Polyphant Mezuza 3

Here is the third polyphant mezuza I have made. This one is for GF’s aunt. All three polyphant mezuzot have gone to the older generation. I think I prefer the shin to be in relief rather than carved (like mezuza 1).

Gala Red Soapstone Pendant

In the middle of making a gala red soapstone Mezuza – and have gone back to an old favourite of making jewellery items out of off-cuts. In this case, a small piece of stone removed from the top of the Mezuza where the pin-hole will go. I have made a long drop shape and polished with wax. Quite pleased, really. It shows off the reds, whites and blacks in the stone, with some interesting imperfections and fault lines. I think this is the best of my stone pendants yet. I think the colour should suit GF too. Will find out later if she likes it :-).

Hammer and Chisels

Last week was a real treat. I learned how to use hammer and chisels to carve harder stones on course in Derbyshire run by Daniel Lingham. I chose a course with Daniel (as opposed to other scultpors) because I like his work – abstract, flowing curves, with mathematical inspiration, including Mobius loops and pieces inspired by general relativity.

The course itself was wonderful; Daniel is friendly, helpful and easygoing. And the addition of hammer and chisel will allow me to make  larger pieces from harder stones. As it was, I made a piece from a fairly soft limestone – Portland stone – but already so much harder than polyphant. I love limestone; the Portland stone has a gentle grey colour, with  flecks of fossilized shells that give it texture. And I love the way Portland stone is such an important part of the English urban scenery; it is stone of this land, and it is wonderful to work it.

Hammer and chisels were hard work – aching arms every day – especially wrists from gripping the tools. And, as with all stone carving, a sense of doing something throughly ancient. We humans have been chipping stones from hundreds of thousands of years, and carving stones with metal tools since the bronze age. I certainly feel an enormous admiration for the stone carvers of ancient civilizations hand-carving great blocks of limestone and granite without the tempered steel tools that we have today – let alone angle-grinders or pneumatic hammers (which I did not use).

I am pleased with my finished product. Ovoid One. Inspired by Barbara Hepworth (who is my favourite sculptor, and we were in her garden in St Ives very recently), I wanted to produce something fairly simple with nice curves and appertures. I’m really pleased with the appertures – they have worked nicely, with a balanced asymmetry. The overall shape of the sculpture could be more refined – there are a few lumps and bumps – and it could have done with a bit more coarse sanding round the back – but all of this would have taken a four day course to complete.

Beach Ammonites

On recent holiday with GF we went fossil hunting in Lyme Regis and found a number of fossils, including beef rock ammonites, a belemnite and a fossil shell. I have taken some time to prepare two of the better beef rock ammonites. Sanded the top surfaces with five grades of wet and dry paper (up to 1200 grit) and then polished the stones with 3 layers of Danish oil. I never expected such good results!

Polyphant Mezuzah

Have now taken photographs of the Polyphant Mezuzah that I have carved for GF’s mum. The main profile has a hexagonal profile. The Mezuzah has been polished with a bees wax / linseed oil / turpentine mix. Success!

Polyphant Mezuzah

Polyphant Bencher Holder

I have finished making the Polyphant Bencher holder that I have written about in a previous post:

Polyphant Bencher Holder

This is a present for friends’ wedding next week. I’m very pleased with it! I experimented for the first time using Danish Oil as a finish – in the past I have used wax finishes (mix of bees wax, linseed oil and turpentine). The oil gives it a lovely dark shine, although I am not sure about the level of scratch protection, and expect I will have to ask my friends to oil it every 6 months or so. GF particularly likes the curve on the front face.

Polyphant Bencher Holder

I’ve just spent a happy 45 minutes on my latest stone carving project: a Bencher holder for a friend who is getting married. We’ll get them a bought present too, of course, but they also asked for some Judaica, and it is nice to be able to make something from my own hands for my friends.

The bencher holder is made of polyphant (of course) – this is my last block of the batch – I’ll need to get some more! I’ve spent this morning rasping out the drill marks from the central slot: most of the centre I took out with my electric drill, which of course has left a very uneven surface. My new Italian rasp from Alec Tiranti is so much better than my older, cheaper rasp. Well worth the £24 I spent; in fact, I think I’ll get a larger one of the same type! One day I will have to learn how to use hammer and chisel: it will make my life so much easier – and then I can make some large polyphant garden sculptures!