Working With Slate For Mosaics

[@aureleorosano6060]

Hello, my friend. Enjoyed your video immensely. While I have worked with slate only 2 or 3 times , as I watched this video, I wondered if you ever use a thin chisel to separate layers of slate. I remember using wood chisels or metal chisels (in a similar manner to your use of the hammer claws) to get a rather large thin pieces of slate. Of course, tool lovers and purists would cringe at my constant misuse of tools.

[@TreasuryRoad]

Hiya Aureleo, great to hear from you. :) LOL@Constant misuse of tools, we have something in common there. lol Yes I have done that with chisels that are blunt, it takes its toll on them though. Also a brickies chisel can work well for thicker pieces. I tend to experiment and see what works, sometimes with not so good results on the tools. lol Thanks heaps for watching. :)

[@margaretshaw3474]

@@TreasuryRoad Peter, Rachel Sagwer uses a blade out of a wood plane like a chisel.

[@bethcummingsdawson3187]

Thank you Peter at Treasury Road Very helpful & Love your voice, accent & your Great Energy❣️...

[@TreasuryRoad]

Thankyou very much that’s very kind of you to say that and l appreciate it. Thanks for watching. ❤

[@bethcummingsdawson3187]

I can barely wait to chip open some mystery color surprise beauts for myself !!

[@TreasuryRoad]

Slate is great to use in mosaics, it’s full of surprises and so earthy. Thanks for watching. 😊

[@connierose648]

Thanks!

[@TreasuryRoad]

Thankyou so very much Connie, appreciate that and it will go towards the channel. So kind of you. :)

[@cindypage8673]

I love slate, the colours are amazing. I am lucky I can just walk down my garden and into the fields to collect as much as I want. Good safety info though Peter, thank you x x

[@TreasuryRoad]

Thankyou so much Cindy. That’s so wonderful to be able to just collect it from the garden, generally l have to buy it. 😊

[@fishhawklakerealtor]

Excellent and informative!!!

[@TreasuryRoad]

Thankyou so much, appreciate that and Thankyou for watching.

[@liannelewis3622]

Thankyou for posting this. I’m just a beginner and have been wondering about this very topic. Cheers. 👏

[@TreasuryRoad]

Thankyou so much glad the video helped you. 😊

[@MrShampoodles]

Thank you soooooo much Peter! Thank you for making the, as you said it, the boring part...first....major good info!! Another awesome video, thank you! Oh and thanks for the links too!

[@TreasuryRoad]

Thankyou and my pleasure, so glad you enjoyed it. :)

[@ingriddean5333]

I wonder how it would work with a hammer and hardie. Ever try it? Thanks for this great little video!!!

[@TreasuryRoad]

I haven't tried that Ingrid, it may work but keeping it steady may be the issue because the slate isn't flat due to its layers and how its breaks. It may be the case it works well for the large pieces but smaller pieces may be fiddly. Thanks for watching and appreciate the comment. :)

[@christinemartin4338]

Good informative video. Thanks

[@TreasuryRoad]

Thankyou so much Christine and thanks for watching and commenting. :)

[@cherylk6752]

Thank you for this great video also, Peter! Slate is beautiful= and I just acquired some pieces at a yard sale. I’m wondering - if I use it as a substrate would I seal it before just like as I would a Terra Cotta pot?

[@TreasuryRoad]

Thankyou very much Cheryl, slate is porous but its also used for roofing. I personally have only used slate for indoor pieces and have sealed it with a penetrating sealer before mosaicking onto it however my experience with slate is very limited. Some people prefer to use a penetrating sealing on porous substrates and others don't. I do love using slate and would like to work with it a lot more, Rachel Davis is the absolute queen of slate and her pieces are fabulous as well as her knowledge with slate, you could reach out to her for her opinion, Rachel is in a number of Facebook mosaic groups. Using slate as the substrate will make the piece quite heavy I would be inclined to use Wedi board or Thermasheet as the substrate and apply the beautiful slate pieces to that but it does depend what you have in mind and the size. Thanks for watching. :)

[@cherylk6752]

Thank you again for your willingness to share your expertise. I have watched a couple videos by Rachel using slate, but I haven’t found one about slate as a substrate. I’ll pose a question to her directly, though. My plan was to make a house number plaque that needs to be able to survive in a cold winter climate, so Wedi seems best. Good day! I love hearing the bird songs in the background on your videos!

[@TreasuryRoad]

Thankyou Cheryl, yes I love hearing the birds in the garden as well. Unless you are going to be seeing the beautiful slate background I would be using Wedi Board because the mosaic will cover it. :)

[@Ormeyy]

Great vid thanks!

[@TreasuryRoad]

Thankyou so much James appreciate that and thanks for watching. :)

[@DenGio55]

Hi Peter! I just received a nice order of slate pieces. Very gritting and dusty. Should I rinse and dry them off before I attempt to cut or before I apply to my substrate? Might be a silly question. 😊 Thank you!

[@TreasuryRoad]

Ohh that’s quite exciting and not a silly question. l would be rinsing them and cleaning them up a bit if they are really dusty and dirty. Thanks for watching and commenting. 😊

[@DenGio55]

@@TreasuryRoad thank you so much!!!

[@barbarawagner9849]

What adhesive do you recommend for adhering slate to a mosaic?

[@TreasuryRoad]

Generally l use thinset (cement based adhesive) to adhere slate. There are different types of thinset so make sure it’s suitable for the slate, substrate and the environment the mosaic is going into. 😊

[@sundaysunshine2925]

I’d love to see you create a piece using slate .

[@TreasuryRoad]

Thanks so much Sunshine, yes I will be doing that. If you go to my Treasury Road Facebook page you will see a photo there of a piece i created using the slate as a substrate. :)

[@mozhdehnouripayam9470]

Hi Peter, is it safe to use slate as a substrate as it's break down easily into layers or pieces. What kind of preparation is required for using it as a substrate. Thanks

[@TreasuryRoad]

Hi Mozhdeh, slate makes a pretty good substrate, it is heavy though and using it would depend on the project, they do use it on floors and countertops. Generally slate itself doesn't require any preparation. :)

[@rupashukla5916]

Wow just yesterday Julie Mazzoni posted her slate mosaics!!!!

[@TreasuryRoad]

Very true I watched that and commented, they turned out great. :)

[@rupashukla5916]

Peter I like that you all are so humble about yourselves while appreciating and respecting other artists too 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻

[@judywheeler8734]

….And Rachel Davies is an expert with slate mosaics. Thx. Peter.

[@TreasuryRoad]

@@judywheeler8734 You're right Rachel does amazing work. :)

[@TreasuryRoad]

@@rupashukla5916 Thankyou so very much Rupa, appreciate that. :)

[@donnadiesburg7451]

why and how would you use slate?

[@TreasuryRoad]

Just have a Google for slate mosaic art. Just another form of tessera to make mosaics, also slate makes a good substrate to do mosaics on as well. :)

[@KMF3]

I didn't realize how soft it is

[@TreasuryRoad]

Its fairly soft, the shale is softer. :)