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What Do You Need to Shape Marble?

Sculptors working in stone choose marble because of its beauty and relative softness. Although it is identified as a soft stone, it is still hard enough to require aggressive processes and tools. Each sculptor has his own favorite method of shaping marble, and some have strict philosophies that inform their process of sculpting and shaping the stone. Some stone sculptors may be purists, insisting on using only hand tools, while others may be willing to reject antiquated techniques in favor of power tools. Some sculptors use a combination of both kinds of tools.

  1. Mallets and Hammers

    • Mallets and hammers for stone sculpting are made of a variety of materials and have different styles of handles and grips. A soft-iron hammer with a heavy rectangular-shaped head and wooden grip is commonly used by sculptors and is made in 1-, 2- and 2 1/2-pound weights. This type of hammer is used to strike chisels. Steel and aluminum, round mallets for detail work also are available. A pointed hammer or sharp pick is used for heavy aggressive blows intended to remove material. These type of hammers are used directly on the marble rather than on a chisel. Some hammers have a pick side and a mallet side for versatility.

    Chisels

    • The primary tool for shaping marble is the chisel. Chisels are made with carbide tips because carbide holds an edge longer than other materials. Chisels are made in a variety of configurations and widths, and artists switch chisels according to their need. They use flat-, pointed-, toothed- and wide mallet-head-style chisels at various times. A sculptor uses large, heavy chisels to rough out a shape in marble, and then she changes to smaller, finer chisels for detail work.

    Files, Rifflers and Rasps

    • A marble sculptor accomplishes final details and finishing work with diamond or carbide files of various grits, from fine grit to coarse grit. A riffler is a type of file that has a more abrasive texture than a file with a round, square, pointed, curved or straight head. A riffler often has a different head on each end for versatility. A rasp has a long blade that is meant to be pushed over the surface in long strokes to remove large amounts of material rather quickly. Files, rifflers and rasps are made in degrees of fine to aggressive textures.

    Power Tools

    • Sculpting stone is physically demanding. It takes a lot of time, and stone sculptors often develop arthritis and damage to their joints and nerves. Carving stone requires much less time with less damage to hands when power tools are used. Chisels used with pneumatic power sources are the same basic shape as hand chisels, except each has a shaft for fitting to the pneumatic hammer that provides the striking impact needed to drive the chisel. Other power tools used to shape marble are grinders, wet saws, drills and polishing heads. Diamond-grit and carbide-tipped tools are used because of their sharpness and durability.

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