <dondougan@xxxxxxxx>]

Linda -

 any suggestions for leveling the base of a stone

The belt sander will work, as well as rasps.  But one of the easiest ways
I have found for small pieces (especially soft stone like alabaster) is
to use the sidewalk.

If you have a more-or-less flat area on the base of your carving this
will work without much trouble at all.  A concrete sidewalk or patio slab
outdoors will work nicely - interior concrete floors (basement or garage)
are generally finished too smooth.

Set the carving down with the flat base area that rocks onto the
concrete.  Hold the carving firmly, and slide it across the concrete back
and forth -- you'll be surprised how abrasive the concrete is (or maybe
not - if you skinned a lot of knees as a tyke!).  In less than five
minutes with the size of alabaster carving you describe you will have a
level non-rocking base.

To speed the process up, prior to setting the carving down on the
concrete, carve the central area of the surface to be leveled so it is
slightly concave - thus leaving the outer edges of the area slightly
higher.  When the carving is rubbed across the concrete this will lessen
the amount of material that has to be removed, and the piece will still
sit flat when finished (think of the 'foot' of a ceramic bowl).

If your concrete surface is one of the smoother varieties, sprinkle a bit
of sharp (crushed) sand (not river or sea sand - it is rounded-off) on
the floor and follow the same procedure.  It will not 'cut' anywhere near
as quickly as the surface of a sidewalk, but it will also work.

If your stone is too large to set on the concrete and push back and forth
you will have to attack it in a different way by using a piece of flat
material that is a few inches bigger in each direction than the problem
base area.  The flat material can be 1/2" or thicker plywood, thick
glass, 3/4" sawn stone slab, steel or other metal plate, old kiln
shelves, etc.  The important thing is that it is stiff and FLAT and not
warped in any dimension.
Take a wax crayon (like a crayola, a grease pencil or a carpenter's
lumber crayon - soft artist's oil pastels work great but are expensive)
and scribble over the surface of the flat material.
With the carving on its side (the base area hanging over the edge of the
worktable)  or upside down,  rub the crayon-colored side of the flat
piece across the base area.  The crayon will color the high spots,
allowing you to see where they need to be carved off to level the
surface.  After carving them off, rub the crayon-colored side of the flat
piece across the base area again, and repeat the procedure.   After three
or four repetitions of this you will be very close to a flat level
surface.

I have used the above procedures on carvings weighing 15 pounds or less
to ones weighing half-a-ton finished.  You can use any tool you have to
work the surface flat - whether it is a concrete sidewalk, hand or
pneumatic chisels, grinders, belt-sanders, or rasps, but  the key is to
have something to easily check the levelness of the surface you are
trying to make into a flat plane.

Good Carving to you,

Don Dougan