Unpredictable material, freezing conditions and serious tools make for a hard hobby. Consider the following before taking a chip off the old block.
Training Perhaps surprisingly, many ice sculptors learned the skill at culinary school: carved ice is often seen alongside food at feasts, though you can now go to workshops: see the likes of icesculpture.co.uk.
Raw materials Ice quality matters. Many sculptors use machine-made Clinebell blocks for consistency, others prefer ice hewn from rivers for its clarity. Either way, you need a substantial lump. Typically blocks are more than 100kg.
Tools Historically, carving was done with chisels: you can still get specially-made ice chisels and saws. Chainsaws and angle grinders speed things up. Some tools can be simple, any warm metal object can smooth sharp edges, for example. Then…
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The Simple Things (Digital) - 1 Issue, January 2025