Flaws and What is quality stone?

[Stonecarver001@zzzzzzz]

Clive it is good to hear your view point about sources of stone. I do
historical restoration and pick up those stones that would go to the land
fill. I feel there is something good in making art from the debris of our
culture. Most of what I find is old Indiana limestone that has become hard
and brittle because it has been out of the ground for many years. It takes
some careful carving to not blow a chunk off but it is free stone. I have
also learned what local stone is good for carving by working with local
stone masons. I had the pleasure of restoring a house some years ago that
had an old quarry in the woods behind the house. It was just a large hole in
the ground that was dug for foundation stones, sills and steps.

At some point in time there must have been a full crew of masons and carvers
employed for the construction of the house and others on the property. I
live about five miles away and upon further inspection of my own property I
discovered that I have twenty acres of the same carvable stone. This stone
was formed by a shallow sea and all of the stone is found close to the
surface. It is a limestone much like the oolithic limestone of Indiana
except the fossils that make up the stone are larger and the stone will take
a good polish making the fossils very visible. It is not a light buff color
but yellow gold in color. Having a source of local stone to carve is good
because it is free and I have found that people are surprised to find that
the stone sculpture they are buying is carved from a local stone. Jeff Rice