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Jade Carving

shadow boxershadow boxer The Finger Painter & Master Ranter
[url]http://www.petridish.net/pics/24947/jl01.jpg[/url]

[url]http://www.petridish.net/pics/24947/jl04.jpg[/url]

My first real attempt at Jade Carving.

I've carved a little soapstone in high school, a little sandstone in college, but never something like jade.

It's a hard, HARD stone. I started with a 4" angle grinder with a diamond wheel and thats the only thing that shifted it with any sort of rapidity and even then, it almost tore and chipped it off the block more than carved it.

I then moved onto some diamond coated dremel burrs and then it was down to making super fine dust and barely scratching it. It's hardness is not all curse, it's a small blessing for a guy like me who has trouble slowing down long enough for the hands to make what my mind sees. Being so hard, I have to take off less with each pass, with each flick of the tool, which means I'm not trapped by the 'only subtractive' nature of carving.

I am actually taking away all the parts of the stone which aren't the lizard and very very little of the parts that are.

First pic is sharp and tidy. second isn't, my apologies, its mostly just a chroniciling image. I used a carborundum cutoff wheel which goes through high speed, high carbon steel very quickly... all it did on this lil guy was burnish and polish it. That was the intention, but it gives you another indication of how hard this stone is. If you cut it into very thin sheets, it actually rings like crystal glass.

Anyways, the actual lizard is a sort of amalgam of all the hundreds of lizards I've caught throughout my life, but mostly, blue tougues and bearded dragons, both of which you can see elements of. I don't plan my work, I just do what Michaelangelo did and cut away all that isn't the sculpture. Incidentally, I make aboslutely no claim to his ability, merely his prescribed method of working.

Comments

  • DaxDax Redshirt
    nice job! :)
  • Space GhostSpace Ghost Elite Ranger
    I agree, great work!

    I'm always insanely jealous of people who have artistic ability. :)
  • BigglesBiggles <font color=#AAFFAA>The Man Without a Face</font>
    I picked up a cheap (as in made of cheap jade - I even learnt the basics of how to tell) jade elephant when I was in Shanghai. Judging from the tourist shops there, someone's obviously able to churn them out pretty quick, so I wonder what tools they use for carving them?
  • MessiahMessiah Failed Experiment
    Cool! Its a good piece, and I like the spirit of it, a lizard basking in the sun..

    And Biggles: Dremel tools most likely..
  • ShadowDancerShadowDancer When I say, "Why aye, gadgie," in my heart I say, "Och aye, laddie." London, UK
    [QUOTE][i]Originally posted by Space Ghost [/i]
    [B]I agree, great work!

    I'm always insanely jealous of people who have artistic ability. :) [/B][/QUOTE]

    i agree, on both points! Nice work :D
  • How good are you SB? I mean could you carve a vagina out of jade?
  • shadow boxershadow boxer The Finger Painter & Master Ranter
    a vagina from jade ???

    why do you ask ?
  • shadow boxershadow boxer The Finger Painter & Master Ranter
    Everyone uses diamonds these days, you can pick up chinese diamond coated burrs by the case for very little, 50 burrs on Ebay in the USA is about 30 bucks US. I would imagine they go through them like water, along with whatever passes for a chinese dremel.

    I would assume you have a jadeite elephant, Jadeite being the very close cousin to true Jade. It is as you correctly assume, passed off as Jade frequently.
  • BigglesBiggles <font color=#AAFFAA>The Man Without a Face</font>
    Yeah, that sounds pretty likely. I can't imagine them not using a cheaper material that tourists can't spot at all when possible.
  • DaxDax Redshirt
    In the spirit of craftyness:

    [URL=http://www.mathpuzzle.com/Periodic.htm]Periodic Table[/URL]

    I want one.
  • JackNJackN <font color=#99FF99>Lightwave Alien</font>
    Do you think they periodically have to dust that table?

    :p
  • DaxDax Redshirt
    *groan*...
  • Lord RefaLord Refa Creepy, but in a good way
    I'm glad men dont get periods.
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