Who wants to learn freeform carving

[Gemsniffer]

Hi to all my fellow enthusiasts out there. Among a few other rock & gem hobbies that I enjoy is freeform carving & one thing I hear a lot is " I've always wanted learn that " so to try & help this issue I put together a bit of an e-guide with an easy carving project to get idea of the basics with what you will need & where you can find it. Anyway I'm looking for 5 guinea pigs to check it out & maybe give me some feedback please as I've never done anything like this before so if you would like a free test copy I will send one to the first five responses. Just send an email to jhollis26@yahoo.com.au with " yes please " in the subject box. Cheers

 

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[SimmonsCreek]

Sounds really interesting. I sent you an email if you don't have your 5 already

 

[Eu_citzen]

One thing to think about, make sure to "warn" the reader that they should have at least a bucketload of patience.
I find carving to be a very time consuming activity, but then, I'm quite new to it.

 

[rock]

I dont know what that is. Sounds like fun. How much does it usually cost to start a hobby like this?. I have limited money to spend. Thanks, rock

 

[Eu_citzen]

Now, as to what carving is..
A skilled carver can make intaglios, cameos, frogs, figures and a whole lot other stuff.
Or, just like gemsniffer mentioned; free forms. Basically just a random shape I suppose one could call it.


Carving is usually quite cheap, much can be done by yourself.

I use a dremel and:
Chinese diamond bits for rough shaping
home made pastes for grinding (220, 600, 3K, 14K)
I also have wooden bits to apply and work the paste on the stone.
Some plastic bowls (to keep water in and cool the stone) and a comfy chair.

An example of my latest work:

 

[StoneWhisper]

Sounds sort of hard relvant to my limited movement or hand use. Thou I've found by create a stable surface to work from. I can't say its freeform.. but it is shoe string cutting/faceiting.. I would suggest that one start with softer stoens before moving into something harder.