mace ngata Posted December 2, 2012 Report Share Posted December 2, 2012 considering the interest that micheals post generated it appears that i am not the only one with a love affair with nephrite and I thought I would post a couple of pics of nephrite that i have picked up, some from nz , some from nsw , incase any are interested. I am only starting to play with stone and am a complete novice but have loved the appearance , feel and mythos associated with this particular material for as long as I can remember , natural I suppose coming from a culture that places so much value on it. I greatly appreciate the tips generously given on this forum and the time taken by those generous enough to share their insights and experience, am enjoying this oh so much hahaha. the hei toki is my first real bash at this and a simple shape from which i have learned heaps already. the mussel shell soon to be pendant , is only bout a third complete but it shows just how wicked the stone from the serpentine belt region in nsw is, particularly as this came from a slice bought for $5 so i am assuming it is thought to be of very poor quality. there is a larger block I am holding of pounamu , nz nephrite that I thought some might be interested in having a look at , lol frankly I think I prob had this bit for 18 odd years and still get lost starring at it , hope I dont find myself muttering my precious ! and the last one of the other bits and pieces i have picked up from shows etc . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michael B Posted December 2, 2012 Report Share Posted December 2, 2012 Mace, nice jade, I have been to the mine your Tamworth stone comes from, owned by Michael Barlow, I carved a bangle from his best material, you will find it in older posts, carving this stone becomes very addictive the more you learn. Cheers michael B Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billy Posted December 2, 2012 Report Share Posted December 2, 2012 Nice little collection there bro. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
David G Posted December 22, 2012 Report Share Posted December 22, 2012 Nice collection of nephrite there, looks like you have a good eye for the material. David Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michiel Posted December 26, 2012 Report Share Posted December 26, 2012 Some beautifull material you have there. Good luck with it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mace ngata Posted December 27, 2012 Author Report Share Posted December 27, 2012 thankyou for your kind comments , yeah i love this stuff, it is interesting in that each piece i have started has its own idosyncracies , soft spots in different areas etc, i am learning bit by bit , cutting up old grindstones into slip stones and hand shaping carefully is helping with the softer spots , the diamond bits i am using seem very aggressive when striking soft spots, but then i guess all part of the process. I am using the cheapest flexi shaft i could find lol so chatter is prob not helping but really i am enjoying the experience of doing alot of it by hand , and I have the luxury of time on my side as i arent looking at selling at the mo just making taonga for friends and family. for those interested I have made up a little point carving station with a table bought at a garage sale , a drip system made from a weed sprayer from the dump,, a cheap drill press and a cheap flexi from a local hardware store, total cost 220 dollars, it seems to be working, I have attached a photo for those interested. I am going to give shaping hardwood burrs to use with paste a go this weekend and am looking forward to seeing how that works, fingers crossed ;-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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