Progress update.. Letters are carved. Gothic letters take a really long time but they’re also a lot of fun. Currently working on the frame niche for the Bitaxe. Gonna need to touch up the letters again later, but I’ll do that after I finish everything else.

One more letter to go. Then some sanding and carving out a niche for the bitaxe itself. I may add gold leaf to the letters as well to match the pcb board…

This is the face I get when I’ve been working too much and haven’t given Toshi enough treats for being a good good boy.

Wet sanding continues. I’d be lying if I said this wasn’t boring. But this is where the real magic happens. As you go to higher and higher grits of sandpaper, the stone becomes more translucent, revealing a hidden visual depth and beauty that’s worth the tedium. Back to work…

I love lettering- There’s so much history behind the letters we use, and I feel like each letter I carve is a record of myself and the progress I’ve made. This typeface is challenging and fun, but I wouldn’t have been able to do this when I first started.

Fun fact: The sanding process can take just as long as the carving process if you do it right, especially when doing it by hand. Who has an audiobook reco for me?

Pretty sure whoever decided to use gothic text for the bitaxe graphics did it because they knew I’d carve it in stone. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.

What a beauty of a stone. Almost ready to start sanding and polishing. For anyone new, this commission began with a 1000lb block of orange honeycomb calcite. A few hundred pounds carved away and here we are. Who wants to commission a giant ₿ in marble next?

Back to work on the giant ₿ I’ve been getting over Covid and finally feeling well enough jump back in. A few people have asked how I get into this narrow area.. the answer is with time and patience. I use this small diamond bit on a die grinder and just work it from various angles. Eventually I’ll use diamond files and sandpaper, but this one tool does the job for most of it. Nearly ready to start sanding and then polishing. When the sculpture is “done” I’ll then bring it to a specialty shop to powder coat it in a clear, UV resistant finish.

Can anyone guess what’s getting installed in the rectangle after I carve those beautiful gothic letters?

HODL ₿ITCOIN

Tested out a new technique… ₿ engraved into polished orange calcite and then filled in with a mixture of epoxy and calcite dust. What do you think?

In the home stretch..kind of. Shaping is nearly complete. I’m still working on the bottom and I need to do more work on the two holes and a few areas on the sides. But then comes the painstaking work of sanding and polishing..

“How does everyone feel about the B symbol with the two lines through the outside? Can we live with that as our logo?” -Satoshi Nakamoto

These two things are not alike. If you would like to commission a REAL statue made of REAL stone. Please reach out. This commission I’m currently working on is 2.5 feet tall. Who wants to go bigger? 6.15 feet? The world needs more Bitcoin statues. Preferably in public places.

Carving update ⚒️₿ Today I worked on the curve of the base and ended up separating the two lines at the top. At this stage I’m getting close to the final form but it’s all about making sure the lines and angles are correct. Not quite ready for sanding and polishing but soon.

Carving continues.. ⚒️₿ Currently working on the holes in the ₿ and I’ll go back to the curve in the base shortly. Not quite ready to separate the two vertical lines at the top and bottom, but almost. Those will be the most delicate parts of the sculpture so I want to minimize any chance of breakage.

I love my standing desk.