::: Soapstone Beads :::
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Introduction |
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I got
myself that piece of soapstone to make some sculpture or something. But
forcing too much pressure onto the stone while sawing it I broke it to
pieces...aaargh bummer!!!
What to do now?
In my recent tutorial "Bone Necklace" I told you that I do not
know how to make beads out of stone. Now I DO - and I am going to tell
YOU!
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!!!WARNING!!!
Several sources indicate that soapstone can contain asbestos. Asbestos
is known to cause cancer. For your own safety buy only soapstone that
is known to contain none or only small amounts of asbestos. Always wear
safety gear like a mask to protect your lungs and work in a place with
good ventilation. Try NOT to enhale the dust!
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Material and tools needed |
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Material:
- Soapstone
Tools:
- a saw like
in the picture (the thinner the blade the better, as it will cause less
dust.
- a vice (yea Mr. Vice is back!)
- a manual drill and a drill (small diameter)
- a grinding machine (VERY practical here. Grinds beads in minutes.
And your fingernails if you are not cautious! :) Creates as good as
no dust when used with water. I love it - it rocks!)
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:::
From cubes to spheres with holes |
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To make grinding easier
first saw the soapstone chunks into 1cm thick boards and then into 1cm
wide sticks. Unfortunately I do not have any photos of this process.
Then mount those sticks into the vice. Try not to fasten the vice too
much as this stone will break easily. Use the manual drill to make a hole
through the length of the stick.
Now you can either start grinding off the edges of the sticks to make
them round and then cut off 1cm diameter cylinders, or cutting them first
into cubes and then begin grinding.
The size of the cubes depends on how big the beads shall become. I recommend
a side-length of about 1cm so you can still hold them with you fingers
when grinding on the machine.
Use the stone disc not the rough metal one meant to grind metal. Also
use it with water so that there is no dust when grinding and it works
faster.
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:::
Finishing up |
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![](s08_bead_small.jpg)
Click to enlarge
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You may smoothen the
surface of the beads with emery paper. I read people are using oil to make
the surface of their soapstone sculptures more shiny. For this there is
a special oil available but some people say cooking oil is sufficient. Anyway
your skin will do the job again here if you use the beads on a necklace
like I did.
Congrats on your piece of work!
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