Applying to join this forum, you HAVE to activate your membership in YOUR email in the notice you recieve after completing application process. No activation on your part, no membership.

Lapidaryforum.net

Please login or register.

Login with username, password and session length
Advanced search  

News:

Welcome new members & old from the Lapidary/Gemstone Community Forum. Please join up. You will be approved after spam check & you must manually activate your acct with the link in your email

Congratulations to Bobby1 and his Brazilian Agate Cab!

 www.lapidaryforum.net

Another cabochon contest coming soon!

Pages: [1]   Go Down

Author Topic: Soapstone Box with Ivory  (Read 1970 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

irockhound

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 1467
    • RockhoundingUSA
Soapstone Box with Ivory
« on: June 26, 2016, 12:29:29 PM »

I thought I would post this here since it doesn't quite fit other areas.  I had some old soapstone that I had bought (and tested for Asbestos) and some old Ivory that I purchased in the 70's and made a small earring box.  I made an Iris in scrimshaw on the Ivory and then set it into the Soapstone.  I then took aluminum rod and made the feet for the base.  I like the look and it is sort of cute, albeit small.
Logged

hummingbirdstones

  • Opalholic and General Rock Nut
  • Administrator
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 3055
    • Hummingbird Stones Lapidary Services
Re: Soapstone Box with Ivory
« Reply #1 on: June 27, 2016, 05:35:11 AM »

Your earring box is lovely!  I have always wanted to try scrimshaw, but haven't found the time to attempt it.  It's still one of the things I want to learn how to do.  Excellent job!   :icon_sunny:
Logged
Robin

gemfeller

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 544
    • Art Cut Gems
Re: Soapstone Box with Ivory
« Reply #2 on: June 27, 2016, 10:13:13 AM »

Very nice!  You've got talents.
Logged

Jhon P

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 1755
Re: Soapstone Box with Ivory
« Reply #3 on: June 27, 2016, 03:05:08 PM »

Cool I bet you can do that with oynx I think it is about a 4 or 5 moh hardness. You seen the rainbow oynx that I have made spheres out of? 
Logged

irockhound

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 1467
    • RockhoundingUSA
Re: Soapstone Box with Ivory
« Reply #4 on: June 27, 2016, 03:35:59 PM »

Is the Rainbow Onyx the Onyx from your recent Spheres post or is it a different Onyx?  I looked back at that post and just saw Onyx and ran a search on the forum for Rainbow Onyx and didn't find anything.  Of course seeing more of your spheres is always invited.
Logged

Jhon P

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 1755
Re: Soapstone Box with Ivory
« Reply #5 on: June 30, 2016, 08:06:37 PM »

ok, Now tell us how it was done?  almost looks like it was done on a mill
Logged

irockhound

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 1467
    • RockhoundingUSA
Re: Soapstone Box with Ivory
« Reply #6 on: July 01, 2016, 12:20:54 PM »

I used a mill for the interior since I didn't want seams on the exterior of the box. I felt the 90 degree joints would look terrible and 45 degree would be difficult with the soapstone wanting to flake at the corner edges during cutting.  It was much easier to do plunge cuts in the corners.  I roughed out the block with std diamond saw and milled the interior, steel file for cutting radii and then finished with 220 thru 1000 grits sandpaper.  The slot for the ivory was also machined for a perfect fit of the ivory.  Ivory was std scrimshaw techniques and epoxied into the soapstone with 330.  I put a coat of clear spray lacquer on the outside of the soapstone (masking the ivory) to help protect the soft stone.

My sister who used to be an archeologist I remember telling me of how they used to heat the soapstone in fire to harden the surface and I seem to remember they also oiled it first. Or maybe that was pipestone?

I started a couple other boxes: A hardwood oval box with layered wood and machined out the majority of the center and I am then using a dremel to clean the inside surfaces.  and the 2nd is a wood box that I dremel'd and chiseled the hinge surfaces and then got a depth attachment for a dremel to use it like a router to cut the hole in the lid for the Stone Canyon inlay stone.  These are all just experiments as I try to find what looks good and I haven't found that yet.  I am putting in a couple images of the box with stone in lid and no seam oval (at this point all wood box).  The box2 pic is what I hate about 90 degree seams.  I am so much more comfortable in stone work.
Logged

southerly

  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 218
Re: Soapstone Box with Ivory
« Reply #7 on: July 03, 2016, 12:42:37 AM »

nice work love the scimshaw
Logged
Pages: [1]   Go Up
 

Page created in 0.095 seconds with 38 queries.