Turning Alabaster

[Bodrighy]

Has anyone had any experience of turning alabaster and if so
1. Where can you get it? (Unfortunately I haven't been able to find any lying around on Exmoor so would have to pay for it ) so....
2. Is it expensive?
3. Apart from it being very dusty is it as easy as some of the Googled sites seem to suggest?



Pete

 

[TEP]

Mornin' Pete. Don't know about 'alabaster' but I have been using 'Jade Wood' (Australian Steatite) for a few years now.

It's like a chalk rock, you can cut it, turn it, and most things you can do with wood you can do with this.

I've still got a couple of lumps stowed away. Craft Supplies were the main suppliers when I bought mine. It is sold by weight, and is fairly heavy, you could buy turning blanks which I thought a bit expensive. What I bought was part cut lumps sold as carving pieces. They usually had 2 cut sides only the rest was just rough surface, but this stuff cuts very easily on the bandsaw so you can cut it as if working on a wood burr.

Working = You can cut it on the lathe, but it is easier to use a scraper lightly, sand the finished piece the same as wood, then finally polish with 'T-Cut or Brasso polish' then wax. Turn it thin enough and you can see light through it.

Use your dust extractor, it's like french chalk when it comes off and gets everywhere.

 

[Bodrighy]

Thanks Tam, I'll look that one up. So far every search I do for Alabaster produces finished objects but no raw material.

Pete

 

[Anonymous]

Seen this one Pete?

http://www.maxkrimmel.com/Alabaster/HowToPart1/HowTo1.html

Update... found another one by googling 'soapstone'

http://www.greatart.co.uk/Soapstone-sculpture--2161.html

sorry haven't has time to read any of them so don't know how much use they'll be :wink: