From:
"George Graham" <georgergraham@zzzzzzzzzzz>
Date:
Sat, 23 Sep 2006 10:19:58 -0400
Subject:
a new beginning
Welcome Ray!
Alabaster and soapstone are great stones for a beginner. I would start you
on high quality alabaster and soapstone bought from a reputable sculptor
supplier. The chisels need only be regular steel for these stones. They
should be regular stone carving chisels. If you move on to hard marble and
limestone, carbide tipped tools are great , but really not necessary for
soapstone and alabaster.
The most important tip I can give you is to always carve with sharp chisels.
Dull tools cause more heartache to beginners than anything else. I like to
have my flat chisels sharp enough to trim my fingernails.
15 feet by 12 feet is a nice size for a studio. If you can go bigger, why
not? The extra space will soon fill up with,,,,,more stone, pedestals, ect.
In my perfect studio I would plan to have a covered , open area on the side
of the building so I could easily move outside to work when the weather is
nice. You can't have too much light and ventilation so be generous with the
windows.
Feel free to ask lots of question of the list. Helping beginners is one of
the reasons we are here.
Look through the archives for lot of information on tools and materials.
Good carving to you Ray!
George Graham
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