here’s quick tip that’s not in the list below: don’t wear shorts and short sleeves when you arrive in Fairbanks for the World Ice Art Championships (We were actually there to set a Guinness World Record, but it was in conjunction with the Championships.)
updated 3/19/24 with a little more info, some links, and a new pic when restored to the site
quick tips
This is the sixth (and last) archive from the quick tips section of the old ice carving secrets site. Each time ten quick tips were added to the section, they were archived to make room for more. Here are links to archive #1, archive #2, archive #3, archive #4, & archive #5.
carving with gloves
In contrast to to the “Carving without gloves” tip below, carving with gloves protects hands from sharp ice and tools and insulates hands from the cold. Lighter weight gloves with textured surfaces allow for holding small, delicate pieces of ice and the gloves will actually protect the ice from your body heat. Heavy duty gloves (kevlar gloves for snow boarding, for example) can give you significant protection against sharp tools.
However, looser gloves can also help cause accidents or even keep you from getting away from a dangerous power tool if the tool gets caught in the glove while it’s running (I’ve seen this happen). As long as gloves are not too loose though, they can provide critical protection from very sharp and fast moving tools. Using the excuse that they will make accidents worse is a bit like the argument that seatbelts will keep you from being thrown clear of a car accident.
In any case, there are always pros and cons with various types of gloves and you should carefully consider what sort of gloves you use and whether they safely meet your needs. (3/12/08)
level on a nailboard
Dan Rebholz had a neat trick. He puts a small level in the center of his nailboard (not on the side with the screws 🙄). This allows him to see how level his ice is at a very convenient time: when he’s flattening it with his nailboard. (2/28/08)
carving without gloves
At times, while carving at room temperature, I’ll carve without gloves, partly to avoid sweaty gloves that have to be washed more frequently. By doing this, however, not only do I make my hands more vulnerable to cuts from my tools, I also get cuts from the ice. An added hazard is that the ice numbs my hands a bit, and if I’m getting cut, I don’t feel it as quickly, perhaps meaning more severe injuries! (2/26/08)
storing ice sorbets
An obvious way to store sorbets (see the ice jargon glossary for a little info on sorbets) in a commercial kitchen is to place them on sheet pans in the freezer. It works great if you keep in mind that the sheet pans are metal and if they’re the least bit warm, they’ll melt the bottoms of the sorbets. The puddle of water will then refreeze around the sorbet, and the refreeze has to be removed before the sorbet can be used. Make sure the sheetpans are very cold! (2/19/08)
moving ice with a handtruck
If you use a metal dolly (two-wheeler) to move sculptures or blocks, the dolly’s metal tubes will mark your ice (by melting it). There are several solutions: 1) put a piece of thin foam between the ice and the dolly 2) wrap the metal that would touch the ice with pipe insulation and duct tape. 3) Use a heavy-duty plastic dolly (Harper makes one, and it’s much lighter than a regular handtruck). (2/17/08)
clearing out tight spaces
Trying to reach a tight spot and a chisel won’t fit? One solution might be to use an extra long spade drill bit. The bit is a surprisingly effective chisel and is narrow and long; no power drill necessary. (2/11/08)
center of a rectangle
A quick way to find the center of a rectangular piece of ice is to score diagonal lines from the corners. Where the lines intersect is the center of the rectangle. (2/10/08)
black ethafoam
Previously, I mentioned that black ethafoam was troublesome because it sometimes leaves little black specks on your carving. So why would you use it? Just as a black background can help you get your best ice sculpture photos, a black carving background helps you see defects in the ice, particularly if you carve with the sculpture lying down (this is a technique pioneered by Mark Daukas; however, it shouldn’t be attempted without training, as it can be more dangerous). As long as there is adequate lighting, black foam can provide the best contrast, enabling you to better see what you’re carving. (2/9/08)
annoying little bits of foam
Many carvers work with some sort of foam under their ice in an effort to protect their tools and the ice from damage. A downside of this practice is that frequently little specks of foam end up on the ice, usually because a tool cut into the foam and sprayed the little bits of foam around with some landing on the sculpture.
Black ethafoam (a Dow product) is particularly troublesome, because the little black pieces look like dirt or some other undesirable substance. Dean Carlson pointed out that if you use the white ethafoam, the specks look like snow, which is obviously much better than dirt. Either way, if you use foam while carving, you need to inspect the carving when it’s finished and get rid of any annoying little bits… (2/8/08)
carve like a CNC
It’s usually possible to tell just by looking at an engraved sculpture whether it was hand or machine carved. One of the reasons that machined pieces are easy to spot is that a CNC cuts straight into the ice, perpendicular to the plane of the ice block surface. Hand carving usually produces some variation in the cut angle and this shows up in the final result.
If you make a concerted effort to cut straight into the ice, particularly with a die grinder while engraving lettering, you will see a benefit as your lettering will look more “perfect” because the bottom of the cut (the deepest level that the bit cuts into) will more closely match the surface cut. Straighter cutting means straighter lettering. (2/7/08)
Btw, I’d like to add a recollection to this quick tip. On occasion, I’ll suggest that it’s smart to “carve like a CNC,” in an effort to emulate the machined precision, even while you’re sculpting by hand. This concept was later reinforced to me in perhaps those same words by multi-world champion Steve Brice, I think when I went to take a seminar from him in Atlanta. As far as I can remember, I came up with that idea on my own. But it’s sure nice to get confirmation that you’re taking the right approach!
links and stuff
As I mentioned at the start of this post, there are other quick tips posts on the site, with the archives from the old ice carving secrets site: quick tips 1, quick tips 2, quick tips 3, quick tips 4, & quick tips 5.
You could also find photos and info from this entry 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!
