Post #296254 by Tipua on Mon, Apr 2, 2007 2:09 AM

On 2007-04-02 01:07, Sneakytiki wrote:
The soapstone Moai is top! I like soapstone except for it's fragility. I bought some Native American Colombian soapstone pipes when I was in Cartaghena, Colombia yr's ago. The soapstone holds detail great! Keep up the carving!

Thanks Sneakytiki! Yeah soapstone is fun to work with and it does hold great detail (if you're a better carver than I!), but yes it is rather fragile - especially if you don't know what you're looking for (like me) and buy a piece riddled with cracks and flaws.

I own a statuette of Buddha from India that's stood the test of time however, with only a few tiny chips here and there. I guess fragility really depends on the kind of soapstone you've got.

As you can see in this pic a long flaw running down the face (the flaws are mostly superficial though. It hasn't fallen to pieces YET):

Also, notice this strange spot?

It's actually a small chip of rusting iron embedded in the stone. I've found a few of these iron specks throughout my first soapstone block. I don't know what their origin may be... Perhaps from the machine that originally cut it? A few are embedded pretty deep though, with no holes to suggest they were mini-bullets shot into the stone. Odd.