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Carve & Polish a Soapstone by Vicky Smith
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Carve & Polish a Soapstone |
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Business
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According to Green Mountain Soapstone, soapstone is a type of stone comprised primarily from talc, chlorite, dolomite and magnesite. The softness of these minerals means that you can work with soapstone with very little effort. Green Mountain Soapstone and the Vermont Marble, granite, Slate & Soapstone Company report that, for this reason, people have used soapstone for thousands of years to make sculptures, pots, vases, goblets, urns, fireplaces and countertops. Because soapstone is so easy to manipulate, it's perfect for beginning sculptors who want to see what stone carving is like. Instructions as follows: Firstly, sketch your original design on the soapstone with pencil. Secondly, lay down newspapers or a large old sheet in your work area. Thirdly, fill a plastic tub about a quarter of the way with water. Place the tub in the center of the work area on top of your newspaper or sheet. Fourthly, turn a small bucket upside down and place it in your tub of water. This will serve as a little "table" on which to place your stone as you work. Chief Carver recommends doing this in addition to laying down newspaper or sheets because the water in the tub traps any soapstone dust that falls away as you carve. This is important because you really want to limit the amount of dust that flies up into the air where you can inhale it. Fifthly, put on a safety mask and safety goggles. Sixthly, preheat your oven to between 200 and 450 degrees F. Smaller sculpture will not need as much heat or time to cure. Seventhly, work away at the large areas of the soapstone that need to be removed with a hammer and chisel. Eighthly, carve the smaller details of the work into the soapstone using a file or rasp. As you work, use the water in your tub to gently rinse away the dust that collects on the stone. Ninthly, sand down the soapstone with wet sandpaper. Rinse out the sandpaper when the soapstone dust leaves the grains clogged and reuse it. Work from a coarse sandpaper down to a fine grade. Tenthly, dry off your sculpture with a towel and place it on an oven sheet. Place the sheet in your preheated oven. Remove the limestone when water placed on the stone with a damp sponge almost immediately evaporates. Eleventh, rub candle wax over the soapstone while it is still hot. Let the wax cool, submerse the carving in cold water, rub off the excess wax and polish the stone with a soft cloth. In short, as an eminent business E-platform of promoting stone industry, we have been continuously merging all kinds of resources together, in which regard not only has it realized the strategic combination of Stones Yellow Pages and overseas famous stone magazines, but also its good cooperation with overseas stone associations and organizations. If you want to consult us freely, you can also see culture stone or become a loyal follower of us by @ https://twitter.com/stonebtb.
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