Equipment

• Soapstone carving requires a chisel, mallet and rasps to remove chunks of stone to present a design that needs finishing. Sanding tools like sandpaper require tons of labor and patience. Soapstone is an unpredictable material. It breaks off into pieces and it fractures in the opposite direction than the one desired. It is better to use a smaller chisel and lighter weight mallet than large heavy equipment. Many sculptors use grinders and drills to gain control of the soapstone.
  
  

Rough Carving

• Carving tools need sharpening and cleaning after every work session.Jupiterimages/Photos.com/Getty Images
  
  Rough carving is the first stage in sculpting. Using a chisel and mallet to tap out a figure with no attention paid to the detail of the eyes, mouth and hair makes the work go faster. The sculptor will use a felt pen to draw a rough outline on the soapstone, and then with rough cuts the figure will become visible. All parts initially are bulky (like the shoulders, arms and head), but with grinding the features of the figure will appear. The artist rotates the stone during rough cutting; he does not move around the stone. This allows for a consistent stroke in rough carving.
  
  

Finer Carving

• Rasps and files help to define the figure outlined on the soapstone.Hemera Technologies/PhotoObjects.net/Getty Images
  
  Finer carving involves a smaller chisel and even a grinder. The technique begins with the head and shoulders and then moves down to the back, arms and legs in that order. Grinding tools are hand-held. The progress of the sculpting is much more visible with the finer carving, but the process is slow and painstaking. Every cut is a detail you want left in or taken out of the stone. Beginners often carve away too much of the soapstone causing the sculpture to be set aside only to be redone with a new piece of soapstone.
  
  

Sanding

• Steel wool does break off into splinters.NA/AbleStock.com/Getty Images
  
  There are two sanding techniques in soapstone carving: dry and wet. Dry sanding uses a rasp to smooth out depressions and bumps. Then a #50 grit sand paper or steel wool takes out any grooves from the chisel and rasp. Wet sanding uses a wet stone grinder to remove large bumps and to use the natural cracks in the soapstone as a means of adding character to the sculpted figure. Wet sanding is messy and if the sculptor is not experienced, too much of the soapstone can get cut away and ruin the sculpture.