Thread: Marble Handles

After spending the last hour in my buddy's countertop shop, I am slightly more informed about marble working....

Turns out everyone who voiced concerns about the soft nature of marble were correct: marble cannot be turned. Apparently it's just too soft and will split apart. Supposedly there are special pneumatic tools for marble working, but as one who cuts marble for counters my friend didn't know many details or even knowledge of someone in my area that owned said equipment.

He did suggest I could get some special sandpaper and try to shape a knob (terminology?) by hand. He figured it would be soft enough to shape fairly quickly. Anyways, he had some scrap around and said he'd cut me a block tomorrow to play with, so I might try that out.

Seeing as I'm no Michelangelo, I doubt it will turn out well, but since I'm getting the materials for next to nothing I figure there's no harm in trying...

Has anyone else tried to shape a brush handle manually? Or, is that a terribly futile idea?

Not all marble is prone to cracking. The stuff Michelangelo used was pure white marble which has no cracks in it. It's the added minerals mostly iron and manganese that color marble and give it the pattern and the internal flaws-cracks. The pure stuff can be worked with hammer and chisel. The other stuff can be worked with standard lapidary tools meaning diamond saws with water and oil cooling and they have small power tools which are similar which can be used for shaping. They also have automated machines for turning just about any rock material which is how they make these spheres you see. Also marble can be more fine grained or coarse grained which matters if you intend working it.

Thanks for the info. My friend works mostly with granite, so he is certainly not a marble expert; just more informed than I was... I will ask him what type of marble it is when I head back tomorrow. Maybe then we'll have a better idea of what I'm talking about, haha.

True you could shape it w/ abrasives then polish it with counter top polish. or you could turn the acrylic and add lead fishing weights (epoxy them) somehow into the handle, and adjust the weight and center of gravity to your liking...just pulled that one out from behind, but a thought.

Exactly, tiddle. I had settled on weighting a hard wood handle with lead if this marble handle idea doesn't pan out.

As for shaping the marble, my friend suggested sanding it down using progressively finer grit. Once I had the shape and detailing finished, he said he could take a buffer and polish it up for me. Suggested adding some sort of clear coat to keep it bright and clean longer.

Though, I will restate my concerns: I'm terribly afraid this will come out some lopsided monster. The fact I am fairly OCD doesn't lend optimism to a free-hand method...

I would work from middle to outsides, if the middle is just a bit off, making the outsides match can hide that some, and also gives you a reference point for your outer areas. Just be sure you mark really well where you want any material removed. I would go so far as to suggest finding a handle shape that's simple that you like and replicate it as best you can since this is a test piece anyway, oh and be sure to drill out your knot hole first otherwise centering that thing can make any unevenness on your outer edge that much more pronounced. If any of the wood turners here could chime in they could explain it better; I am not a turning guru, just fubar'd enough to know what not to do.

Luckily my buddy has a 4'x3'x4" slab he is willing to let me use...got plenty of room for disasters

Always nice to have "fudge" room.

Originally Posted by tiddle

oh and be sure to drill out your knot hole first otherwise centering that thing can make any unevenness on your outer edge that much more pronounced. If any of the wood turners here could chime in they could explain it better; I am not a turning guru, just fubar'd enough to know what not to do.

I was thinking about this quite a bit over the last day, and that was the other 'issue" that I was thinking about, how to accurately drill/cut the hole,, again I am thinking a metal lathe

Interesting thread. I live in a town called Rocklin, and all around here we have granite, from the foothills to the high sierras. Have you seen a granite countertop? I imagine a polished granite handle would look incredible. I think I'll go outside and find a rock, and go from there.