No subject

white (soapstone) does not contain any asbestos.
"The Montana soapstone (pure white) is a
re-metamorphosized marble (calcium carbonate)."
Pat's email address has bounced and I don't have her
current one. She lives around the Seattle area.

If you look in http://www.Florilegium.com/ under crafts and
then casting you will find a posting about asbestos in soapstone
from an SCA professional geologist that wrote me and others 
about it and then put it in the Florilegium at my suggestion. 
She also examined some of the material from the New World 
Soapstone site and some of the African Wonderstone for me. 
(I haven't been able to find that particular reply yet.)
As I recall the African Wonderstone is mostly a silicon 
siltstone. Seems like the Virginia soapstone had inclusions
and was not the best type for casting or carving.
According to an English Geologist who is/was on the 
metalcasting list these wonderstones can contain various
things like lead and uranium. 

Asbestos doesn't have to get in your lungs. It can also get
into your skin or stomach and cause diseases. If it were me
I'd do my carving either wet (wet dries to dust eventually
unless you wash it out of your area/container) or in front
of a bathroom fan unit with a flexible hose leading outside
through a hole in a board that fits in your window. Upper
sash gap to be sealed with foam like you would for an air
conditioner. Place the bathroom fan unit ($12-20) down and
behind your carving space on your worktable. This is called
Down Drafting and is commonly used in workspaces for hazardous
dusts and fumes.

Asbestos consists of any of five different minerals, but 
probably the largest problem is the talc, which in large enough
quantities can also be carcenogenic. Soapstone is about
80% talc. Mistress Gunnora of Ansteorra quoted the following
sources in a posting on soapstone:
> The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health 
>(CDC/NIOSH) defines the REL (Reccomended Exposure Limit) for
> soapstone at 6 mg/m3 (total dust), 3 mg/m3 (respirable).
>   For the official study of talc that was done to determine
> these standards, see: 
> Toxicology and Carcinogenesis Studies of Talc 
> http://ntp-server.niehs.nih.gov/htdocs/LT-studies/tr421.html
>     See also:
> OSHA Soapstone Exposure Guidelines
> http://www.osha-slc.gov/dts/chemicalsampling/data/CH_267400.html
> http://www.osha-slc.gov/dts/chemicalsampling/data/CH_267395.html
>    ACGIH [1971]. Soapstone. In: Documentation of the threshold
> limit values for substances in workroom air. 3rd ed. Cincinnati,
> OH: American Conference of Governmental Industrial Hygienists, p. 232. 
>    Miller JW, Sayers RR [1941]. The response of peritoneal 
> tissue to industrial dusts. Public Health Rep 56(1):264­272. 

Work it wet. Bake it dry about 250 degrees f. before pouring hot 
metal into it. Baking it -before carving- to about 400 degrees, 
gradually, will apparently show any defects that would occur if
you cast in it after carving and save you some trouble. 

Some people have reported that superglue repairs molds quite well
if a piece breaks off.

Some people buy their soapstone in pizza platters from places
like Walmart. Not thick, but already smooth.

I've collected 93 pages of soapstone/wonderstone postings so far 
from various nets including SCA-Arts, Norsefolk, and 
MetalCasting at yahoogroups.com and private correspondence.

If you are going to do a thing you may as well be aware of any
possible risks before you do it.

hlf at virginia.edu wrote:
> > Does any one have a good place to get decint sope stone for casting?
> > For the fun of things
> > Mihill
> 
> (Oops, replied to Mihill, but in case someone else is interested...)
> 
> New World Stone Company
> 42 Alberene Loop
> Schuyler, Virginia 22969
> Tel. 434.831.1051 Fax. 434.831.3432
> nwsc at ric.net
> 
> (from their web page at  http://www.newworldstone.com/)
> 
> --Landi (who lives a few miles away, otherwise unaffiliated... :)

Here in Raleigh Jerry's Artarama sells soapstone in large carvable
chunks along with stone carving tools.

Master Magnus Malleus, OL © 2002 R.M. Howe
*No reposting my writings to newsgroups, especially rec.org.sca, or
the SCA-Universitas elist. I view this as violating copyright
restrictions. As long as it's to reenactor or SCA -closed- subscriber
based email lists or individuals I don't mind. It's meant to 
help people without aggravating me.