Students: Carefully read through each website link below. Take notes as you read, noting specifically the tool names, tool purposes, carving techniques, carving stages & processes, and finishing/polishing stages & processes.
When finished, scroll down to the middle of this page and complete the Google quiz. DO NOT take the quiz before reading all websites. Keep your notes as I will be checking and grading them tomorrow.
When finished, scroll down to the middle of this page and complete the Google quiz. DO NOT take the quiz before reading all websites. Keep your notes as I will be checking and grading them tomorrow.
SOAPSTONE TOOLS http://www.soapstonesculpture.com/tools.html
SOAPSTONE BASIC SHAPE: arrowhead http://www.soapstonesculpture.com/ssculpture/simple/arrow01.html
SOAPSTONE BASIC SHAPE: heart http://www.soapstonesculpture.com/ssculpture/simple/heart01.html
SOAPSTONE COMPLEX SHAPE: seal http://www.soapstonesculpture.com/ssculpture/simple/seal01.html
more COMPLEX SHAPES: loon, polar bear and eagle http://www.soapstonesculpture.com/
SANDING & POLISHING http://www.soapstonesculpture.com/ssculpture/simple/polishing.html
Some Soapstone History
People have quarried soapstone for thousands of years. Native Americans in eastern North America used the soft rock to make bowls, cooking slabs, smoking pipes and ornaments as early as the Late Archaic Period (3000 to 5000 years ago). [1] Native Americans on the west coast traveled in canoes from the mainland to San Clemente Island (60 miles offshore!) to obtain soapstone for cooking bowls and effigy carving as early as 8000 years ago. [2]
The people of Scandinavia began using soapstone during the Stone Age and it helped them enter the Bronze Age when they discovered that it could be easily carved into molds for casting metal objects such as knife blades and spearheads. They were among the first to discover the ability of soapstone to absorb heat and radiate it slowly. That discovery inspired them to make soapstone cooking pots, bowls, cooking slabs and hearth liners. [3]
Throughout the world, in locations where the soapstone is exposed at the surface, it was one of the first rocks to be quarried. Soapstone’s special properties continue to make it the “material of choice” for a wide variety of uses.
What is Soapstone?
Soapstone is a metamorphic rock that is composed primarily of talc. Because it is composed primarily of talc it is usually very soft. Soapstone is typically gray, bluish, green or brown in color, often variegated. Its name is derived from its “soapy” feel and softness.
The name “soapstone” is often used in other ways. Miners and drillers use the name for any soft rock that is soapy or slippery to the touch. In the craft marketplace, sculptures and ornamental objects made from soft rocks such as alabaster or serpentine are often said to be made from “soapstone.” Be careful when purchasing if the type of rock used in making the object is important to you.
How Does Soapstone Form?
Soapstone most often forms at convergent plate boundaries where broad areas of Earth’s crust are subjected to heat and directed pressure.
Physical Properties of Soapstone
Soapstone is composed primarily of talc and shares many physical properties with that mineral. These physical properties make soapstone valuable for many different uses. These useful physical properties include:
People have quarried soapstone for thousands of years. Native Americans in eastern North America used the soft rock to make bowls, cooking slabs, smoking pipes and ornaments as early as the Late Archaic Period (3000 to 5000 years ago). [1] Native Americans on the west coast traveled in canoes from the mainland to San Clemente Island (60 miles offshore!) to obtain soapstone for cooking bowls and effigy carving as early as 8000 years ago. [2]
The people of Scandinavia began using soapstone during the Stone Age and it helped them enter the Bronze Age when they discovered that it could be easily carved into molds for casting metal objects such as knife blades and spearheads. They were among the first to discover the ability of soapstone to absorb heat and radiate it slowly. That discovery inspired them to make soapstone cooking pots, bowls, cooking slabs and hearth liners. [3]
Throughout the world, in locations where the soapstone is exposed at the surface, it was one of the first rocks to be quarried. Soapstone’s special properties continue to make it the “material of choice” for a wide variety of uses.
What is Soapstone?
Soapstone is a metamorphic rock that is composed primarily of talc. Because it is composed primarily of talc it is usually very soft. Soapstone is typically gray, bluish, green or brown in color, often variegated. Its name is derived from its “soapy” feel and softness.
The name “soapstone” is often used in other ways. Miners and drillers use the name for any soft rock that is soapy or slippery to the touch. In the craft marketplace, sculptures and ornamental objects made from soft rocks such as alabaster or serpentine are often said to be made from “soapstone.” Be careful when purchasing if the type of rock used in making the object is important to you.
How Does Soapstone Form?
Soapstone most often forms at convergent plate boundaries where broad areas of Earth’s crust are subjected to heat and directed pressure.
Physical Properties of Soapstone
Soapstone is composed primarily of talc and shares many physical properties with that mineral. These physical properties make soapstone valuable for many different uses. These useful physical properties include:
- soft and very easy to carve
- nonporous
- nonabsorbent
- low electrical conductivity
- heat resistant
- high specific heat capacity
- resistant to acids and alkalis