Is It Soapstone?
“What stone is it?” is one of the most often asked question about Chinese seals.
15 October 2015
Talking Seals
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The Stone That Wasn’t
An elderly Chinese scholar once asked me to cut a seal for him from a stone he had purchased in Taiwan.
15 September 2015
Hard, Soft, or Both?
You might take it for granted that an expensive stone should be carvable but, as always, it’s buyer beware.
15 August 2015
Happy Accidents
Happy accidents can occur when carving a seal and the blade slips unintentionally or the stone chips unexpectedly.
1 June 2015
Not Too Fine
If you sand down your seal stone for any reason don’t use too fine a grit of sandpaper.
15 October 2014
Not Too Tight
Unless you’re working on a very hard stone I suggest you wrap your seal stone in a bit of cloth, tissue, or soft leather before you clamp it into your seal vise.
15 September 2014
Repairing a Seal Knife
If your seal knife blade gets chipped, the traditional method to repair it is to have a piece of sandpaper handy.
15 February 2014
The Best Model
As you learn to cut side inscriptions (邊款 biankuan) on your seal stone be sure to pick the best models to copy from.
15 January 2014
Two Toothbrushes Are Better Than One
Most seal carvers keep an old toothbrush handy for use in sweeping stone dust out of the grooves while they carve a seal.
15 December 2013
Name Seals
Name seals can have the family name only, the personal name by itself, both the first and last names together, an artistic name, or a name in combination with a phrase or picture.
15 October 2013
Sand Your Stone
There are several reasons why you should sand the face of your seal stone before cutting your design into it.
15 September 2013
Looking at Seals: Sunlight
You’ll have to use your imagination to decide why the word “sunlight” (日光 riguang) was chosen for a seal from the Han dynasty (206 BC–220 AD).
1 September 2013