flawed stone

[Robin Putnam <rputnam@zzzzzzz>]

to all.......

As the Director of a non-profit art organization and art
gallery..........over the years I have seen it all.....

Natural flaws in stone are just that....natural.  Some may look ominous
but generally present no future problem.  Alabaster is the worse.  Once
a piece is finely sanded all natural flaws show even brighter.  When an
exhibitor sold a stone sculpture ( alabaster) that had it's head broken
off ( and glued back on ) I had to insist the artist tell the buyer up
front.  Even though the break was not noticeable.  When an artist sold a
piece that had several natural flaws and a bit of super glue poured into
the largest of them it was discussed by both buyer and seller....... as
the piece had not actually been broken and the flaws were obvious the
buyer had no problem with it.

I personally worked a piece ( in Indiana limestone ) that was , when
finished, a lovely torso......however, the limestone had a thin layer of
something during it's formation that showed as a thin dark line across
one thigh.  People assume it is where I broke her leg off and glued it
back on.......and they even ask how I managed to get it back
on......even though it is a natural  'flaw' it discourages buyers.

I have worked Indiana limestone for years and will say that anyone
interested in good carving material this is it.  However......there are
numerous grades of In limestone and I have generally found the easiest
to locate is architectural grade ( for buildings and walls) which is not
as tight a grain as I would like.  The most beautiful limestone I have
had the pleasure to work was a lovely khaki color that when finely
sanded revealed a darker grain running through it to create the warmest
looking stone around !  The tighter the grain the harder the stone and
the finer the detail.....

Ordering limestone sight unseen has gotten me 2000 lbs of In limestone
that is a dull beige, full of ' airy veins' ( for a lack of better
words) which makes detail frustrating in that there will be spots that
will not take the detail......and the stone remains open and porous
looking even after sanding to 600.

Don't get me wrong, I love In limestone !!  It's just hard to find the
tight grained grade.  It would be much easier to go to the quarry and
pick out the good stuff.....if they have it.  Even the grade for counter
tops is poor as this carver sees it......

~Robin