[Artemisia] Fw: [SCA-Laurels] RE: Carving Soapstone

[Sue Clemenger]

Forwarded with permission....
--Maire, who's been inspired to try it since *that* class at Collegium...;-D
----- Original Message -----
From: "Christie Ward" <val_org at hotmail.com>
To: <sca-laurels at ansteorra.org>
Sent: Tuesday, December 13, 2005 9:14 AM
Subject: [SCA-Laurels] RE: Carving SOapstone


> Jovian asked about carving soapstone.  I answered him offlist, then
realized
> others might be interested in the info as well.
>
> On carving soapstone, some bad news then some good news...
>
> Soapstone typically consists of 50 to 80 percent talc (Mg3Si4O10(OH)2)
> admixed with chlorite, serpentine, pyrite, quartz, calcite, magnesite, and
> dolomite. Some talc *may* contain asbestos -- generally not soapstone, nor
> the talc that's in almost every consumer product you use -- but the big
> problem in soapstone is the talc.
>
> Talc is carcinogenic. Chronic exposure to talc dust may result in benign
or
> malignant pheochromocytomas of the adrenal gland, alveolar/bronchiolar
> adenomas, and carcinomas of the lung. In layman's terms, that's "lung
> cancer".
>
> Talc is also a phyllosilicate, which means that breathing the dust also
puts
> you at risk for silicosis, a type of lung disease related to black-lung,
> asbestosis, etc. Silicosis is a disabling, nonreversible and sometimes
fatal
> lung disease caused by overexposure to respirable crystalline silica, such
> as soapstone dust. There is no cure for the disease. The National
Institute
> for Occupational Safety and Health (CDC/NIOSH) defines the REL
(Recommended
> Exposure Limit) for soapstone at 6 mg/m3 (total dust), 3 mg/m3
(respirable).
>
> The moral of this story is to work with soapstone wet, and wear at least a
> light dust mask. Vacuum the dust, and wipe down your work area with a damp
> cloth when you're done. You can just keep a bucket by your work area with
> water in it and dunk your work piece from time to time.
>
> And now the good news. Soapstone is between 1 and 2.5 on the Mohs scale of
> hardness, which means you can work it literally with anything (1 means you
> can scratch it with a fingernail). When soapstone is fired to
approximately
> 950C (~1750F, cone 07 or 08 in a ceramics kiln), the hardness is increased
> to 3.5 on the Mohs scale and it is transformed to enstatite... this
> technique was used after carving in the ancient Near East and Egypt when
> creating seals and scarabs from soapstone to make the finished pieces more
> durable, but I have no idea if it was used in Byzantine pieces or not.
>
> Some useful tools for carving soapstone:
>
> An old bent nail
> Old Files and rasps
> Anything that will carve wood
> A hacksaw or coping saw with a fine blade for roughing out chunks
>
> Really, I'd suggest a hacksaw, a coarse wood rasp if you have one, a short
> bladed knife or chisel suitable for whittling/carving, a nail for detail
> work, and varying grades of sandpaper. Plus a couple of two-strap
> yellow-elastic 3M mist masks and an old plastic bucket with water, and
some
> rags.
>
> Xene had some useful data on actual Byzantine soapstone items. My database
> is limited to Norse stuff, but such as it is, here's what I have.
>
> In Shetland at Cunningsburgh, outcrops of soapstone on either side of the
> Catpund Burn bear clear traces of prehistoric and Norse quarrying. See p.
62
> of: Ritchie, Anna. Viking Scotland. London: B.T. Batsford for Historic
> Scotland. 1993; repr. 2001. Amazon.com:
> http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0713472251/thevikinganswerl
There's
> also a good discussion of this quarry at
> http://www.fettes.com/shetland/Geology_Shetlland/catpund.htm
>
> There's a good pic of the soapstone spindle whorl from L'Anse aux Meadows
at
> http://www.pitt.edu/~dash/whorl2461.jpg
>
> There's one pic of a Norse soapstone bowl at
>
http://www.angelfire.com/mi4/snotravanta/Accessories/Norsewidgets_files/imag
e041.jpg
>
> Checking in:
>
> Roesdahl, Else, and Wilson, David M., eds. From Viking to Crusader: The
> Scandinavians and Europe 800-1200. New York: Rizzoli International
> Publications, Inc., 1992. ISBN 0-8478-1625-7):
>
> 49-b
> Soapstone spindle whorl, 3.9cm diameter, Birka, 9th-10th c.
>
> 64
> Soapstone bowl, diameter 33.5cm, 9th c. Norwegian "Soapstone bowls were
> common as cooking vessels in Viking-Age Scandinavia. They were usually
35-40
> cm diam. and undecorated, but with rims of many different shapes. An iron
> handle was often attached through lugs. Soapstone vessels provided an even
> and long-lasting heat. Soapstone quarries are known from Sweden and
> Shetland, but mainly from Norway whence there was considerable export in
the
> Viking Age. Soapstone vessels seem to have gone out of general use in 11th
> c., but in Norway they were used until 15th c. when they were replaced by
> pottery.
>
> 90
> Soapstone bowl, 57.5cm diameter. Viking Age Norwegian.
>
> 195
> Mould for cross and Thor's hammer. Length 9.2cm, N. Jutland, Denmark, 2nd
> half of 10th c. (Photo at
> http://www.vikinganswerlady.com/graphics/cros&hmr.jpg)
>
> 238-e
> Handled ladle of soapstone, 4 fragments, flat bottom to ladle, curved
upper
> surfaces; handle decorated with longitudinal grooves; total length 18cm.
> Saami artifact, Norway, 11th-12th c.
>
> 257
> Sherd of a soapstone bowl, Wolin (Silberberg) Poland. 10th-11th c,
> Scandinavian. The sherd was found in the craftsmen's quarter, the
> Silberberg. It is one of many 10th-11th cent. soapstone sherds found
> throughout Wolin. Usually from large vessels, they have been reused e.g.
as
> ingot molds. Soapstone shows close contacts with Scandinavia.
>
> 262
> Three soapstone moulds. Lengths: 14.6cm, 10cm, 6cm. Ralsweik, Germany,
> Viking Age Scandinavian. Sherds of many Scandinavian soapstone bowls are
> found on Viking-Age settlement sites including Ralswiek. Some sherds are
> perforated and some preserve teh iron rivets which attached the handles.
> Some fragments were secondarily used as molds.
>
> 338
> Soapstone loom weight with incised Thor's Hammer. Length 8.0cm.
Brattahlid,
> Greenland, c. 1000. (Eirikr the Red's farm)
>
> 444
> 445
> 446
> 447
> These four items are soapstone capitals on jamb stones and appear to have
> been carved by an English craftsman. 1st half of 12th century, Trondheim,
> Norway.
>
> The workshop debris and broken pieces were often ignored as "trash" in
early
> excavations. There is some suggestion that some of the bowls may have been
> turned on a pole lathe, based on the semicircular spiraling cuts into the
> inside of a couple of unfinished examples.
>
> ::GUNNVOR::