Post #275671 by Paipo on Sat, Dec 30, 2006 12:47 PM

On 2006-12-28 11:34, Queen Kamehameha wrote:
I cut the jade using large diamond wheel disks that fit my dremel. I don't have a band saw. so everything I have done is with the dremel hand tools. Even the rocks I will post later were all hand cut using these disks.[/b]

I wanted to respond to this thread a bit sooner, but I've been pretty busy lately. I'm going to be a bit of a stick-in-the-mud here and advise you to be a bit more cautious - I'd hate to see someone have an accident just because they didn't have access to the right gear. Those cutting discs are one of the most dangerous tools in the stone carving arsenal, and aren't really designed for what you're doing (I think pdrake uses them for this too). Make sure when you use them that the shank is pushed as far as possible into the collet while still projecting enough to cut. I often cut a little off the shank (use a grinder for this) so I can push it in even further.

Even amongst lapidaries, jade has a reputation for being difficult and without access to the right tools you will struggle to get satisafctory results. I would suggest you try and source some tumbled pebbles so you eliminate the need for sawing and grinding, or using the handpiece for jobs it's not really cut out (!) for. When I first started out that's all I did...carved pebbles, until I made enough to get my grinding wheel and rock saw set up. If you really need access to a saw and grinding gear, find a local lapidary/rockhound club in your area and talk to some of the members. These guys have decades of experience and often have access to some of the best material for carving. One afternoon in someone else's workshop could produce enough preformed pieces to keep you carving for a month or two.

Design wise, I would also say be a little more conservative...start slow, make a few simple shapes and forms to get used to the tools and your medium.The adze and patu (club) designs are a good choice to start with. There are also some traditional hook designs that are very robust. A tekoteko is something I would struggle to pull off after 7 odd years of stone carving. Things like hands, surface spirals etc. are technically very challenging even for an experienced carver.
This doesn't count so much for the beach and river stones, because they are much softer and quite expendable. I have used them in the past to carve quick maquettes for more ambitious jade carvings, so I have some idea of the techniques I will be making - very important if you are using a prized and irreplaceable piece of stone.
Jade is a demanding medium that has a long and illustrious history. It requires care, forethought and perseverance.

I hope this doesn't come off as being too critical, because it's not intended in that spirit. Having seen a couple of breakages, I feel maybe things just need to be slowed down at a little and tackled from a different angle. I haven't posted much in the stone carving threads lately, but I will always answer my PMs.