close call

Fri, 30 Jul 2010 18:40:39 -0500

After the fact, I was a little surprised at how calm I’d been when it happened. I was happy about it though, because I’m sure that, along with the sweater, it had helped me avoid injury.

Not long ago, I had what was perhaps my closest brush with a major injury while sculpting ice. While I was making snow from a chunk of ice with my die grinder in my right hand, I slipped and the tip of the grinder strayed too close to my left wrist. The long half inch diameter endmill bit spinning in the grinder was all too happy to grab onto the fabric of my jacket and sweater and it pulled itself towards my wrist!

Of course, I’ve sustained injuries while carving before. In over 20 years of ice sculpting, I’ve been cut by both razor sharp tools and the ice itself many times. One time, I stabbed a non-spinning endmill bit into the palm of my hand and another time, I even broke a bone in three places when an ice sculpture slipped from our grasp! (Fortunately, it was only my big toe; no cast required. Couldn’t really even treat it except with pain medication.) Also, on this site, I’ve mentioned other instances where ice carvers have cut themselves with the most obviously dangerous ice sculpting tool, the chainsaw.

But Makita die grinders spin at 25,000 rpm! And we put nasty, twisting blades called endmills on them that literally shoot streams of snow off the ice as they cut, all in the pursuit of faster carving. Almost from the moment they first came on the scene, I’ve been most afraid of getting caught up with a die grinder, of not being able to get away from a destructive spinning blade that’s pulling itself towards me. I’ve witnessed a die grinder accident before and known several ice artists that have had similar accidents. In my experience, they usually end up with tendon damage, extensive surgery to repair the injury, and lots of rehab. A chainsaw probably has a better chance of killing an ice carver, but I’d put my money on the die grinder when it comes to maiming.

Complacency, arrogance, and inattention all played a part in my incident. As I described before, the grinder slipped and managed to catch my coat and sweater near my left wrist. Had I been handling the tool with both hands, as I should have been, there would have been no problem! But sculpt ice long enough without any real problems and you begin to believe that you’re good enough to avoid the bad stuff; that the bad stuff happens to other people.

But even fools get lucky, and such it was this time. The sweater that I like to wear while carving is made from a heavy artificial material. The endmill cut through my light parka, but when it got to the sweater, it couldn’t power through and the sweater bound it up and managed to stop the spinning! But the grinder was still on, so there I was, trying to pull my left hand away from the grinder. With my right hand, I was trying to pull the grinder away from my left wrist. Meanwhile, the grinder was doing everything it could to start spinning again and I had no hands left to turn it off! As I mentioned at the start of this entry, however, I’d stayed calmer than I would think that I’d be and I looked down, found where the grinder was plugged into the extension cord, and used my feet to pull the grinder plug and the extension cord apart. The grinder stopped humming, no longer energized, and I was able to assess the damage.

My parka was lightly damaged, but my sweater hadn’t been cut at all. I now consider it my lucky sweater. Best of all, there was no blood and no injury! The most lasting effect was that feeling that you get when you happen to hesitate before you pull into an intersection and that’s when the speeding truck runs the red light. It was close, WAY too close, and I’ll have to be much more careful in the future if I want to keep my most important ice sculpting tools, my hands, in good working order.

You might also find photos and info from this entry on the ice carving secrets facebook page and you can comment there as well as below. Thanks!

“snow”

Wed, 28 Jul 2010 21:43:57 -0500

It’s not real snow, not usually. But it sure looks like it.

I’m talking about the tiny ice bits that result from ice sculpting. Put a lot of them together in one place, and you appear to have snow, although a microscope or magnifying glass would reveal chunks much less attractive than what Mr. Bentley first photographed. Not long ago, a friend asked me the easiest way to make “snow” while carving. He’d been struggling with his own method, which I think involved an angle grinder with an abrasive pad. So that got me thinking, and I thought I’d put down pretty much everything I know about the snow that ice sculptors deal with.

Somewhere around the start of the 90’s, snow filled ice logos started to become a big deal in the world of ice sculptures. Mark Daukas gets much of the credit for establishing this style, which is almost like printing on ice. Instead of black print on white paper, we have white “printing” on clear ice, with hopefully a contrasting background behind it. This method is referred to by various names: snowfilling, ice engraving, snow packed... I like to call it “white-on-ice” to differentiate it from the backfilling color methods that ice artists now employ. The white-on-ice method allows detailed logos, graphics, or drawings to be depicted in ice in a fairly durable and precise presentation that can be quite stunning visually. With the expanded use of CNC machines in the industry, snowfilled ice is now common, largely because a CNC machine is ideal for producing this sort of ice art, which can sometimes be tedious to create by hand.

This Crown Royal logo, for an event some years ago in Mississippi, is an example of the snowfilling, or white-on-ice technique

Back to the question that prompted this article: “What’s the easiest way to make snow while carving?” Well, there are a variety of methods, of which you can choose the one that works best for you at the time. But first, if you have an ice CNC, you can skip this section because you have snow in your freezer in abundance. You’d likely be more interested in an article that talks about quick ways to get rid of all the snow that your CNC creates!

Do you need clean snow?

Before you make your snow, you should decide if you need clean snow or not. If the snow will be used to hold a luge tube in its track, for example, it should be very clean because some of the melting snow will run down the sculpture and find its way into the drinks. Snow from an oily chainsaw might be a bad choice in this case. On the other hand, if your sculpture won’t come in contact with any food or drink, then it’s probably okay to use any snow, as long as it’s white. (Still not okay to use yellow snow.)

You get clean snow by cutting into clean ice with clean tools. When I need clean snow, I use a clean endmill bit (usually 1/2”) in my die grinder and I’ll generally cut into an ice surface that hasn’t yet been dragged across the floor. Endmill bits, of course, can be very dangerous, so hopefully I don’t need a whole bunch of clean snow. In a later entry, I’ll share my recent near miss experience with a 1/2” endmill bit. (kind of a how-not-to-do-this guide) Snow from a large cutting endmill usually shoots out of the ice, so I just shoot it into a clean container. If I’m carving outside the freezer, obviously I have to move quickly to use the snow before it melts.

Things become considerably easier if the snow only has to be white, not food-service clean. Chainsaws produce snow in copious amounts, so if I’m splitting several blocks in the freezer, I’ll often place a bus tub under the saw and collect as much I can. Then, when I’m done, I’ll store it in a covered 18 gallon Rubbermaid container to use later. Sometimes the first snow that comes off your saw is a little dirty, so I get rid of that. After that though, the snow is usually white and fine. When you’re in the freezer, this method has the added benefit of saving you some clean up work later.

A chainsaw isn’t the only ice power tool that generates a lot of snow. Two other very strong candidates are burr bits on a die grinder (such as the bullet burr below) or a burr disc on an angle grinder (such as the disc seen further down). Both of these tools will cover the walls of your freezer with snow if used haphazardly; the description that I like to use is that “it looks like a snowman exploded!” I don’t usually use these tools for clean snow, because it’s tough to clean them. And both have some sort of hardened paint surfaces to protect against rust, so I’m not anxious to damage that. Finally, burr tools can be very aggressive, so it’s important that they be handled safely!

So far I’ve only talked about power tools that generate snow, but there is a hand tool that does a pretty good job: the nailboard. It’s also very efficient; virtually all the “snow” created by moving it across a not-quite-flat ice surface can be recovered. However, the resulting snow isn’t quite as fine as that from the power tools. But it’s a great option when there’s not a power outlet in sight!

Finally, there’s the natural option: real snow. If, unlike me, you’re in an area that gets a significant amount of snow in the winter months, you can use the white stuff with very little effort required. Sometimes, it’s tough to find clean snow, especially if it’s been a while since it fell. But I usually manage when I’m fortunate enough to be in a naturally cold setting. Interestingly, the last time I was in Fairbanks and needed a lot of snow (see the picture at top), I had some unexpected trouble. Fairbanks is surely the Ice Sculpture Capital of North America, and maybe even the world, but it won’t be the Snowball Capital any time soon. That’s because the snow there is so dry that it won’t clump together. Perhaps it’s not that way all the time, but I have my suspicions. When I was making the jersey of “Cool Brees” white, I had to grab a handful of snow, dip it into almost-freezing water, then pack it on to the ice in order to get it to stick; it wouldn’t stick on its own at all. The initial result was a jersey that was a little grey. However, as I expected, it whitened up some after it froze solid.

What it’s good for?

As previously discussed, “snow” can be used in the white-on-ice technique to integrate all sorts of designs, logos, or other graphics into the surface of your ice. Prior to the invention of this method, ice sculptors generally had to rely on the edges of their ice to get their design across; ice doesn’t shadow like other media, so intricate details can be lost visually if they’re not incorporated into a sculpture’s silhouette. Snowfilling, however, usually offers enough contrast of white snow against clear ice so that important aspects of a sculpture don’t always need to be part of its silhouette.

Fine snow is also great for attaching pieces of ice to one another, whether as part of the plan or in a repair situation. When I first started using a die grinder, I marveled at how useful the snow was at putting broken ice back together and I still think of it as “ice superglue.” Since then, aluminum welding has come onto the scene, so fine snow isn’t as indispensable for repair, but it still has its place.

Another use for snow is thermal protection. I typically move sculptures around a large geographical area and I can’t always guarantee that the ice won’t start melting before I get to my destination. So, often, I’ll put a thin layer of snow over snowfilled designs and freeze it into place. This layer adds a little insurance and is easy to remove at set up.

Finally, the best use for snow (in my opinion) is also the funnest one! If during an ice sculpting demo, I were to hurl small chunks of excess ice at my audience, I hardly think they would appreciate it. However, if I use a bullet burr, angle grinder, or chainsaw to send small showers of snow their way, they love it! Much like the splash rows at Seaworld or the raincoat rows at a Gallagher show, that area within reach of my streams of snow is easily the most popular, especially amongst the younger spectators. They get a little cold, maybe a little wet, but they don’t seem to mind. In fact, they yell for it, saying “Shoot some over here!”

What it’s bad for

There are a couple of downsides to snow as it pertains to ice sculpting. If you’re carving in the cold, like sand at the beach, snow will probably be everywhere! It can make sculpting in freezing temps an unpleasant experience as it covers you, gets into places you didn’t really expect, then melts from your body heat. From time to time, it’s a good idea to change your clothes, your gloves especially, when you’re working in the cold.
Also, when you’re carving in the freezer, snow is bad for another reason: sublimation. Sublimation is the phase change where a solid goes straight to a gas, skipping the liquid phase. In this case ice and snow go straight to water vapor, which ends up on your freezer cooling fins which then, of course, freezes. Most freezers depend on low humidity to work properly and if there’s a lot of snow in your freezer, then the surface area available for sublimation is dramatically higher than normal. The resulting high humidity can actually crash your freezer by blocking up the unit with ice; the only way to fix this is to clear it away or melt it away during the defrost cycle. Many times, I’ve carved for extended periods, only to see my freezer start having trouble keeping up. Not surprisingly, this problem gets worse if it’s humid in your part of the word anyway (like in the Gulf South) or if your freezer isn’t working as efficiently as it should.

In these dog days of summer, I look forward to the days of snow that again surely lie in my future. Just as surely, when I’m in their midst, I’ll again long for the warmth of summer days. But no matter; what counts is what I want now! Unless I can schedule a quick trip to the Southern Hemisphere however, for now I’ll have to make due with my frequent forays into the freezer to work. And while I’m in there, I’ll be doing my best Edward Scissorhands impersonation: making it snow.

The Comments feature below currently is broken/inconsistent. If you would like to comment, send an email and make sure to reference the entry you’re commenting on and your comment will be attached to the end of the entry. You might also find photos and info from this entry on the ice carving secrets facebook page and you can comment there as well. (That’s probably the best place for comments!) Thanks!

Facebook page and contests

Wed, 14 Jul 2010 22:26:10 -0500

If you visit ice carving secrets regularly, but aren’t a member of Facebook, you might wonder what’s going on with the site: most of the recent posts have been about Facebook contests and there hasn’t been much in the way of new tool info or designs lately. Also, the Comments feature in the blog has been broken for a while, so if you want to make your views known, it’s not that easy anymore.
At least for now, all the action has moved to the ice carving secrets Facebook fan page. We’re in the midst of running our fourth giveaway (the current prize is a Brice bubble bit) and the contests have resulted in LOTS of content generated by the entrants. They’ve posted over a hundred photographs and design ideas and lately have been relating some CRAZY ice sculpting stories and experiences. Commenting is easy and, at the moment, there are 11 running Discussions! New stuff shows up on the page almost every day. There are even a few designs that will be a part of the Designs page eventually, but were posted on the Facebook page first.
If you haven’t already, we’d like you to join us on Facebook and maybe win some free stuff by entering a contest! Think about it; if more ice sculpting enthusiasts enter the contests, then the contest sponsors will be more excited about the contests. Then we’ll be able to get more and better prizes for you to win! Definitely win, win! (Or “win, win, win” because ice carving secrets wins too!) Hope to see you there!

The Comments feature below currently is broken/inconsistent. If you would like to comment, send an email and make sure to reference the entry you’re commenting on and your comment will be attached to the end of the entry. You might also find photos and info from this entry on the ice carving secrets facebook page and you can comment there as well. (That’s probably the best place for comments!) Thanks!

Brice ice seminar upcoming

Mon, 12 Jul 2010 18:41:25 -0500

Brice and Brice Ice Sculptures will teach classes in Ohio from September 5th through the 11th. The classes, taught by world champion ice sculptor Steve Brice will focus on human anatomy, particularly the hands and face. You can get more details about these classes by contacting Heather or Steve Brice by email at stevebrice@gci.net and by phone at (907) 455-4519 or (907) 322-7189 (Heather's cell). You’ll also get a chance to try out some of the latest ice sculpting tool innovations from the Brices. (Here’s a link to the Brice ice sculpture tools currently available from Ice Crafters.) Class prices run $750 to $800 and the deposit to secure your spot is $350. But you’d better hurry; the registration deadline is August 1st!

Also:
check out the Brice and Brice Ice Sculptures group on facebook enter our Facebook contest to win a Brice bubble bit
Gallery of Brice ice art on ice carving secrets
The Brice and Brice classes page

The Comments feature below currently is broken/inconsistent. If you would like to comment, send an email and make sure to reference the entry you’re commenting on and your comment will be attached to the end of the entry. You might also find photos and info from this entry on the ice carving secrets facebook page and you can comment there as well. (That’s probably the best place for comments!) Thanks!

Brice and Brice bubble bit contest

Wed, 7 Jul 2010 21:16:17 -0500

***UPDATED 7/28/10***
NEW DEADLINE: extended to 5 p.m. CDT, Wednesday, August 11, 2010 (originally July 28)
In case you didn’t know, the die grinder contest on Facebook is over and done with! Congratulations again to Edwin Winslow, who submitted, along with a couple of other photos, the oddly prophetic ice sculpture example above. You see, Edwin’s 2010 makes extensive use of a Brice bubble bit, which happens to be the prize for this contest! And it works out kind of nice, because Edwin’s not eligible for this contest, but, as we can see, he doesn’t need a bubble bit anyway. But you’re going to want one, so read on!
The prize that you’ll be vying for this time is a quarter-sized bubble bit and associated hardware from Brice and Brice Ice Sculptures and Ice Crafters. Almost-too-many-times-to-count World Ice Sculpting Champion Steve Brice invented this innovative die grinder bit that quickly and easily produces small bubble shapes on the surface of your ice. The quarter-sized bit is the largest of the three sizes offered and it’s a tool that I use A LOT. The bubble shapes that it produces really make sculptures stand out and my sculpture clients love the look it creates! Ice Crafters is throwing in some adapter hardware that enables attachment of the bit to a Makita GE0600 die grinder. This attachment hardware can be used in combination with other specialty bits as well. Here’s an article about bubble bits that I previously posted on ice carving secrets. Once again, this is the best contest prize we’ve offered yet and the total value of the prize is $202. Also, once again, you don’t have to do a whole lot to be eligible to win it.
Here are the details:
Prize:
Brice and Brice quarter-sized bubble bit from Brice and Brice Ice Sculptures and a 3/8” endmill holder and small shaft adaptor from Ice Crafters. The endmill holder and adapter allow you to use the bubble bit on a Makita GE0600 die grinder. The winner of the contest will also be offered a discounted price on a Makita GE0600 die grinder from Ice Crafters, in case the winner needs one to use the bit.  total value: $202 (this doesn’t include the potential die grinder discount mentioned above; shipping is also included in the prize, in most cases)
Eligibility:
1) “Like” both the ice carving secrets and Ice Crafters Facebook pages and become a member of the Brice and Brice Ice Sculptures Facebook group. You need to be a fan of both pages and a member of the group at the time of the entry deadline.
2) Post an ice sculpting-related item or items on the ice carving secrets Facebook fan page. You have a number of options for this requirement and each option will earn you a certain number of contest entries. The max number of entries for any one person is three this time around.
Discussion: Start a new discussion or participate in one of the existing ice carving secrets discussions. (see the “Discussions” tab on the page) Legitimate and fair (my discretion) discussions posts only. Earns 1 entry.
Ice sculpture photo: Posting a photo (your photo, not somebody else’s) of an ice sculpture that you’ve seen. A caption describing what you know about it is required. Earns 1 entry.
Photo of your ice sculpture: Posting a photo of an ice sculpture that you made (caption required). Earns 1 entry. **BONUS** You earn a bonus entry if it’s your version of a design from the ice carving secrets design page. (Photos qualifying for the bonus, may be added to the design entry page on this site and/or added to the Visitors’ Gallery.)
Ice video: Post an ice carving-related video that you’re authorized to post. YouTube or similar doesn’t count unless it’s your video. Earns 1 entry.
Ice sculpture design: Post one of your original ice sculpture designs. This can be in the form of a photo that shows enough that another carver could reasonable recreate your design. Sketches and line art are also acceptable. A general description, along with a title for your design should also be included. Useful details include how much ice was used, any special tools required and any other details that aren’t obvious from the photo or drawing. Earns 3 entries.
Craziest ice sculpture photo or ice sculpting experience: Post a photo related to the craziest ice sculpture that you’ve ever had anything to do with. Depending on the situation, you may have to add a detailed description (use multiple posts if necessary) to demonstrate how bizarre or unusual your experience was. This should be a REAL story, not a fictional account. Earns 3 entries.
1) Send an email to icecarvingsecrets@mac.com or send a Facebook message to Dawson List indicating that you want to enter the contest. It would also help if you mentioned what you posted and how many entries (one or three) you’re expecting to earn.

Deadline for entry: 5 p.m. CDT, Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Determining the winner: The winner will be randomly selected from all the eligible entries posted/received by the deadline.

Here are some additional details, rules, small print, excluded parties, and all that stuff:
The point of this contest, aside from generating facebook “fans,” is to provide incentive for those interested in ice sculpture to share what they’re doing and share their ideas. The “Comments” feature on this site is currently not working properly because two software programs don’t work together well, so the ice carving secrets facebook page has become the real-time forum for comments and interaction. This contest and the ice carving secrets facebook page itself encourage you to post your own ice-related photo and information. Particularly self-promoting photos, videos, or otherwise will be tolerated, but only up to a point, so choose wisely.
Finally, here are some additional niceties about the contest. The contest can be ended or modified at any point due to unforeseen circumstances, but this will be handled in as fair a manner as possible. Those not eligible to enter this contest include myself (Dawson List), persons associated with Ice Crafters, persons associated with Brice and Brice Ice Sculptures and persons associated with other advertisers on this site. The winner of the main prize in the previous contest is also ineligible. (For example, Edwin is not eligible, because he just won the last contest, but Victor Dagatan, who won the second contest, is now eligible again.) If you post an item to enter the contest, you are asserting that you have the right to post the item. The prize includes the die grinder and bit, along with shipping to addresses in the U.S. If the winner lives outside the U.S., then shipping costs may be covered, depending on the final destination (e.g., shipping to Antarctica: still NOT covered). Problems entering the contest or questions about the contest? Send an email describing your problem or question. Good luck!

As mentioned above, the Comments feature below currently is broken/inconsistent. If you would like to comment, send an email and make sure to reference the entry you’re commenting on and your comment will be attached to the end of the entry. You might also find photos and info from this entry on the ice carving secrets facebook page and you can comment there as well. (That’s probably the best place for comments!) Thanks!

die grinder contest results

Tue, 6 Jul 2010 15:17:58 -0500

As I posted on the ice carving secrets facebook fan page sometime ago, Edwin Winslow won the Makita die grinder and carving bit from Ice Crafters. Congratulations to Edwin and thanks to everybody who participated in the contest!

Thank you Laura Baker, Chris Swarbrick, Eric Knoll, Chris Wyer, Elizabeth Whitney, Sean Leahy, Diego Echeverry, Chris Currier, Robb and Stephanie Dunn, Jeff Kaiser, Vesna Klajic, Chef Lisa M, David Gustafson, Laz at NiceWork Ice, Brian McKinney, Danny Bloss, Ron Meyn, Chan Kitburi, Todd Shipman, Elizabeth Simi W, and Rick Suchoski for entering and I wish there were more awesome prizes to give away!

In this contest, the third Facebook contest that we’ve held so far, we had by far the best participation. Certainly, offering the best prize to date had something to do with that. (Thanks to Alice from Ice Crafters for supplying the die grinder!) But due to the contest, we added a whole bunch of quality photos and videos to the page and started some interesting ice sculpting industry discussions. This makes the page more useful for everybody and I hope that you all will continue to post content to the page, even if there’s not a contest going on!
I wanted to say something about how the winner was chosen, because, for all you know, I picked Edwin to win just because I felt like it. To choose the winner, I tallied up all the entries and assigned each contestant numbers according to how many entries they’d earned. Edwin, for example, was assigned the numbers 81 through 85 because his submissions earned him 5 entries. Then, to make choosing the winner as fair and as impartial as I could, I enlisted the help of former NICA webmaster Jim Ottens. There were (oddly) a total of 100 entries earned by the 23 contestants, so I asked Jim to use random.org, to randomly choose a number from 1 to 100. Without telling me what the number was, he generated the number and then took a screenshot of the result. When he was ready, we sent simultaneous emails to one another; he sent me the random number screenshot and I sent him the list of contestants and their corresponding entry numbers. The result was “84,” which meant that Edwin won.
When Edwin’s number came up, I was actually a little frustrated. This had nothing to do with Edwin himself; I’ve seen him in Alaska a number of times and I think Edwin’s a great guy and a fantastic ice sculptor. It was because Edwin’s photo submissions had accidentally ended up on the ice carving secrets group page instead of the fan page. This wasn’t the first time this had happened, but with Edwin, I’d caught the goof too late to get him to correct it. But I wasn’t too worried about one of his numbers coming up, because there was only a 1 in 20 shot of this happening. Then, of course, one of his numbers DID! So I went back over the rules of the contest and I fortunately couldn’t find anything that specifically disqualified Edwin; in other words, the mistake was all mine! This is why Edwin’s photos on the fan page were posted well after the end of the contest. If you look at the group page, you’ll see that he posted his pics during the contest. Needless to say, I’ll be more specific the next time around!

Edwin, Mark Davis, Dorjsuren Lkhagvador, and Tsagaan Munkh-Erdene (the latter two are from Mongolia) sculpted this at the 2009 World Ice Art Championships, winning second place in the multi-block realistic category. It was titled “Swimming Lesson.”

This submission by Edwin was oddly prophetic... (See why)

As I write this, the new contest is starting. I hope that even more ice carvers will enter this contest. Why not? It’s free and somebody will win a very cool ice sculpting tool. Click here for more details...

The Comments feature below currently is broken/inconsistent. If you would like to comment, send an email and make sure to reference the entry you’re commenting on and your comment will be attached to the end of the entry. You might also find photos and info from this entry on the ice carving secrets facebook page and you can comment there as well. (That’s probably the best place for comments!) Thanks!

Nashville flooding

Mon, 21 Jun 2010 10:48:06 -0500

About seven weeks ago (May 2), Nashville was hit with historic flooding as the banks of the Cumberland River overflowed after the area was hit with extremely heavy rains. According to the New York Times, the flooding killed about two dozen and did an enormous amount of damage in Nashville: about $1.5 billion worth. Interestingly, the Cumberland apparently overflowed partly because water had to be released into it to relieve pressure on a dam, so there was a man-made aspect to this disaster. Anyway, this is “old” news; as far as many people are concerned, Nashville has fully recovered and everything is back to normal. As somebody who’s been impacted by a historic flooding disaster in the past, I know this isn’t the case. It will be a long time before Nashville is “back to normal,” at least in a physical sense. Flood damage is nasty and surprisingly pervasive. Even after the water is long gone, a lot of buildings still have to be gutted, simply because the water hung around long enough to start the mold growing.
Now, given my previous experience with life-altering flooding, you would think that I’d have written about this a while back. Unfortunately, the Gulf Coast has it’s own currently unfolding disaster to deal with and that’s kind of kept my attention lately. I haven’t written about that either, but I’ll be talking about it soon. Especially since, if you’d asked me a few months ago, I’d have had no trouble naming BP as my favorite oil company. But more on that later...
Okay, so once I looked around and was reminded that bad things happen in other parts of the country too, I called the only ice sculptor that I know in the Nashville area, Matt Simonds. He told me that he and his family were fine; they were plenty high up and the flooding never touched them. Matt’s business did take a hit, as a lot of ice sculptures were cancelled. I would imagine that his business will be down a bit for a while, as some of his clients are likely closed or offering limited services while they rebuild. However, some of this lost business should be recouped over time as some of these clients celebrate grand re-openings with high-profile events. The same thing happened with Katrina, and is actually still happening, although to a lesser degree.
Now, from the picture at the top of this entry, you might have guessed that the flooding may have another effect on the world of ice sculpting: the ICE! event at the Gaylord Opryland. ICE! is an elaborate indoor ice sculpture display created by sculptors from Harbin, China that the four large Gaylord properties feature during the holidays. The Gaylord Opryland took a major hit from the flooding with current guesstimates at $169-$225 million dollars, depending on how you do the math. The hotel is scheduled to reopen on November 15, which is right around when the ICE! event usually opens each year. I would speculate that the Opryland might decide not to do the ICE! exhibit this year, especially since they will be opening the repaired hotel with a lot of new employees. On the other hand ICE! might be part of the splash that they try to make with the newly updated property; we’ll have to see.
Gaylord has been actively expanding, recently adding a new property in Baltimore (Gaylord National) and the ICE! event has been held there as well. There were plans for another Gaylord property in Mesa, Arizona, but these plans have apparently been put on hold due to the recent state of the economy. The Nashville property flooding may further delay this project as it ties up company cash and other resources during the rebuild. Presumably, Gaylord would hold the ICE! event at the Mesa property as well, but it looks like it may be a while before that happens.
Matt was kind enough to send along some photos of the flooding around the Gaylord Opryland, and it’s impressive indeed. I’ve included a few below; there was a LOT of water.

(By the way, I don’t have proper sourcing info for these photos, so if I’m using them without permission, let me know and I will remove or credit them. Thanks!)

Major disasters like this flood have surprisingly wide-ranging effects. In this case, flooding in Nashville will likely hurt ice sculptors in Harbin, China and the economy of Mesa, Arizona, as well as many other people and places that I can scarcely imagine. So it’s not just Nashville’s problem, just like hurricanes and oil spills aren’t just a coastal problem. But I can also say that those affected by disasters like this are grateful for the help and support they get from those outside the area! And when it’s their turn to help somebody else, they usually will do everything they can, because they know what it’s like to be in a tough situation.

The Comments feature below currently is broken/inconsistent. If you would like to comment, send an email and make sure to reference the entry you’re commenting on and your comment will be attached to the end of the entry. You might also find photos and info from this entry on the ice carving secrets facebook page and you can comment there as well. (That’s probably the best place for comments!) Thanks!

new contest: win a die grinder

Wed, 2 Jun 2010 09:57:37 -0500

**UPDATE 7/7/10** Edwin Winslow won the die grinder and carving bit! More details here...

Okay, the last contest is over with (Congratulations to Victor Dagatan, who won the ice sculpting book by Yukio Matsuo!), so on to the next contest. The prize that you’ll be vying for this time is a Makita GE0600 die grinder from Ice Crafters. This model of die grinder is one of the most widely used tools amongst ice carvers and most pro ice sculptors have several of these, each fitted with a different specialized carving bit. By the way, despite the photo above, die grinders don’t usually come with any bits included. However, so that the winner will get a tool that actually carves ice instead of one that only will carve ice after you spend more money, Ice Crafters is throwing in a half inch straight bit as well. This is the best contest prize we’ve offered yet and the total value of the prize is $160. Also, once again, you don’t have to do a whole lot to be eligible to win it.
Here are the details:
Prize:
Makita GE0600 die grinder from Ice Crafters along with a 1/2 inch 2 flute titanium-coated straight bit  total value: $160 (shipping is also included in the prize, in most cases)
Eligibility:
1) “Like” both the ice carving secrets and Ice Crafters facebook pages. You need to be a fan of both pages at the time of the entry deadline.
2) Post an item or items on ice carving secrets Facebook page. You have a number of options for this requirement and each option will earn you a certain number of contest entries. The max number of entries for any one person is five, except in the case of a bonus entry or entries (see below).
Discussion: Start a discussion on an ice sculpture-related topic. The only catch with this is, for it to count, somebody else (another fan) has to continue the discussion before the deadline. Legitimate and fair (my discretion) discussions only. Earns 1 entry.
Ice sculpture photo: Posting a photo (your photo, not somebody else’s) of an oversized ice sculpture that you saw. A caption describing what you know about it is required. Earns 1 entry.
Photo of your ice sculpture: Posting a photo of an ice sculpture that you made (caption required). Earns 2 entries.  **BONUS** You earn a bonus entry if it’s your version of a design from the ice carving secrets design page. (Photos qualifying for the bonus, may be added to the design entry page on this site and/or added to the Visitors’ Gallery.)
Ice video: Post an ice carving-related video that you’re authorized to post. YouTube or similar doesn’t count unless it’s your video. Earns 4 entries.
1) Send an email detailing how many entries you’ve submitted

Deadline for entry: 5 p.m. CDT, Wednesday, June 23, 2010
Determining the winner: The winner will be randomly selected from all the eligible entries posted/received by the deadline.

The point of this contest, aside from generating facebook “fans,” is to provide incentive for those interested in ice sculpture to share what they’re doing and share their ideas. The “Comments” feature on this site is currently not working properly because two software programs don’t work together well, so the ice carving secrets facebook page has become the real-time forum for comments and interaction. This contest and the ice carving secrets facebook page itself encourage you to post your own ice-related photo and information. Particularly self-promoting photos, videos, or otherwise will be tolerated, but only up to a point, so choose wisely.
Finally, here are some additional niceties about the contest. The contest can be ended or modified at any point due to unforeseen circumstances, but this will be handled in as fair a manner as possible. Those not eligible to enter this contest include myself (Dawson List), persons associated with Ice Crafters, and persons associated with other advertisers on this site. The winner of the main prize in the previous contest is also ineligible. (For example, Victor is not eligible, because he just won the last contest, but Andy, who won the first contest, is now eligible again.) If you post an item to enter the contest, you are asserting that you have the right to post the item. The prize includes the die grinder and bit, along with shipping to addresses in the U.S. If the winner lives outside the U.S., then shipping costs may be covered, depending on the final destination (e.g., shipping to Antarctica: still NOT covered). Problems entering the contest or questions about the contest? Send an email describing your problem or question. Good luck!

As mentioned before, the Comments feature below currently is broken/inconsistent. If you would like to comment, send an email and make sure to reference the entry you’re commenting on and your comment will be attached to the end of the entry. You might also find photos and info from this entry on the ice carving secrets facebook page and you can comment there as well. (That’s probably the best place for comments!) Thanks!

electric hand-held blower

Tue, 1 Jun 2010 12:11:07 -0500

You know how once buy a certain piece of equipment and start using it, you say to yourself: “Dang, I wish I’d bought this years ago!”? (Okay, maybe you don’t say “Dang.”) Well, I said something similar to myself when I got an electric blower. Like the nailboard, the electric blower can be one of those really useful ice sculpting tools that you’ll use over and over again. (I use mine almost every time that I carve, at least in the freezer.) Unfortunately, it’s also one of those tools that you might feel like you can get by without until you’ve got some extra money (which never really happens).

Here’s what I frequently use my blower for in the freezer (or when it’s cold outside):

sculpture cleanup: it’s very good for quickly blowing snow and small ice shards off of a sculpture, especially when used in combination with a brush to break up stubborn clumps of snow. This tool is particularly useful for clearing off large, oversized pieces. In Alaska, at the Ice Art Championships, for example, it’s invaluable.

general cleanup: I use it to knock snow out of hard-to-get-to spots and like a leaf blower to push snow into manageable piles. This is a little bit like herding cats, so it’s not a solution by itself, but it can make cleanup much quicker, especially when you go with the option of just blowing all the snow under something so that you can’t see it any more.

engraving cleanout: If you’re adding color to a piece by backside engraving, then it’s really important to get all the snow out of the engraving so that it doesn’t get in the way of the color. One way to get the snow out (as long as it’s cold and the snow is dry) is to blow it out with this tool, using an ice pick or small chisel to help dislodge snow stuck in corners. Now the moving air will warm up the ice a little, so it needs to be pretty cold, but it works well.

One alternative to this his tool is to use a hose attached to an air compressor. The compressed air option works well when it’s only needed in one place, like in a studio freezer. However, if you need portability, the Makita blower is better, as long as you have access to an electrical outlet. This tool is small, lightweight, and pretty powerful. It’s not quite as powerful as the blower that knocked over Junichi’s sculpture this year, but it’s probably not far off.

The Makita electric blower is available from Ice Crafters here, cost $188.

The Comments feature below currently is broken/inconsistent. If you would like to comment, send an email and make sure to reference the entry you’re commenting on and your comment will be attached to the end of the entry. You might also find photos and info from this entry on the ice carving secrets facebook page and you can comment there as well. (That’s probably the best place for comments!) Thanks!

vertical “DAD” design

Thu, 13 May 2010 18:17:15 -0500

Father’s Day is on June 20th this year. In addition to the normal reminders that this day brings, I’m always reminded of my first ice sculpture, a “DAD” written horizontal (and similar to another design on this site). So, on top of everything else, it’s an anniversary for me, just like I’m sure that other holidays mark new beginnings for other ice carvers.

If you have any questions about this piece, email me your comments (see below). If you would like to use this ice sculpture design or any other design on this site, please check the design usage guidelines. The design collection page lists designs on the site.

The Comments feature below currently is broken/inconsistent. If you would like to comment, send an email and make sure to reference the entry you’re commenting on and your comment will be attached to the end of the entry. Photos and info from this entry can also be found on the ice carving secrets facebook page and you can comment there as well. (That’s probably the best place for comments!) Thanks!

another robot ice sculptor?

Tue, 11 May 2010 14:34:27 -0500

This machine creates “sculptures” from ice by laying down thin layers of ice one at a time until a three dimensional ice object is created. It was apparently built as a Canadian university project to prove a concept and obtain grant funding. Several websites tout it as the end of human ice sculptors. One writes: “I am sorry to report that the latest profession to be made obsolete by robots is ice sculpting. Cold-hearted explanation follows.”
Interestingly, one major flaw in the system is hardly mentioned: the ice produced isn’t clear. Clear ice blocks are produced by allowing ice/water molecules to align themselves into ice’s crystal lattice structure while salts and dissolved air stay in the unfrozen water. This machine does nothing to allow large ice crystals to properly form and the resulting items are a mish mash of tiny crystals oriented in all directions. Light doesn’t have a clear path through these “ice sculptures,” so they don’t have that crystal look. Thus, this robot produces items that look more like snow sculptures than modern ice sculptures.
Aside from the ice clarity issue, this machine has some other problems with its sculpture production. First, it’s slow. It takes hours to “print” each item. Also, this robot couldn’t create anything that had unsupported overhanging ice (think of icicles) without using a workaround such as a temporary support strut. On the up side, however, the blue ice mug in the photo indicates that this machine might be very good at creating small items from colored ice. The color in the mug is uniform and presumably the coloring is incorporated into the sculpture as it’s being built up. If it were possible to vary the color, like a normal printer would be able to, some fantastic looking colored ice pieces could probably be created!
In short, as an ice sculptor, I’m not worried. This machine is no threat to what I do, but someday it might be a tool that I could use in my work, especially if the coloring method lives up to its apparent potential. The standard subtractive CNC machine is a much bigger threat to ice sculptors that do all their work by hand, but so far, not many ice artists have been replaced by CNC robots. In fact, I recently heard about one situation in which there are two ice sculpture companies in a city, one carving everything by hand and the other all by machine. The “all by machine” company is the one in trouble and may have already folded! So, an “ice carving robot” is not enough all by itself to guarantee success. There are lots of factors that determine an ice sculpting company’s success or failure; one aspect is generally not enough to make all the difference.

The Comments feature below currently is broken/inconsistent. If you would like to comment, send an email and make sure to reference the entry you’re commenting on and your comment will be attached to the end of the entry. You might also find photos and info from this entry on the ice carving secrets facebook page and you can comment there as well. (That’s probably the best place for comments!) Thanks!

Mother’s Day cameo design

Fri, 7 May 2010 10:17:56 -0500

updated 5/12/10
This is the second of two last minute Mother’s Day designs. It requires a half block slab of ice along with a stabilizing base. This design was based on another sculpture design, courtesy of Jeff and Michelle Stahl, formerly of Artic Diamond but now of Sculptured Elements (see the photo below)

The photo above was not the one I was trying to get.
The sculpture above was a quick version while the intent was to engrave the silhouette like the version from Jeff Stahl below.

If you have any questions about this piece, email me your comments (see below). If you would like to use this ice sculpture design or any other design on this site, please check the design usage guidelines. The design collection page lists designs on the site.

The Comments feature below currently is broken/inconsistent. If you would like to comment, send an email and make sure to reference the entry you’re commenting on and your comment will be attached to the end of the entry. Photos and info from this entry can also be found on the ice carving secrets facebook page and you can comment there as well. (That’s probably the best place for comments!) Thanks!

vertical “MOM” design

Thu, 6 May 2010 07:20:55 -0500

updated 5/12/10

This is one of two last minute Mother’s Day designs. It requires a half block slab of ice along with a stabilizing base.

If you have any questions about this piece, email me your comments (see below). If you would like to use this ice sculpture design or any other design on this site, please check the design usage guidelines. The design collection page lists designs on the site.

The Comments feature below currently is broken/inconsistent. If you would like to comment, send an email and make sure to reference the entry you’re commenting on and your comment will be attached to the end of the entry. Photos and info from this entry can also be found on the ice carving secrets facebook page and you can comment there as well. (That’s probably the best place for comments!) Thanks!

pacifier design

Mon, 3 May 2010 15:46:14 -0500

I seem to do a fair amount of ice sculpting for baby showers. It appears that these events are becoming more and more elaborate. I’ve done baby bottles, baby carriages, and the stork design that’s also on this site. I’ll be adding more baby shower-related designs in the future, but I was particularly happy with my latest version of a pacifier sculpture. In the past, I’d carved a pacifier and not really liked the result. This version is fairly simple (although it has several welds), makes a nice visual statement, and holds up well.
The sculpture is created by splitting the ice block into two slabs, cutting out the necessary parts, and assembling them. One slab should be a little thinner, say 3 to 3.25 inches thick, while the other should be thicker, 5 inches. To give the sculpture more dimension, you can put an angle on the weld surface at the top of the ring. It makes the weld slightly more challenging, but it helps the sculpture’s silhouette. Make sure the pacifier nipple is nicely rounded out.

If you have any questions about this piece, email me your comments (see below). If you would like to use this ice sculpture design or any other design on this site, please check the design usage guidelines. The design collection page lists designs on the site.

The Comments feature below currently is broken/inconsistent. If you would like to comment, send an email and make sure to reference the entry you’re commenting on and your comment will be attached to the end of the entry. Photos and info from this entry can also be found on the ice carving secrets facebook page and you can comment there as well. (That’s probably the best place for comments!) Thanks!

new contest: win an ice sculpting book

Sun, 2 May 2010 19:05:09 -0500

**UPDATE: The contests is over! Congratulations to Victor Dagatan, who won the copy of Matsuo’s “Ice Sculpture: Secrets of a Japanese Master”**
The first ice carving secrets contest is over (congrats to Andy Ta, who won the flat chisel and Junichi saw from Ice Crafters), so now it’s time to start the next contest. The prize for this contest is a gently used copy of Ice Sculpture: Secrets of a Japanese Master, by Yukio Matsuo. I believe this book used to sell for about $80 new, but now prices for this excellent source of ice sculpting knowledge range widely for used copies. I’ve seen it listed from about $30 all the way up to $150. This book came out in 1992 and features the first published use of a die grinder (that I’m aware of, at least) for sculpting ice. A Makita die grinder (it’s referred to as an electric drill) is pictured on the tool pages and the author writes that the tool, in combination with a rounded bit “gives a softer touch than using gouge chisels, and creates unique reflections.” In the late eighties and early nineties, the art of carving ice was undergoing a power tool renaissance, led by innovative sculptors such as national champion Mark Daukas, so it’s particularly interesting that a die grinder would show up in Matsuo’s book, especially since the Japanese approach at the time to ice art was generally considered to be more traditional.
The winner of the book will be randomly selected from all qualifying entries after the contest deadline of 5 pm CDT on Sunday, May 23, 2010. Qualifying for this contest is simple:
1) Be members of the ice carving secrets and Ice Crafters facebook groups at the time of the contest deadline.
2) Post a photo of one of your ice sculptures on the ice carving secrets facebook page (it should end up as a fan photo). If you post your version of one of the designs on ice carving secrets, then your entry will be counted twice. Posted photos of your version of an ice carving secrets design will also be added to the Visitors’ Gallery on this site at a later date. If one of your photos already is part of the Visitors’ Gallery, then you still need to post it to the ice carving secrets facebook page to participate.
3) Finally, although it’s not an absolute requirement, you should send an email indicating that you’ve fulfilled the requirements to enter the contest.
Those not eligible to enter this contest include myself (Dawson List), persons associated with Ice Crafters, persons associated with other advertisers on this site, and those who’ve never carved an ice sculpture and taken a picture of it. If you post a photo to enter the contest, you are asserting that you carved the sculpture and that you have the right to post the photo. The prize includes the book, along with shipping and insurance to addresses in the U.S. If the winner lives outside the U.S., then shipping costs may be covered, depending on the final destination (e.g., shipping to Antarctica: NOT covered). Problems entering the contest? Send an email describing the problem.

The Comments feature below currently is broken/inconsistent. If you would like to comment, send an email and make sure to reference the entry you’re commenting on and your comment will be attached to the end of the entry. Photos and info from this entry can also be found on the ice carving secrets facebook page and you can comment there as well. (That’s probably the best place for comments!) Thanks!

golf ball design

Fri, 30 Apr 2010 21:30:27 -0500

I’m posting this ice sculpture design a little early; it’s not quite finished. But I needed to add some info about the contest and it couldn’t wait, so here it is. Pretty much all the details for this design are here, but it will be updated later. I’m also waiting on a photo of the sculpture, as I unexpectedly couldn’t be there for the set up when it was put in place.

This design requires a block and a half of ice: on full block for the ball and most of a half block slab for the base and tee. The full block is split into two square pieces, which are then welded together and cut down to a 16” cube. From this cube, a 16” diameter sphere or ball is cut, leaving the bottom flattened so that it can be welded to the tee. From the half block slab (at least 4” thick”), you’ll cut a base slab, the grass and tee portion, and the tee top. The grass and tee are welded to the base and then the tee top is cut down to 2” thick and welded to the grass and tee section. During set up, the ball will be welded to the top of the tee.

After the ball is sculpted and smoothed, the dimple pattern is applied (which is one of the hard parts). I used a 1.5” Forstner drill bit to add the pattern the last time, but I was only somewhat happy with the results. I’m looking into a burr bit that would do a better job. The Forstner bit fractured the ice around the dimples and left a tiny mark in the center of each dimple. But it did work and the client was very happy.
To add the dimples, I started with a single band that went most of the way around the ball. Then I concentrated on replicating the pattern below until the ball was covered. I was carving in a freezer, so I used a magic marker to map out my cuts before I did any damage to the ice.

Look for more about this design soon!

If you have any questions about this piece, email me your comments (see below). If you would like to use this ice sculpture design or any other design on this site, please check the design usage guidelines. The design collection page lists designs on the site.

The Comments feature below currently is broken/inconsistent. If you would like to comment, send an email and make sure to reference the entry you’re commenting on and your comment will be attached to the end of the entry. Photos and info from this entry can also be found on the ice carving secrets facebook page and you can comment there as well. (That’s probably the best place for comments!) Thanks!

50th anniversary design

Sun, 25 Apr 2010 08:59:43 -0500

There isn’t much to say in about this ice sculpture design that wasn’t said in the earlier entries about the 10th anniversary design and the 25th anniversary design. Fifty years is a long time and this anniversary should truly be a special moment to be celebrated!

If you have any questions about this piece, email me your comments (see below). If you would like to use this ice sculpture design or any other design on this site, please check the design usage guidelines. The design collection page lists designs on the site.

The Comments feature below currently is broken/inconsistent. If you would like to comment, send an email and make sure to reference the entry you’re commenting on and your comment will be attached to the end of the entry. Photos and info from this entry can also be found on the ice carving secrets facebook page and you can comment there as well. (That’s probably the best place for comments!) Thanks!

25th anniversary design

Sat, 24 Apr 2010 18:39:25 -0500

Yesterday, I posted the 10th anniversary design that featured “Anthony & Nicole” on the ribbon, along with a photo of the actual sculpture that I carved for Anthony and Nicole a couple weeks ago. Now perhaps I’m being optimistic and getting a little ahead of things, but I’ve put together a 25th anniversary version of the design, with “Anthony & Nicole” again on the ribbon. Hopefully, they’re still together fifteen years from now!
Again, this design requires a half block slab and an additional smaller 4” thick slab for the base. The two side welds are relatively easy as long as the aluminum welding technique is used. Any short message can go on the ribbon and the font used in the line art is Bickham Script Pro. Look for an even more optimistic version of this design tomorrow: the 50th anniversary!

This was the original design, carved without a template, that was the basis for the more refined “10” and “25” versions that have been posted so far

If you have any questions about this piece, email me your comments (see below). If you would like to use this ice sculpture design or any other design on this site, please check the design usage guidelines. The design collection page lists designs on the site.

The Comments feature below currently is broken/inconsistent. If you would like to comment, send an email and make sure to reference the entry you’re commenting on and your comment will be attached to the end of the entry. Photos and info from this entry can also be found on the ice carving secrets facebook page and you can comment there as well. (That’s probably the best place for comments!) Thanks!

10th anniversary design

Fri, 23 Apr 2010 23:39:50 -0500

This is a simple, straightforward design that can be used for anniversaries or birthdays. The font in the design is Bickham Script Pro, but you can use any font that works for you. I’ve included a template version without the lettering to simplify customization. Sculpting this piece requires a half block slab and an additional smaller 4” thick slab for the base. Look for “25” and “50” versions of this design soon.

If you have any questions about this piece, email me your comments (see below). If you would like to use this ice sculpture design or any other design on this site, please check the design usage guidelines. The design collection page lists designs on the site.

The Comments feature below currently is broken. If you would like to comment, send an email and make sure to reference the entry you’re commenting on and your comment will be attached to the end of the entry. Photos and info from this entry can also be found on the ice carving secrets facebook page and you can comment there as well. Thanks!

Ice Alaska Ice Park: saved!

Thu, 22 Apr 2010 03:50:19 -0500

Here’s a bit of information that hasn’t even shown up on Ice Alaska’s website yet (at least as I write this): the Ice Alaska Ice Park is apparently saved! I called Ice Alaska chairman Dick Brickley the other night to see what the status of the park was now that the Alaskan Legislative session was over. He was in a very good mood and informed me that the 2011 World Ice Art Championships are a go and that they are already accepting applications. They only have 40 single block team spots and 25 multi-block team spots, so if you’re interested in going, make sure you get your application in as soon as possible. There are already a few spots filled. I don’t have the exact dates, but the Championships typically are held at the end of February through the beginning of March. As the Ice Alaska website hasn’t been updated yet with application links, etc., you’ll need to contact Ice Alaska directly to apply for now.
Here’s what happened with the park’s status. The Fairbanks North Star Borough, which had previously adopted a resolution petitioning the Alaska Legislature to transfer the Ice Park land from the Alaska Railroad to the borough, has stepped in and is dealing with the railroad on Ice Alaska’s behalf. They’ve come to an agreement for next year and are working to come to a permanent agreement where the park land would be transferred to the borough so that the Ice Art Championships can be developed and expanded. It makes a lot of sense for the borough to be directly involved in this issue because Fairbanks is the major beneficiary of the economic impact generated by the Championships. A recent article in the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner gives many of the details and confirms that the 2011 event will go forward.
In addition, Ice Alaska has already chosen the theme for next year. Each year a different theme is chosen for the Championships and there is a contest to come up with the pin design. Next year’s theme is “Dream Big.” This seems especially appropriate now, as it looks like the future for the Championships is bright and Ice Alaska perhaps can really start dreaming of bigger and better things!

The Comments feature below currently is broken. If you would like to comment, send an email and make sure to reference the entry you’re commenting on and your comment will be attached to the end of the entry. Photos and info from this entry can also be found on the ice carving secrets facebook page and you can comment there as well. Thanks!