MAGGIE’S RIBBON

 

 

                   

 

 

In 2007 I lost my sister to breast cancer.   I wanted to do something to help the folks who are fighting to find a cure for this insidious disease, so I decided to create a permanent version of the emblematic pink ribbon in marble.

 

 

Starting from a 500 lb rectangular block (36”x24”x6”) of Tennessee Pink marble, I used Feather and Wedge to split off large sections intact so they can be saved for other projects.  The stone splits fairly easily with the grain, but splitting against the grain can also be done with a little planning and care. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Once the big sections are removed, I created some of the final shaping using hand and power tools including a pneumatic chisel as in this picture.   The greatest challenge in shaping this piece was the need to turn it or flip it over to get to the backside.   Fortunately, the more I worked the piece, the lighter it got and the easier it was to move.   I estimate the final weight to be between 150 lbs and 175 lbs.

                   

                        

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It was exciting to see the final shape start to emerge even though that led to the really difficult work: many hours of sanding with increasingly finer grit.   This piece was wet sanded 8 different times, starting with 100 grit eventually working up to 2000 grit paper.   The “sides” of the ribbon were left at a 220 finish to provide a contrast to the polished front and back,

 

 

I’m looking for a charity that would like to use this sculpture to generate donations for breast cancer research.   If the charity can develop a plan for using the sculpture, I would be willing to donate the piece to that group.  

 

 If you know of a charity that can meet these objectives, please ask the charity to contact me.    Thanks for looking and for any help you can offer.

 

                                                                 Bob  

               

Want to do more????

 

*PLEASE*   Forward this website to everyone you know.  Encourage them to pass it along to everyone they know.    Help me get this ribbon to the charity that can make the best use of it.

 Want to contribute to the fight against breast cancer????

 

 If you’d like to own a piece of this sculpture, there are a number of marble chips that came directly from this stone during the carving process.   Find out how you can get one for yourself or get one for someone you care about by going HERE.

 

 

 

                                                  

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