ALABASTER FINISHING STONE

STONE CARVING VIDEO

When the sculpture is smooth, with no holes or deep bruises, it is time to sand. It is best not to get the tools wet, so you should put your tools away when you start sanding. I like to immerse my sculpture in the water and sand it, but it is also effective to have smaller containers and dip the sand paper in the water as you sand. Hospital dishpans or aluminum roasting pans are useful containers for this. You will be using 6 grits of wet-or-dry sandpaper which you can purchase from us or your local auto paint shop. Starting with the roughest the grits are 80, 150, 220, 400, 600 & 2000. You can go to 1500 or 200 too, if you want a really high gloss. You can also use sheet rock sanding screen dry instead of or in addition to the first two grits. The first grit, 80, is the most essential grit for getting out the bruises  and deep scratches left by the rifflers. If you have any small areas that are hard to get into with your fingers, use a folded piece of sandpaper or you can epoxy sandpaper to a Popsicle stick. Be sure not to sand off small details or round off edges or points that you might want to stay sharp. Also, something to be aware of is how sensitive the stone is, and if you place the stone on one side to sand the other side, it is likely that the grains of sandpaper you have rubbed off the paper and fallen to the bottom of the pan will scratch the bottom side of the sculpture. You can tell that has happened as they show up as little white dots or little scratches when dried. I usually place the sculpture on a sponge to prevent this, but you can either always place the sculpture on its base to sand it, or use a rag or several paper towels to place it on. When the stone is wet, it looks shiny and all the scratches and bruises disappear. Because of this, it is essential to rinse and completely dry the stone when you think it is time to go to 150 grit. When you see all the blemishes that you missed, you have to circle them with a pencil (never use a magic marker or write on the stone, as it soaks into the pores and might not come out).   It may take several times of rinsing, drying, and circling to get rid of all of the blemishes. For a table top size sculpture with an average amount of detail, it will usually take 1-2 hours of diligent sanding with 80 grit, then half that long with 150, then half that long with 220, and so on. This is only a general rule of thumb and there are many exceptions. The 80 and 150 grits do take the longest though. It is best to rinse, dry and check again for the 150, but fallen off sandpaper don't scratch the already sanded surfaces. It isn't necessary for the finer grits. It is beast to change the water after 80 and 150, so the grains that have fallen off of the sandpaper don't scratch the already sanded surfaces. It isn't necessary for the subsequent grits. Any blatant white lines from riffling or bruises should all be gone by the time you are finished with 150. If they aren't, they won't be removed with the finer grits. You have to figure out the difference between inflicted bruises or scratches and any natural faults or color lines in the stone. You can't get the latter out.

When your finger tips are all sanded off and you are rather tired of sanding and you have finished with the finest grit, it's time for the finish. There are many different kinds of finishes, but one of our favorites is Akemi Polishing fluid, which contains NAPHTHA, which it is nasty stuff, so you definitely need to wear rubber gloves and apply it in a well ventilated area.  The Akemi stone polish brings out the color and has the wax already mixed in the compound. You only need a light coating of polish to be spread over the surface of the sculpture. Then you rub it in until it gets warm, and at that point, it will begin to shine. If you want it to be really shinny, you can buff it with a buffing wheel in the drill.

A less noxious alternative is a two step process that takes a little longer. Start by using a mixture of poppy seed oil and mineral spirits. This deepens the color and helps the natural beauty come out in the stone. You put a little mineral spirits, then a little oil on a cloth. Rub a liberal amount of this mixture on the sculpture especially in nooks and crannies. As soon as you finish applying the oil, WIPE OFF ALL THE OIL WITH A DRY CLOTH. Again pay special attention to nooks and crannies. The only oil remaining on the sculpture should be what soaked into the stone during the 30 seconds or so of application. Longer applications can cause very long drying times, so large sculptures should be done in sections. When it has dried for several hours,  you apply MinWax or TreWax for the final shine and rub it until it gets warm, and then at that point, it will begin to shine. You can put several applications of wax if you what. Foe even more shine, you can buff with a buffing wheel in the drill.. Be very careful of friction overheating the stone whenever you are buffing with an electric buffing wheel. Use a loose cloth buff and keep it moving.

If you have done a good job of sanding, there won't be any blatant white scratches or bruises and it will be really shiny. The secret to having a highly polished sculpture isn't necessarily the waxing, it's the sanding. The wax seals the stone and protects it from staining.