I want to do stuff like pic related, clearly starting with something smaller and work my way up, have some space, have not too much money but I have time.I don't know anything about stone, how do I start? Just buy a hammer and chisel and carve away?
yup
start with something soft to learn the skillset
>>2791262Reading helps. Stonemasonry is thousands of years old.
You need to pick the right kind of stone. Soapstone is one of the easiest rocks to carve, but since it's so soft the results tend to not be very durable. Marble has been the gold standard for carving for thousands of years because it's just at the right hardness that it's easy to carve but durable enough to last a long time. The biggest tissue is that it will dissolve away in the rain. Granite and other igneous rocks are a bitch to work with but are your best bet if you want your carvings to survive for 10000 years or more.
>>2791262the stone you pick will determine how easy or hard the work is. In your picrel, judging by the holes I'm assuming that is a limestone like travertine or something, but I wouldn't rule out granite as it can be oldaf and get holes too. Look up a stone hardness scale, then start searching for that stone locally. Soapstone is extremely soft, then limestone (poopy for carving though, usually) then marble, dolomitic marble, granite and quartzite.
>>2791277>>2791300>>2791303thanks anons, these are good basics to start with
If you want to work anything harder than marble then you want a carbide chisel rather than steel
is eye protection important when chiseling stone
>>2791434>carbide chisel Honestly didn't know this was a thing. Carbide doesn't take well to shock loading though, so I still think it might be a meme...
>>2791262>Just buy a hammer and chisel and carve away?Literally yes.
>>2791556This.And a face shield.I've got a little scar where a chunk of stone hit my cheek.
use a pencil to mark the form
>>2791300>if you want your carvings to survive for 10000 years or moreI mean ... for anything past the next 50 years it doesn't really matter what I "want" does it?
>>2791262why bother carving when you can cast the stone directly into a mould?twitter.com/fomahun
>>2791836Lol no
>>2791262Draw dicks on river stone first, go to a machine shop and ask if they have broken carbide endmills, get a grinder that can grind it and make your toolsIt will be good practice and later when you read up on geology, you will know what each stone is good for and with what tools to carve it withIf you cant draw, use a projector
>>2791262the people who made those carvings in your OP image had only stone tools and made them all themselves.what are you actually waiting for? learn by doing.do not do your masterpiece first, practice runs, then do your magnum opus.btw limestone and sandstone are the only things you will really be carving.>>2791679awful mindset of throwaway disposable society. what did your ancestors work and die for? I want my creations to last long after I am gone and people should respect the creations of those who came before them, as I do.
I am a stone mason.I shape headstones.You need good tools and patience, if you want accuracy you must not over under, you can always work stone down but you can never build it back up, unless you use glue I guess. Practice with some basic shapes, flat surfaces and straight lines are harder to get right, you will have some wiggle room with curved shapes.Get a lunp of portland or sandstone, hammer, chisel, and a 2 inch bolster. Then see if you can turn it into a block where all 6 sides flat and square.That’s how they start you off in college.
>>2792920>must not cut under
>>2791262You could try casting stone instead.There's some guy on twitter who makes granite from wood ash and some sort of silica compound. It's a chemical reaction, as concrete is.
