I have run my own stone and marble workshop for over twenty five years and it became a regular occurrence to have visitors looking to buy a piece of stone or marble to try out stone carving. I have a soft spot for all wannabee artists so I would never charge for the stone, asking instead that they bring back their piece of work so that I could see how they got on.
In all those years no-one ever came back!
Now I know that most people are really decent and would have come back to show me their efforts, so I have put this lack of response down to the fact that most of these novice carvers simply chose the wrong type of materials to start with and therefore never actually managed to finish the piece of work.
Most of the hopefuls I saw over the years wanted to carve marble and so, in spite of my advice to try a softer stone, they trolled off happily with a nice piece of white Carrara or Italian Botticino Fiorito never to be seen again. (by me anyway!)
The simple fact is that stone and especially marble carving is hard work. Unless you choose a soft and relatively easy to work type of stone to start with and you select the right tools, you will easily become discouraged and give up long before you are able to develop the practical skills necessary to work the harder stones and marble.
To help would be stone carvers choose the right type of stone, I have tried to create a kind of Mohs Scale of hardness of the kinds of stone that you are likely to find in your local stone yards.
This is not a scientific scale, it is based not only on hardness but also on the practical workability of the stone. I have assumed that you will be working with hand tools not power tools.
The scale is numbered 1-10. 1 being the softest stone and 10 being the hardest.
1: Cotswold Stone. Tools: Hardened steel chisels with wooden handles similar to wood chisels used with a Wooden mallet. Steel chisels with steel bulb end, for use with lead mallet or "dummy". Can be sawn with a hand saw just like a timber saw.
Advantages: Very soft to work. all types of chisel will work. Can be cut to size with a hand saw, excellent for practising hammer and chisel technique.
Disadvantages: : Finished carvings will have poorly defined detail, the stone is too coarse to give a sharp finish. Risk of exposing hard shell in the course of work this may spoil the look of the finished job. Too weak to easily make thin panel carvings for example house signs or decorative plaques.
Conclusion: : May be the right material for larger sculptural pieces.
2: Bath Stone. Tools: Hardened steel chisels with wooden handles similar to wood chisels. Wooden mallet. Steel chisels with steel bulb end, for use with lead mallet or "dummy".
Can be sawn with a hand saw just like a timber saw. Advantages: : Soft to work. all types of chisel will work. Can be cut to size with a hand saw, excellent for practising hammer and chisel technique. Disadvantages: : Risk of exposing hard shell in the course of work this may spoil the look of the finished job. Too weak to easily make thin panel carvings for example house signs or decorative plaques. Conclusion: : Finer grain than Cotswold etc. Better definition of carving. Good choice for first project.
3: Portland Stone. Tools: Hardened Steel chisels with steel bulb end, used with wooden masons mallet. Fine tungsten carvers chisels used with small steel club hammer. Advantages: : Memorial grade is a very High Quality stone, fine grained good definition of detail. Strong enough to make thin panel carvings for example house signs or number plaques. Disadvantages: : Availability of finer grade material. Some risk of exposing hard shell in the course of work this may spoil the look of the finished job. Conclusion: : Finer grain than Cotswold or Bath stone etc. Better definition of carving. Good choice for first project but harder to work than bath stone.
4: Portuguese limestone. Tools: Hardened Steel chisels used with steel hammer. Fine tungsten carvers chisels used with small steel club hammer. Advantages: : High quality stone, fine grained very good definition of detail. Strong enough to make thin panel carvings, for example house signs or number plaques.
Readily available from fireplace manufacturers . Disadvantages: : Not often available in sizes thicker than 30mm. Conclusion: : Finer grain than any of the previous stones. Better definition for carving. Good choice for first project but harder to work than bath stone.
5: Italian Black Slate. Tools: Fine steel chisels, tungsten carvers chisels used with small steel club hammer. Advantages: : Very fine grained very good definition of detail. Strong enough to make thin panel carvings, for example house signs or number plaques. Disadvantages: : Hard to work, will chip easily while carving. Not for exterior use. Conclusion: : Good start if you want to carve slate.
6: York Stone. Tools: Tungsten chisels only, tungsten carvers chisels used with small steel club hammer. Advantages: : High quality stone, fine grained very good definition of detail. Strong enough to make thin panel carvings, for example house signs or number plaques. Readily available from garden centres. Disadvantages: : Very hard to work. steel tools will blunt very quickly, Dust is hazardous so wear a mask! Conclusion: : Not a good choice for novice carvers.
7: Welsh Grey Slate. Tools: Fine steel chisels, tungsten carvers chisels used with small steel club hammer. Advantages: : Very fine grained excellent definition of detail. Strong enough to make thin panel carvings, for example house signs or number plaques. Very strong. Readily available. Ideal for exterior use. Disadvantages: : Hard to work, will chip easily while carving. Conclusion: : Super quality slate but not for novices.
8: Westmoreland or Cumberland Green Slate. Tools: Tungsten chisels, tungsten carvers chisels used with small steel club hammer. Advantages: : Very fine grained excellent definition of detail. Strong enough to make thin panel carvings, for example house signs or number plaques. Very strong. Disadvantages: : Very hard to work, tends to chip easily while carving. Ideal for exterior use. Conclusion: : Super quality slate but not for novices.
9: Marble. Tools: Tungsten chisels only, tungsten carvers chisels used with small steel club hammer. Advantages: Very fine grained excellent definition of detail. Strong enough to make thin panel carvings, for example house signs or number plaques. Disadvantages: : Very hard to work. Conclusion: : Try softer materials first, if you must try marble look for a paper white marble from Turkey, take the advice of your local mason!
10: Granite. Tools: Nuclear powered laser cutters only! Advantages: :Super Hard. Disadvantages: : Ridiculously hard to work by hand. Conclusion: :Try bashing your own kneecaps with a hammer, it will hurt less!
That concludes "Walkers Scale of Hardness". I have almost certainly forgotten some stones and as the scale is based on my experiences over the years other people may have differing opinions. If you are a stonemason or carver and have a different view, or you have a local stone you think should be included on the list please contact me and I will consider editing or adding to this article accordingly.
About the Author
Steve Walker has been a craftsman in stone and marble for 40 years. Leaving school at fifteen he entered an apprenticeship as an ecclesiastical marble mason with an old London firm, and in his long career have practised as a stone mason, letter cutter, restoration carver, marble mason and carver, fireplace designer and manufacturer.
He has worked in Old Fashioned traditional stone firms and in modern marble workshops, in almost every type of stone marble and granite.
He is now the sole owner, and craftsman of StoneEngravings House signs www.stoneengravings.co.uk
Hand Carving - Hand Carved Furniture from Maitland-Smith
Linoleum or Wood Carving Set With Palm Style Handles- 6 Pc. Set- Made in USA List Price:$49.95 Sale Price: $38.35
Average Rating:
Description
This high quality 6 piece set can be used for cutting designs in linoleum for print-making but will work equally well on wood. Made by U.J. Ramelson in the U.S. under the most careful quality control this great set will give many years of enjoyable service...
Serene and calming, made of lightweight natural Kadam wood, this Buddha statue is hand carved in India. Measuring 4 inches wide and 6 inches high, this Buddha statue is available in natural shade and has artistic carved details on all sides.
A complete How To Carve a Wood Spirit DVD. With step by step Instructions for BeginnersDVD covers complete instruction on carving tools and carving the Wood Spirit beginning to end. If you ever wanted the basics for caving here is your opportunity...
How to Carve a Profile Wood Spirit DVD is an instructional guide for woodcarving. This DVD shows beginning to end the carving of a profile Wood Spirit. If you ever wanted the basics for beginning wood carving here is your opportunity...
Carry a complete carving kit in your pocket! The blades of this unique carving tool fold into their handle just like a pocket knifes blades. Professional carvers will love the high quality edge-holding features of Flexcuts resilient spring steel blades...
Professional "Brite White" fabric mouse pads are among the most versatile and durable, providing brilliant graphic reproduction for spot color or Full Color imprints. This durable polyester surface is above industry standards and provides a superior product value overall...
Handicrafts made out of olive wood from Bethlehem the Holy Land.
Bethlehem Handicrafts helps Christian families through a tough time in Bethlehem by selling these crafts. Our mission to stand strong in our hometown and stay where Jesus lived his life in the Holy land...
Step-by-step instructions and techniques for creating figures such as the Classic European Santa, Mr. and Mrs. Claus, Frosty the Snowman, and Mr. and Mrs. Snowman from wood are illustrated by 250 color photos in this handbook for Christmas carving. Also featured is a collection of Christmas ornaments and carved spoon designs that will delight craftspeople and collectors alike. Ready-to-use pattern drawings for 12 projects are included.
The simple and beautiful art of woodcarving is adapted for children of all ages in this introduction to coaxing shapes and figures from solid blocks of wood. Requiring only a few tools and some inspiration, the projects in this collection are perfectly suited to building the skills it takes to work with wood. Safety and adult supervision are emphasized, but children will be able to complete the age-appropriate designs all by themselves. The graded projects range from carving a name stamp—for the youngest woodworkers—to carving a face—for teenaged craftspeople. The book also touches on computer-aided pattern-making, teaching children who face learning challenges, and methods for instructing kids of each age group—from elementary through high school. With its quick results and cumulative skill-building, learning to carve fosters hand-eye coordination and confidence as young carvers turn out unique handicrafts.
