Tools for Stone Carving
Stone carving tools have changed little through the centuries. Chisels and hammers have been around since man could forge steel. The pneumatic hammer came about in the late 1800s. Despite technological advances in artistic areas, these are the tools stone sculptors use to bring a raw piece of stone to life.
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Safety Equipment
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Safety goggles and other safety equipment play an important role in stone carving. A respirator is essential when working with stone, especially when the stone dust contains silica. Ear protection is something you should always have when working with air powered tools. Shock-resistant gloves are also helpful when working with pneumatic tools, to help cut back on the vibration and prevention of cuts from sharp stone chips.
Chisels
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Chisels are the primary shaping tools of stone carving. The point chisel is used for removing stone and roughing it out quickly. The tooth chisel helps refine the rough edge left behind by the point. The rondel and flat chisels are used to remove teeth marks left behind by the tooth chisel. The combination use of all these chisels brings about the almost-finished sculpture.
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Hammers
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Hammers are extremely important and come in different weights. The 3 lb. hammer is used to remove large chunks of stone in conjunction with the pitching tool. The 2 lb. hammer is helpful with the basic carving of stone, while the 1 lb. hammer is pertinent to small detail carving.
Handsets and Pitching Tools
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The handset, also called the pitching tool, is used with hammers to remove large chunks of stone from the edges of square blocks. The tracing tool is used like the pitching tool but for finer line shaping along the rougher edges. Handsets and pitching tools are the workhorses of the finishing phase.
Finish Tools
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Rasps and rifflers are used for the final shaping of softer stones. The finished work will have scratch marks that can either be left for visual effect or removed with sandpaper. The most common sandpaper used is wet/dry silicon carbide sandpaper. It comes in a variety of grits, from fine to coarse. Stone is wet-sanded to help remove dust particles.
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References
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- Photo Credit Image by Flickr.com, courtesy of David Merrett
