masks?

["John VanCamp" <jvcstnwrks@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Sorry to jump into this so late.  Have been gone all weekend
to the opening of a month long sculpture show in San
Antonio, Tx. [URL now obsolete] and of the 32
new emails, 27 were from the list.   I too, hate to wear a
respirator, dust mask, rag over my nose and mouth or what
ever, for the same reasons most have.  They are
uncomfortable, bulky, fog my glasses etc. etc etc..

I worked for years in all sorts of stone including granite
and sandstone without ever (stupidly) thinking of what I was
doing to my lungs.  Like Walter, these days I do not worry
about health issues in relation to the stones I primarily
work with---limestone, and marble, as calcium carbonate is
not dangerous either as dust, or in tablet form.  However I
will cover up with the old handkerchief if I am doing a lot
of saw kerfs or router work (more on that later), mostly to
keep the old nose from packing up with dust.  On the other
hand, when working with a stone that contains silicates,
these days I do think about the long term heath risks, and
put the particle mask
on.

This group includes sandstone, granite and its many cousins,
soapstone, serpentine etc etc.  The later two are also
associated with asbestos by the nature of their geologic
formation, although many soapstone suppliers claim asbestos
free material.  Have never worked with alabaster, so I have
not looked into the health risks of gypsum which is a
sulfate of magnesium.  I often see wall board installers
wearing paper particle masks though.  And as pointed out by
others, very few stones are made up of only one mineral, so
some limestones contain a certain percentage (small) of sand
or clay minerals, which in turn become other minerals during
the metamorphic process that forms marble.  I'm sure the
same is also true for the gypsum based stones and talc based
stones.

As pointed out, hand carving with mallet and chisel does not
put a lot of dust on the air, while hand carving with
pneumatic hammer raises conciderable more.  Dry cutting with
saws, grinders or routers rapidly fill the air with very
fine particles of the material  being worked, and in a
closed space, it takes a long time for it to settle out.
Fans, dust collectors,, or other means of ventilation are
essential when working with these tools in confined spaces,
no matter what the stone type is.

My carving space is an open, clearstory structure built with
the dust issue in mind, and generally speaking, the
prevailing breeze clears the air rather quickly, though it
does look as if the place is on fire when I have the saw or
router working.  And, every horizontal surface in the shop
has a thick layer of fine white powder on it.  Loose the
occasional hand tool that way!!

As to the question of power tools versus hand carving, I am
a hand carver.  I began with the mallet and chisel, and now
use the pneumatic hammer primarily ( Believe that
Michelangelo would have also if the technology had been
available).  Sure I use saws, routers or whatever other tool
that will rapidly remove waste stock, and let me get to the
chiseling.  The router is a great tool for getting a flat
background in relief carving, and much more efficient than
drilling a lot of holes to a common depth, and removing the
web with bush hammer or ripper.  But the relief carving is
still hand carved by hammer and chisel.  And speaking of
drilling holes, an electric hammer drill is a sight lot
quicker than the old star drill and hammer, or even older
violin.

Today, there are all sorts of computer guided carving
machines, laser cutters, water jet cutters, and who knows
what else. Those machines can do much if not all of the work
I do as a hand carver, and a sight lot quicker.  But even as
more and more of these machines come on line, the demand for
hand carving seems to grow.

I think that is because the machine has no heart, no soul,
and cannot bring to the work even a hint of the passion that
is so evident in a hand carved piece. I have had the
privilege of watching Maureen carve, and each hand carved
letter speaks volumes.   Even an untrained observer can't
help but feel the care and love and energy that goes into
every stroke, long after the carving is finished.  Could a
CNC machine carved cathedral inspire and awe the way the
hand carved masterpieces both recent and old do?
Personally, I don't think so.

OK ENOUGH ALREADY !!!!  But I did have 27 postings from the
list. after all.

Good carving to all
John VanCamp