Blow penetration describes how deeply the force of a controlled chisel strike travels into stone, affecting fracture, edge safety, and the carver’s ability to work close to delicate forms.
Blow penetration describes how deeply the force of a controlled chisel strike travels into stone, affecting fracture, edge safety, and the carver’s ability to work close to delicate forms.
Etymology
A modern English compound formed from blow, meaning a strike or impact, and penetration, from the Latin penetratio, derived from penetrare ("to enter, pass into, or pierce"). In stone carving, the term is used descriptively to express the depth to which the force of a chisel strike propagates into the stone, beyond the visible surface cut. Although not a formal geological term, it provides a useful comparative measure of a stone's carving behavior.
References
- Fairbanks, Avard T. Workshop instruction and personal observations recalled by Peter Forster.
- Winkler, Erhard M. Stone in Architecture: Properties, Durability.
- Ashurst, John, and Francis G. Dimes (eds.). Conservation of Building and Decorative Stone.
- Personal workshop observations accumulated through direct carving in Carrara, Alabama, Colorado Yule, Vermont Danby, and Afyon marbles.