As promised, this post will examine one of the ways to correct mistakes in soapstone carving.
When I was cutting away excess stone from this piece, I accidentally went too far with the hacksaw. I could have cut it away and made a smaller lamp, but felt instead this presented me with an opportunity to show students how to deal with these little mishaps.
Below is a photo of the lamp with the mistake in it. You can clearly see a vertical hole in the sculpture, just above the tip of the dragon's wing. (I have already fixed the very top of the hole.)
Luckily the materials required to fix this are ready to hand.
Steatite/Soapstone is a metamorphic rock, composed mostly of talc (used in baby powder and cosmetics). The fine white powder you create while carving is talc, and it is this substance that can be used to correct minor repairs.
In a small container, add Elmer's white glue to some of the talc collected from your workspace. I use a painting palette and a toothpick, as below.
You don't need much. Add just enough glue to make a fairly thick paste. Using the toothpick, apply the talc paste to the hole or crack in your sculpt. Wipe away any excess with a paper towel. Keep applying the paste until you are satisfied that the hole is filled. Make it flush with the surrounding stone.
When I was finished, the hole looked like this:
Later, we will see how it looks when there is some polish applied to the lamp.
*A word on talc before we proceed.
Talc is a very fine particulate that easily penetrates your sinuses and lungs. When working, always use a mask or respirator in a well-ventilated area. Also, keep your workspace clean. Work on a surface--such a piece of newspaper-so that you can frequently dump the talc into a garbage can or other receptacle nearby. Periodically wipe the workspace down with a damp cloth. DO NOT DUMP TALC DOWN THE SINK! It will turn to concrete in your pipes and create huge issues! Instead, either put it in the garbage, make cosmetics or spread it over the garden to modify the soil.*
Carrying on, I now want to add detail to the dragon. Using an embossing tool and a small chisel, I sharpened the dragon's features, including the face, contours and wings. In a few hours, it went from looking like this:
To this:
There are still lots of ways to add some texture and visual interest to the dragon in terms of working details into the tail and even the jawline. So in terms of finishing this particular dragon (there will be a similar one on the other side of the lamp), I still have some work ahead of me.
Ahead: One period polishing method was to use pumice. I bought a couple of suitable pumice stones at a rock and gem show yesterday, and I am going to experiment with them to see what kind of polish it offers. I will document this process and share it with you in the next post.
Any questions about the process so far? Write to me at talairanperigord at gmail dot com, or look me up on Facebook.
When I was cutting away excess stone from this piece, I accidentally went too far with the hacksaw. I could have cut it away and made a smaller lamp, but felt instead this presented me with an opportunity to show students how to deal with these little mishaps.
Below is a photo of the lamp with the mistake in it. You can clearly see a vertical hole in the sculpture, just above the tip of the dragon's wing. (I have already fixed the very top of the hole.)
 |
| WTF? |
Steatite/Soapstone is a metamorphic rock, composed mostly of talc (used in baby powder and cosmetics). The fine white powder you create while carving is talc, and it is this substance that can be used to correct minor repairs.
In a small container, add Elmer's white glue to some of the talc collected from your workspace. I use a painting palette and a toothpick, as below.
When I was finished, the hole looked like this:
 |
| Ta-dah! |
*A word on talc before we proceed.
Talc is a very fine particulate that easily penetrates your sinuses and lungs. When working, always use a mask or respirator in a well-ventilated area. Also, keep your workspace clean. Work on a surface--such a piece of newspaper-so that you can frequently dump the talc into a garbage can or other receptacle nearby. Periodically wipe the workspace down with a damp cloth. DO NOT DUMP TALC DOWN THE SINK! It will turn to concrete in your pipes and create huge issues! Instead, either put it in the garbage, make cosmetics or spread it over the garden to modify the soil.*
Carrying on, I now want to add detail to the dragon. Using an embossing tool and a small chisel, I sharpened the dragon's features, including the face, contours and wings. In a few hours, it went from looking like this:
Ahead: One period polishing method was to use pumice. I bought a couple of suitable pumice stones at a rock and gem show yesterday, and I am going to experiment with them to see what kind of polish it offers. I will document this process and share it with you in the next post.
Any questions about the process so far? Write to me at talairanperigord at gmail dot com, or look me up on Facebook.
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