Throughout history, different men and women have worked and carved stone, and the various monuments, buildings, and sculptures they have left behind are proof of this. In this way, sculptors have left their mark on history and live on through their techniques and, ultimately, their art. Would you like to learn how to work stone correctly and delve into this fascinating world?
Steps to follow before working the stone
If you're new to this art, our recommendation is to start with sculptures that aren't too ambitious. It's better to start slowly, step by step, and gradually increase the difficulty of the sculptures. Works of art aren't created in a day!
Another important aspect to keep in mind before starting to model is to make sure the stone block you choose is considerably larger than the final work. With time and experience, this will be a step you won't even have to think about because you'll already have mastered it, but, especially at the beginning, it's important to keep this in mind.
Organization
Organization and preparation are essential steps before starting any project, regardless of the area. Therefore, in this case, it's advisable to make a sketch that captures the idea you have in your head and mark some lines on the stone to help you better understand the work to be done next.
State of the stone
Before starting to work on the stone, it's important to pay attention to its condition. Why? Because we must ensure it has no cracks or fissures, but is a healthy block that can be worked without any problems. But how can we check this? The easiest way to do this is to wet the stone to clearly see if there are any cracks. You can also tap it to hear the sound to determine if it's hollow inside.
How to carve or sculpt stone?
The stone is always cut from the outside to the center of the block, following the direction of the grain to avoid accidental breakage as much as possible.
Before you begin carving the stone, you may need to roughen it. If you have any questions about this process, we'll tell you. What roughing is and what tools you need in our last article.
In this step, the chisels They are the main protagonists, as they are precise tools that help us shape the sculpture.
How to cut stone?
Before starting to work on the stone and even during the creation process itself, it is very common to have to cut the stone, either to adjust the size or to quickly remove large sections of the stone block.
For this step, the most common are power tools such as Diamond cutting discs . If you have any questions about which one is best for each case, don't hesitate to send us your questions.
How to polish stone?
Polishing the stone is one of the final steps in shaping a sculpture and consists of leaving the stone as smooth as possible.
The files They are essential in polishing stone because they allow us to leave the stone smooth and eliminate, to the extent possible, any irregularities that may remain in our works of art.
How to clean stone?
Cleaning the stone is essential both before you begin working with it and once the sculpture is finished.
It might seem like a step very similar to polishing, but it isn't. While polishing refers to the perfection of the sculpture's surface, this phase consists of removing any traces of certain substances.
For example, there are specific cleaners for removing silicone and adhesive residue; others for removing oil, grease, or diesel stains; and you can even find ones for removing rust.
The exciting world of sculpture
We hope you found this article very useful, and if you decide to create your own sculptures, don't hesitate to ask us about the best tools to help you do so. It's our pleasure to provide you with all the resources you need to delve into such an interesting world. We look forward to seeing you!
