timloco
has rocks in the head
Member since April 2012
Posts: 545
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Post by timloco on Apr 12, 2015 18:21:21 GMT -5
I'm kinda scheming maybe getting into rock carving. I'd like to shape and drill holes in rocks like granite or agate.
I was thinking something like a Foredom tool, but I've never done it before so I'm not sure what people actually use for this. Anyone have any book recommendations or favorite web sites? I figure I'd start with a softer rock but ideally I'd like to mess with some of the cool granite and unakite and agate I can find around here.
Another question on this is, dust collection and safety. I imagine there's dust collection systems maybe enclosures and such but like I said I'm brand new to this, not really sure how to start.
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Post by snowmom on Apr 15, 2015 5:54:09 GMT -5
timloco I imagine some of the answers to your questions have to do with scale. Are you talking about carving pendants and rings or are you talking about something on the scale of a birdbath or the statue of liberty?
(ok I exaggerate).
I got a moto tool with flexible shaft for Christmas and have been messing with small scale cutting and engraving sorts of work,as well as polishing and I quickly found that you need diamond everything in order to make a dent in the harder rocks such as agate...JamesP's coral almost did me in, I'm still fighting it. I control the dust by keeping the rock wet, mostly submerged in a pan of water or dipping it frequently. You still need splash control, and I work in a big clear plastic bin meant to store clothing. wearing gloves and mask and safety glasses or goggles is a good idea. Don't know a thing about dust collection systems, I'm sure there must be some tutorials out there, maybe check on youtube or the like...I think there are a few in back posts here, too.
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Post by deb193redux on Apr 15, 2015 9:45:00 GMT -5
foredom with various diamond burrs is what folks who carve small figures and cameos use. dust collection is important, and so is working wet. in addition to controlling toxic dust, if the metal gets too hot the diamonds fall out.
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timloco
has rocks in the head
Member since April 2012
Posts: 545
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Post by timloco on Apr 16, 2015 16:28:24 GMT -5
I was thinking about small stuff, bigger than pendants but small enough to carry around anyways. I've got a couple of softball to basketball size chunks of quartzite and epidosite that I'm going to save until I've messed with soapstone or alabaster. There's actually some soapstone quarries around here in NoCo so I imagine that should be pretty easy to get my hands on.
I just bought on Amazon the book Direct Stone Sculpture by Milt Liebson. That's kinda how I roll, I read the manual and study up before I dive into something. This particular subject is more complicated than I thought it would be when I just thought to myself huh, I should try sculpting these cool rocks.
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