a new beginning

["dondougan@zzzzzzzz" <dondougan@zzzzzzzz>]

Hi Ray,

Welcome to the list.
Many of your questions will be answered by looking through the
archives.

RE: tools
Your brother is certainly correct about high-quality tools, but for
alabaster and soapstone carbide tipped tools are like using an
elephant gun for shooting rabbits.  High carbon tool steel chisels are
fine -- I personally prefer them over carbide-tipped for working
harder stones like marble, limestones, and serpentine.  They are not
as hard and brittle as carbide so they are ground to a more versatile
cutting angle that allows greater control.  They will require
sharpening more often, but if all you are carving is softer stones the
resharpening will be pretty far between -- although SHARPENING IS a
necessary skill to learn right at the beginning, as I am sure all
[including George ;-) ] will agree.

As far as quality, almost any of the tools listed in the catalogs of
stonecarving suppliers on the web will be selling very similar items --
most of the tools are actually coming from the same manufacturers be
they domestic (Trow & Holden) or imported from Italy or England. All
the tools will be good quality -- there is simply not a big enough
market worldwide for 'cheap' stonecarving tools to be manufactured
profitably.  Stone tools for hand carving are pretty low tech - it is
when you get to powertool working the expensive technology comes into
play.

Reserve the budget for expensive carbide-tipped tools for when you
begin carving hard marbles or granite (lot of Granite up there in
Maine, right?).  Since you are in Maine, check out Bicknell
Manufacturing.  They have been manufacturing stone working tools in
Maine (mostly for the granite industry) since the early part of last
century.

You might want to check out the tools section on my webstite:
http://dondougan.homestead.com/TheProcess5_History.html

The page linked above is one of about fifteen or so describing the
historical tools and their uses for stoneworking, beginning with the
mallet or hammer for striking.  Chisels are discussed one or two pages
farther along, just follow the links.

Good Carving to You,
Don

Don Dougan
http://www.dondougan.com