green man chisels

["George Graham" <georgergraham@zzzzzzzzzzz>]

Norman,
The troubles you are having with the green man may have as much to do with
the sharpness of your chisels as it is with the soapstone. When you are
undercutting and  carving to a very sharp edge, your chisels need to be
sharp enough to trim your fingernail.  The sharper the chisel the lighter
the blows from your hammer.  For the finished carving in soapstone or
alabaster try pushing a sharp carpenters chisel through the stone, or use a
light plastic mallet. you can't use a carpenters chisel on harder marble
because the steel is too brittle for heavier hammering.
Hope this helps,
George Graham