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Pneumatically powered, hand-held tools and chisels have eased
somewhat the physical burden of the master stone sculptor;
but otherwise, the sculptor’s art remains little changed.
Today sculptors use methods similar to those used by Michelangelo
centuries ago. First the design is worked in clay. This miniature
clay model is in turn used to create a plaster mold of the
design. The clay model is destroyed in the process. The resulting
plaster mold is then filled with plaster to produce a cast
of the design. Into the plaster cast, metal pins or “points”
are inserted to aid in reproducing the proportions of the
original design when sculpting the “full-size”
from granite.
Next, the sculptor selects a choice block of granite and
begins to “rough out” the figure, using pneumatic,
hand-held tools into which various chisels may be inserted.
Once the figure has been roughed out, the sculptor uses both
pneumatic and hand tools to painstakingly create the finer
details. Rock of Ages Corporation produces exquisitely detailed
bas-relief and full-figure (in the round) statuary of unsurpassed
quality for both private and civic memorials.
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