How to Carve Soapstone
- 1). Create a work area by cleaning off a flat surface to use for your carving and covering it with newspapers. Put on your safety glasses. This is an important step for any type of carving that you do and will help you to protect your eyes. Decide on a design. When you look at your soapstone, you might "see" your design within the stone. Once you decide on the design you will carve, sketch it onto the soapstone with a pencil.
- 2). Cut out all unneeded soapstone using a small wood saw. This should give you a rough estimate of what your sculpture will look like. Take off any damaged areas of soapstone with a wood rasp before you start carving. Use a hacksaw to remove large amounts of soapstone.
- 3). Use a drill to make holes for areas that need to be cut out in the middle of the piece, such as around the legs of an animal sculpture. This is called pointing. Drill the holes 1/2 the depth of the stone and drill them very close together. You can then use a chisel to remove the exact amount of stone that you wish.
- 4). Remove the broken stone so that you can see the area that you are working with. You can draw a center line on your sculpture so that your symmetry will be nice and even.
- 5). Use files to shape your sculpture into the design you want. You should use your file tools to create detail in your design.
- 6). Rub wet/dry sandpaper over your soapstone carving. Use fresh water with each new piece of sandpaper.
- 7). Warm your sculpture in the oven at 200 degrees for 10 minutes. This will soften up the soapstone for polishing. Use furniture polish and a soft cloth to polish your sculpture.
