How to Carve Letters in Stones

Carving letters in stone is a challenging physical task.

Stone carving is the ancient craft of shaping and sculpting various types of stone into beautiful shapes. Famous stone carvings include Mount Rushmore, the Easter Island statues and Venus de Milo. You don't need to be weighed down by expectation to start sculpting stone yourself; all you need is the right tools and safety gear. Carving letters in stone is a great way of learning the basic skills of stone carving. Carved stone makes a great gift or ornament for the home and garden.

Things You'll Need

• Soapstone, alabaster, limestone, marble or granite
• Straight, toothed or rounded chisels
• Mallets
• Files
• Sandbags
• Goggles
• Dust mask
• Hearing protectors
• Leather gloves
• Wax crayons
• Stencils
• Sandpaper
• Floor wax
• Lint-free cloth

Instructions

1. Select your stone. For carving letters, choose a stone of suitable width and height to fit all your text in. A piece of stone with a large, flat plane works well for letter carving.

2. Place the stone on the sandbags. The sand will absorb the shock of the chisel on the stone and lessen the chance of the stone being accidentally split. For very large pieces, pour the sand into a wooden box and place the stone on the surface.

3. Remove any excess stone using a heavy chisel. Don't try and remove large pieces of the stone in one go; slowly chisel away unwanted portions in small pieces. Wear all the appropriate safety gear and work in a well-ventilated room.

4. Mark the text onto the stone using the wax crayon and a stencil.

5. Carve out the letters marked in wax crayon. Chisel at a 45-degree angle to the stone, making a small indentation in the place of the letters by tapping the end of the chisel with the mallet. Don't try and carve all the material out straight away. Make several passes, slowly removing more material each time and adding detail.

6. Sand the stone. This will give the stone a smooth texture and professional finish, but it can be time-consuming. Start with a course grade of sandpaper (around 100 grade) and slowly use finer grades until you achieve the desired smoothness.

7. Wet-sand the stone once you have used a few course grades of dry paper. Dip waterproof sandpaper in water and continue sanding. As the paper gets clogged, rinse it in the water. Regularly change the water as you change sandpaper grades to prevent grit being transferred. Using water can give you an idea of what the stone will look like when it is polished.

8. Polish the stone when it is thoroughly dry after wet sanding. Buff floor wax into the stone using a lint-free cloth. If the wax is hard to work in, consider warming the stone in oven. There is no need to leave the stone in very long, just enough to warm the surface enough to slightly melt the floor wax. Buff the stone to a finished shine.

Tips & Warnings

• Always wear goggles, dust masks and gloves when working with stone. Make sure your workspace is well-ventilated to prevent a buildup of dust. If you place the stone in the oven, wear appropriate protection when handling the hot stone.

References

• Stone Shaper: How to carve marble, limestone, soapstone and alabaster sculptures