RamFan503 noting that a technician is only as good as his tools:
Yeah - gotta chisel all that BS on yer stone tablets.
The latest cutting edge chisels.
Chisels:
I
strongly prefer Italian carving chisels to just about anything else I have seen. These chisels have longer teeth than others I've seen, and seem to bite into the stone better. They also have thicker shafts, making them heavier, but easier to hold securely when needed.
My preferences are as follows:
- Large 4 tooth chisel (SSC: 302, TCS: 37424). Excellent for large scale material removal in alabaster and soapstone. Good in softer marbles too. 3 tooth (SSC: 203, TCS: 37427) and 5 tooth (SSC: 304, TCS: 37425) are useful too, but for me, less often than 4 tooth.
- Narrow flat chisel (SSC: 320, TCS 37403). Wonderful for detail work. Absolutely a critical chisel to have.
- A basic simple point (SSC: 311, TCS: 37400) is good to have. Something heavier will be needed in hard marble, but these are good for most soft stones.
- A flat chisel can be useful in places too. I like 1/2" or so (SSC: 321, TCS: 37406).
Those are my "daily use" chisels. There are a few others that are for less common work. Specifically:
- Pitching tool (SSC 327). For removing huge amounts of stone.
- Narrow tooth chisel (SSC: 305, TCS: 37432, I think). Useful for controlled removal in alabaster and soapstone.
- Frosting tool (SSC 450 or 460, TCS 37610 or 37611). Puts textured surface onto a carving.
- Carbide chisels of various types. Great for harder stones, but brittle. These are very expensive. SSC and TCS both carry various types. San Francisco bay area supplier Renaissance Stonecarries various carbide chisels too, though not Italian ones.
- Cathedral chisels. 4-5 inches longer than standard chisels, these can get into nooks and crannies that would otherwise be hard to reach. I've only seen these at Renaissance Stone.
All the chisels in this second group should probably be bought on an as-needed basis. Their use is less common than the others I have mentioned. Again, I feel the need to point out that others may well disagree with me, though. There are certainly sculptors who live with narrow tooth chisels, for example, and wouldn't want the larger teeth I like. As with all advice, your mileage may (and will) vary.
As you can see, I use nothing but the best for
my BS.
