the simple and inexpensive ice pick is a very useful tool for ice sculptors. Here are a few that were in my studio.
updated 8/4/23 with seo, a picture change, and a few additions
ice picks are low-tech, cheap, and essential
Sometimes the simplest tools are the most useful. When I started carving ice, I assumed that the most expensive chainsaw and the most exotic Japanese chisels would be my most essential tools. (Well, my current chainsaw actually was pretty expensive.) My first tools were a Shindaiwa chainsaw, a six-prong ice chipper, and a V-chisel. As soon as possible, I discarded the six-prong in favor of my next tools, a couple of flat chisels.
Many years later, the six-prong reappeared as I began to appreciate the value of some of the simpler mainstays among ice tools. The simplest is, of course, the ice pick. Only one-sixth as complex as a six prong, an ice pick can change ice faster than a chainsaw. Ice picks are cheap and very effective for certain effects.
Ice pick tips:
1) Use an ice pick to dismantle large carvings instead of trying to remove them whole. Picks can be used to pop welds or break apart large pieces of ice quickly and easily. Beware of the sharp edges created and always start at the top of a sculpture, removing small pieces as you go.
2) Picks create a rough, broken ice look for the base and edges of carvings where appropriate. This rough, chipped look can be combined with clean engraving for an effective contrast.
3) Use a pick to break apart scrap ice to put at the base of your sculptures. Often more attractive than cubed or crushed ice, it also melts slower and adds to the presentation.
4) If the tip gets bent, carefully straighten it, as this makes the pick less effective. It’s pretty easy to break the tip off completely, however, making it almost useless.
5) Ice picks are so effective because they concentrate force into a very small, sharp point. Only stab directly into ice if you intend to break it apart. For surface effects, pick at an angle.
6) An ice pick is an essential addition to various tools that are used to mark lines in an ice block. The T-scribe, used to mark measured straight lines, and the score stick, used to mark lines and circles, both require an ice pick to work.
ice picks in non-ice sculpting applications
When I first posted this, ice picks from Ice Crafters cost $1.50. (The ones I like now are $4.25. But that’s still cheap!) I used to buy 10 to 20 at a time, but now I buy…fewer. They also used to come complete with a little bit of advertising from Ice Crafters, but not anymore. I had talked with Alice at Ice Crafters some time back about it and that point, she had yet to take any calls from a police officer wondering why one of her ice picks was at a crime scene.
Now I have to go back and double check, but I seem to remember that that lack of crime scenes might have changed before Alice left Ice Crafters 😱 In addition, I DO for sure know of a situation where an ice sculptor’s ice pick was used to fend off a car jacker! (Holy 💩?!) I guess ice picks aren’t just for movies anymore!
Incidentally, if you look at the ice picks in the top picture, you’ll notice that one is definitely not like the others. It’s a sharpened screwdriver that a colleague made for me. I call it my shank-you-very-much ice pick since it really reminds me of a prison weapon that someone who had privileged access to tools might make. That’d probably get you some time in solitary, I’d think!
links and stuff
This post is listed on the ice sculpting techniques page, and you could also find photos and info from this entry on the ice sculpting secrets Instagram account or the facebook page. You can comment there as well as below. And if it won’t LET you comment below, then definitely comment on fb and/or IG. Thanks!
