About Alabaster
 | Alabaster is a naturally translucent stone. It is not marble. Actually, it is hydrated calcium sulfate (CaSo42H2O), a crystalline form of gypsum. It is one of the first three sedimentary formations. It forms right near limestone and potash, very close to the earth's surface. Alabaster is a relatively soft stone which measures 1.7 to 2.5 on the Mohs scale, the international standard for measuring the relative hardness of stone (diamonds are a 10, granite 5, marble 3). Large deposits of alabaster can be found in Utah, Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, California, Nova Scotia, upper New York State and Egypt to name just a few places. Italy also has some of the most beautiful alabaster in the world. |
| Alabaster has been around for a very long time. In fact, ancient Egyptian alabaster carvings were found in king Tutankhamen's tomb. The ancient Chinese and Greeks also carved alabaster; modern Greeks still use it for floor tiles.
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| It is easy to carve and finishes beautifully with a matte or polished gloss finish. I find that alabaster has the most interesting and beautiful veining that accentuates my carvings. Students of all levels appreciate this characteristic of the stone because they may have only a semester or quarter to finish their sculpture. In summary, alabaster can be carved quickly and easily to meet your deadlines. |
| Some varieties of alabaster are more translucent than others. It is used by both beginner and professional carvers because of its versatility and its wide range of colors. Your carving tools stay sharp longer because alabaster is soft. This reduces your cost of replacing hand tools. |
| This is a stone that you do not want to display out side. It does not weather out side very well but it is an absolutely beautiful display anywhere in your business, home or studio. |
Carving and Finishing Alabaster
| Alabaster is among the easiest of stones to sculpt. At 2 to 2½ on the Mhos hardness scale, it is much softer than the steel tools ordinarily used to carve it. Alabaster can be handled with wood carving tools such as chisels, rasps, files and even pocket knives. Of course many professionals use air and electric rotary tools including grinders with flexible shafts, air powered chisels, and bush hammers. Some use dry diamond blades with small grinders to rough out the carving, then proceed with steel points and toothed chisels, finishing with files. A finished stone can ordinarily be produced much faster in alabaster than marble. Sculptors tell us that giving "life" to an idea quickly, can be important to the quality of the finished work. |
| Most alabaster can be taken to a true polish with time and care. This is done by sanding wet at stages between 60 and 600 with high quality wet or dry sandpaper. Lapidary supply and auto parts stores sometimes carry 1200 and even 1500 grit paper. The piece must be cleaned thoroughly between each sanding stage. The polish is finished by using pumice and polishing powders such as tin oxide and cerium oxide. The final step is waxing. Many sculptors use a clear household wax, or tree wax, buffing well between three or four coat applications. |
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