here’s a quick tip: don’t let that giant ice eagle fall on top of you while you’re not looking!
updated a bit when restored to the site on 3/12/24
the 5th quick tips archive
marking lines in your ice
A long level can be a very useful way to mark long and straight parallel lines in an ice block. And they can even be evenly spaced! Simply warm up the metal edges of the level with a heat source like an iron, a water bath, or just sunlight and carefully apply the level to the ice. The warm metal will melt very straight parallel lines into your block. Then, to make the next line, shift the level over. With one ridge sitting in a groove you already made, you melt an new line. Repeat the process until you have what you need. (from 2/6/08, with recent additions)
carve like a CNC
CNC machines usually are programmed to “take little bites” and make a cut in several passes rather than in one shot. This approach saves wear on the motors, keeps the CNC from jumping out of alignment and “let’s the tool do the work,” in this case the cutting bit. Adopting this approach while hand cutting with chainsaws and die grinders has similar benefits: less energy is required, less tool wear results, and cuts usually end up more precise. (2/4/08)
power tool safety
Before carving with a power tool, tie up long hair and get rid of any loose clothing, especially scarves! Remove excess plastic (garbage or block bags, for example) or fabrics around the carving area that might get caught in a tool. These precautions might seem obvious, but with all the different sorts of power tools carver use, it’s important to keep them in mind. (2/3/08)
spraying snow for snowfilling
When you’re snowfilling an engraved sculpture, you often have to generate a lot of clean snow in a short time and in a controlled manner. The burr-type tools (like the bullet burr) all generate snow quickly. Using a burr disc on your angle grinder enables you, with practice, to direct a flat stream of snow where you choose.
Former National champ Buddy Rasmussen has used a similar technique in competition and actually made what looked like a mallet with a short thick handle out of ice. He then held the mallet by the “handle” and cut into the head of the mallet with the angle grinder and sprayed snow where he wanted. By cutting the ice into a controllable shape, he made a potentially dangerous method somewhat safer. He was also able to use the ice to protect the hand holding the mallet, which is essential to avoid serious injury!
WARNING: This process can put your hand(s) in close proximity to the cutting surfaces of a power tool and can be EXTREMELY dangerous if not done properly. If you do not have the necessary experience to proceed safely, then DO NOT attempt this method! (2/2/08)
protect your power tools
Make sure that extension cords that you use for your power tools are of a large enough gauge, particularly for your chainsaw. A heavy duty cord, almost like a wide enough pipe, will allow your saw to draw enough electricity to run it properly. Thin, cheap cords starve your tools of electricity and damage the motors, cutting down the life of the tool and affecting your ability to carve efficiently. (2/1/08)
what’s behind your ice?
While you’re carving, especially with a chainsaw, there shouldn’t be anything within about a foot of the backside of your ice. Despite the “clear” ice, it’s tough to see what’s back there and if you plunge your saw all the way through the ice, it’s easy to cut something you didn’t mean to, damaging what gets cut and possibly damaging your saw chain. (1/31/08)
attaching pieces at set-up
Sometimes, it’s best to add a delicate part to a sculpture after the main part of the sculpture is already in place. An example might be the horn of a unicorn or something similar that you could be concerned would break off while the sculpture is being moved to the set-up spot. If you’re going to add pieces during set-up, it’s often smart to carve a backup piece in case you break it while you’re putting it in place. If you break it, you simply bring out the backup component and proceed as if it’s no big deal…(1/30/08)
your ice tongs should be sharp, but not TOO sharp. If they’re too sharp, they’ll do unnecessary damage to your ice.
quick tips for ice tongs
A pair of ice tongs is an essential tool for moving unboxed blocks of ice. If the tong tips are not the proper sharpness, however, then accidents can happen when the tongs slip on the ice. Probably the best way to keep the tips sharp is to not let them touch anything but ice. Don’t let them hit wood or metal and take care when you hang them up the the tips aren’t being damaged. Finally, whenever possible, you should use your own pair of tongs so that you’re comfortable with the way that they work, rather than using an unfamiliar pair. Mistakes with large pieces of ice can lead to serious injury and/or broken ice. (1/29/08)
I use ice tongs a number of times in this video from the ice sculpting secrets YouTube channel.
gray ice
As your ice warms up, you’ll notice small lines appear inside the ice. These lines or cracks will multiply as the ice warms, eventually making your ice appear more “gray” than it did when it was cold. For the most part, when you put your ice back in the freezer, the grayness will disappear and the ice will regain its clear, crystalline look. (1/29/08)
carve like a CNC
CNC machines are very effective tools for producing precise ice carvings and engravings. In most cases, a human carver cannot match the efficiency and precision of a CNC. Fortunately, a human carver is still a better option in many situations, but carvers can definitely apply some of the CNC’s strengths to their hand carving.
For example, a carver with a chainsaw can almost certainly make a cut through a full block faster than a CNC, but the CNC will make it better, even though it’s slower. And the CNC’s cut won’t have to be corrected; it’s right on the money the first time. By slowing down a bit and getting the cut right the first time, a carver will save him/herself time correcting things later. (1/29/08)
quick tips links and other stuff
In case you missed it before, here are links to quick tips archive #1, archive #2, archive #3, & archive #4.
You could also find photos and info about these quick tips on the ice sculpting secrets Instagram account or the facebook page. ice sculpting secrets is also on TikTok, although videos there aren’t really tied to posts as much. You can comment on IG and fb as well as below. And if it won’t LET you comment below, then definitely comment on fb and/or IG. Thanks!
