Nailboard basics

    Looking like a bed of nails for a leprechaun (see above), the nailboard is one of just a few tools that's apparently unique to ice carving. Steve Brice of Alaska invented it in 1990 and it saw its first major use in 1991 during the carving of a Mercedes Benz sculpture at the World Ice Art Championships in Fairbanks. The tool’s success led to its use on many more large scale works such as 1996’s "The Joust." (see below)

"The Joust" by Steve Brice, Kevin Roscoe, and Craig Cheledina. 2nd place Multiblock Realistic, 1996 World Ice Art  Championships. (image courtesy of Patrick Endres at www.alaskaphotographics.com)

Properly used, the nailboard is one of the most useful ice carving handtools, especially for carvings that are pieced together from various components.

    The nailboard is put together simply enough. Basically, it's a board with a bunch of screws (not nails) drilled through it, finished off with handles. The standard nailboard measures about 22"x11" and has about 160 screws. Rows of screws are sometimes offset to avoid gouging furrows into the ice. The most important part, however, is that the screw tips are all at the same level.

    One source indicates that the nailboard is used primarily to roughen ice surfaces for welding. This is not the case; it's used to FLATTEN ice surfaces. When the board is moved across an ice surface, the sharp screw tips knock down any ice that's sticking up. Because the screw tips are held in position by the rigid board, moving the nailboard across the surface many times will flatten the ice. One way to visualize the effect of a nailboard is to consider it like a large, very coarse grit sanding block.

    The nailboard is a chipping (point) action tool (see Tool Actions and effects) because it's made up of many sharp points. Because these points are attached to a rigid board, however, the nailboard's function can be similar to that of a shaving (plane edge) tool, although usually with a rougher finish.

Using nailboards

    As many sculptures require that a number of pieces of ice be combined, or welded together, flattening larger surfaces for welding is the nailboard's primary use. After proper nailboarding, a flattened weld surface can either be immediately welded or aluminum can first be used to create a "perfect" surface (no scratches) and then the ice can be welded. (see Aluminum Welding for details on this technique) There are advantages and disadvantages to both approaches. If warmed aluminum is used after nailboarding, the perfected surface can result in a cleaner looking weld and the aluminum can help tell the carver just how flat the weld surface is. If a weld surface is perfect, then when the carver pulls (not slides) the aluminum off the weld, then the aluminum will noticeably grab onto the surface. This feedback tells the carver that the surface is ready. If the aluminum doesn't grab, then the surface probably needs more work. However, the warm aluminum can't be used on very cold ice without risk of fractures and aluminum welds are more vulnerable to direct sunlight. Nailboarded-only welds often don't look quite as clean, as the unpolished scratches are sometimes visible, but they hold up better when exposed to sunlight. For very large welds, it's often impractical or even pointless to use aluminum, but nailboarding can be essential for quality welding.

    In addition to flattening surfaces for welding, the nailboard is perfect for simply flattening large surfaces and straightening out lines. Many sculptures benefit from clean and even surfaces and edges and, by virtue of its simplicity, rigidity, and large surface area, the standard nailboard is an efficient tool for the task.

    When flattening a surface, you want to move the nailboard across the surface, keeping the board flat and applying even pressure while holding on to the board with both hands. Move the board using your whole upper body, not just your arms. For surfaces that are nearly flat, make sure that you are covering the whole surface and not spending too much time some parts while neglecting others. If part of the surface offers more resistance or there's a visible high spot, you can apply more pressure to the board at that spot until the surface feels uniform. Using a nailboard is part visual, part tactile and it will take a little while to feel comfortable using it. It can also wear you out if you have to nailboard very large surfaces. To avoid overexertion while still working effectively, Heather Brice suggests moving the board in “low or no pressure figure ‘8’s” and adds that “this technique inhibits the tendancy to rock, which creates low corners.”

    If you have to use the nailboard with only one hand, you can hold the handle furthest from your body and use your forearm to apply pressure on the other handle. This situation might come up when you have to use your other hand to keep a piece of ice stable, for example. In any case, for flattening surfaces, you want to make sure that the board stays level and doesn't rock back and forth while you're working.

    Altering the size and shape of the nailboard have resulted in variations that are useful for more complex shaping. A small, hand-held nailboard (see below) is perfect for removing imperfections and knocking down high spots.

A handheld nailboard (image courtesy of www.icecrafters.com)

     A dramatic departure from the standard nailboard, this "nailbowl" (below) is used to help make spheres. Junichi Nakamura came up with this version and Aaron Costic gets credit for the photo and for sharing the idea.

A nailbowl? (image courtesy of Aaron Costic at www.elegantice.com)

Finally, the nailboard is probably the best handtool for making "snow" from ice. Not only does it create small, fine ice chips, but it makes a lot of it and it collects it as well. Knocking the edge of the nailboard against a safe surface quickly clears the board and provides a small pile of snow that can be converted to slush or used for snowfill.

Hazards

    Certainly, all those sharp screws can cause cuts or puncture wounds, but as a handtool, the nailboard isn't a major source of injuries. The screw tips should be dried and protected with foam or something similar for storage and carvers should be appropriately cautious not to cut themselves on the screws and to set the board in a safe place between uses.

    Nailboards are most hazardous to a carver's clothing. As a carver bends over while moving the board over the surface of the ice, bulky or loose clothing can easily get snagged and ripped by the screw tips.

How to get your nailboard

    You would think that a board with screws drilled through it would be simple enough to make and a quick way to save some money on ice tools. However, making a nailboard is not as easy as it would first appear. The main problem lies in leveling all of the screw tips. Even one tip set too low can result in a defective board that leaves big scratches in surfaces. The nailboard must also be waterproofed or it will warp, so finishing and lacquering the board is very important.

    Because I do a lot of welding while carving, I consider the nailboard to be one of my most important tools. After I lost my first nailboard on a trip, I briefly considered trying to make my own. Instead, I borrowed one from someone else and waited until I could afford another. I realized that my time was better spent making money from ice carvings than trying to make a tool that I would be better off buying. Heather Brice told me that it takes her several hours over a few days just to make one board, and she knows what she's doing. Brice nailboards are available from Ice Crafters at icecrafters.com or directly from Steve and Heather Brice at stevebrice.net.

Special thanks to Heather Brice, who checked this entry for errors and also sent along this very nice photo of a “Joust” sculpture at the Aurora Ice Museum, which, incidentally, required the use of a nailboard...