Removing this 3300 pound chunk of Indiana Limestone from the big figure of "Cor Liberum", my Norton Hospital commission, made a big difference. I ordered the stone a little larger than needed. I was moving along ok, but wanted to move a little quicker. I used a hammer drill and feathers and wedges to split out a large piece of stone. Splitting it out is one thing, removing it afterwards is another. One of my favorite tools is the pry bar I am using in the video to get room to slide my straps under the stone. Then the gantry makes small work of a big job.
My New Gantry Crane is Set Up and Ready to Go /
I have a shop made gantry crane that I have been using to move some of the smaller pieces of stone around the studio. However, I do not trust it with more than 3000 pounds. That is not going to get it with the two blocks sitting under the crane in the picture below. They both started out at 17000 pounds. They will become the central figures of my Norton commission, "Cor Liberum". Once I get more of the off fall off what is now the tops of the stone, I will need to stand them up to be sure they fit together just so. This is critical to the success of the piece. The central negative space that they create forms a heart. The only way to be sure they actually do that is by setting them up and making sure!
"Cor Liberum" - The Little Figure Goes on a Crash Diet /
I love the whole sculpture process. However, there are some moments that are just a little more fun than others. One of those is when you are splitting off a large section of stone from the main body. Last night, I was working on the smaller figure for my Norton commission. The stone came in at 8' long. The small figure is only going to be a little over 5'. So, I had a lot of stone to remove. This video shows how I used a drill and feathers and wedges to get rid of 2000 pounds of stone in about an hour.
Using Feathers and Wedges to Remove a 1000 Pound Piece from the Original Block /
A set of feathers and wedges
Force is an amazing thing! That force is the basic principle applied when using Feathers and Wedges to split stone. The three piece tool set applies force by hammering the tapered wedge between two feathers that have the opposite taper. Simply drill a hole, insert the feathers and pound in the wedge. The force will literally split the stone in a linear
The feathers and wedges inserted in the drill holes.
Now for the trick. For those who have used the feathers and wedges, you will probably agree that trying to cut a square or rectangle out of a larger block while maintaining a 90 degree cut from the larger block is difficult. Most of the time it will break in a 1/4 moon shape as opposed to the 90 degree break. That is why I am so happy with the break I got tonight. It broke just the way I planned!
The split rock moved out with a pry bar a little to give room for the slings.
The block removed with a gantry crane.
The block sitting on another cut clock.
I over drilled the vertical surface so that there was much less holding it in place. I also used a 3' drill bit to drill the majority of the way through the block. I then went to the other side and did the same thing there. While I was drilling, I started applying the feathers and wedges without pounding them in too hard. This allowed a longer period of force to be applied to the stone, I gradually moved along the drill holes to apply more and more force without working too fast. It worked!
Carving Stone for Sale /
I am now listing carving stone on my website, www.mikemccarthysculptor.com, under the Art Work drop down. Below are two of the blocks that are currently listed on the site. I will primarily have Indiana Limestone for sale for now. However, I plan to add other stones as they become available. I will also be listing some gently used tools on this page as well so check back often.
Block 101 - aprox 46lbs. - 9" x 5" x 12" - $15
Block 102 - aprox 90lbs. - 10" x 8" x 12" - $20
Its Really On! The Big Stones for "Cor Liberum" Have Arrived /
It has taken a bit to get here, but the two large stones for the central figures of "Cor Liberum" arrived at the studio on Tuesday. As you will see from the video, they were shoe horned in. The crane Driver did a superb job!
Progress on the Fourth of Five Birds for "Cor Liberum" /
"Cor Liberum" was slow to get started, but I am already working on the fourth of the five birds for the sculpture. This one is one of the smaller birds (one of the three on the tallest posts). It is split, cut to its rough outline, and now I am refining the shapes. I am still using a diamond blade at this time but will soon move to the air hammer. It then has to get flipped and the bottom side shaped. I will then switch back to a grinder with sanding disks.
Splitting a Block of Indiana Limestone using Feathers and Wedges /
I have always found the process of using Feathers and Wedges to split a stone so fascinating. I think it is the coolest thing that the force these small tools provide is enough to split stone. More importantly, the fact that you can somewhat shape the stone through the placement of the holes is even more amazing.
In this short video, you will see about 20 minutes of work condensed to a little over 1 minute. While 20 minutes may seem like a long time, it reduces this 4' x 4' x 1' block by 1/4 and shapes the end of the tail of one of my birds for "Cir Liberum"
Enjoy!