From:
Bill Marsh <bmarsh54@zzzzzzzzzzz>
Date:
Fri, 25 Feb 2005 04:51:30 -0500
Subject:
blackpearl soapstone
gary grossman wrote:
Quoted text begins.The stone is available from several other places and
there is another carving stone from Virginia called alberene.
End of quote.
The "Black Pearl" you are speaking of is a trade name for a stone that
is quarried in Charlottesville, VA, which is right up the road from me.
The guy who runs the quarry is Steve Stromlauf. They have a website.
It is actually a dark gray until polished and treated with some kind of
wax or poppy oil (I use beeswax driven into the stone with a propane
torch), at which point it becomes a very nice black. I've used it a
lot, and like it very much. If you want it, you should buy it from the
owners of the quarry, as other outlets mark it up considerably. If
anybody wants any finishing advise, just ask. It's very tough stuff,
and can stand up to the elements with ease.
The other stone, called "alberene," is a different animal. It is a
middle gray to gray-green stone with similar working properties, but
seems less consistent in texture. I've only carved a little of this,
and was not that impressed. It is used for countertops and soapstone
woodstoves.
Both stones have remarkable heat-holding capacities, and are very
non-porous, which makes it easy to finish them with hot wax, after a
half hour submersion in hot water, followed by the torch.
Bill Marsh
- Follow-ups
- message 00494: blackpearl soapstone - Robin Putnam (25 Feb 2005)
- message 00493: blackpearl soapstone - Karen Bereza (25 Feb 2005)
- References
- message 00490: blackpearl soapstone - gary grossman (25 Feb 2005)
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