Ice Carving Equipment Key Terms

Impress clients with your ice carving knowledge

Having an ice sculpture at your next company event can enthrall both clients and employees. Make your company more memorable than ever with the special addition of an ice sculpture, but learn the basics before you start carving. There are several tools involved in making ice sculptures, varying in size and specialty. Before you decide to take on an ice sculpting project, you should find out the tools to buy or borrow. This way, you can determine if it is worth it to you to make your own ice sculpture, or if you should simply buy one.

 

Ice pick

Just as it sounds, an ice pick is a sharp tool meant for chipping at ice. An ice pick is best for getting the desired general shape in a sculpture.
Try: Galasource Ventures provides a definition of an ice pick, along with some available picks.

Chisel

A chisel is often used to shape and smooth ice. It helps ice sculptors create refined details in a block of ice.
Try: Hand Tools Manufacturers offers details about chisels, such as definitions and the many types available.

Handsaw

Ice sculptors use handsaws to cut away large chunks of ice at one time to create a rough shape. Saws require effort to use, but allow sculptors to obtain the desired general shape in a shorter amount of time.
Try: Check out using-tools.com to get an idea of what a handsaw is, and what each specific type of saw can do.

Chainsaw

This is another tool used to cut away large amounts of ice to help achieve a general shape. A chainsaw gets its immense power from either gas or electricity, and thus takes less time to cut ice than a handsaw does.
Try: Aubuchon Hardware explains chainsaws and offers safety pointers when dealing with this tool.

CNC machine

A Computer Numerical Control machine is a carving machine powered by computer technology. It is a fast, accurate way to cut away large chunks of ice, but it also can be used to create intricate designs. Unless you plan to make plenty of ice sculptures, you are better off renting a professional company's machine, rather than buying one of your own.
Try: Advice In Ice features an article about CNC machines in the business of ice sculpting.

Die grinder

This tool can be either handheld or electronic, and is used to smooth and polish anything from ice to cement. It is useful in forming the details in an ice sculpture.
Try: Get a description of a die grinder at wiseGEEK.

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