Some time ago I cut an amethyst geode for another miner sculpture.

A helpful person at the Calgary Rock and Lapidary club where I cut the stone suggested that the residue piece from the cut would make a perfect den for an animal. Accordingly, as I had just finished my Three Bears sculpture, it was an easy thought to make another bear sculpture using this wonderful cutting.

The picture below shows the cut geode. The part on the left is the piece I cut for my mining sculpture and the part on the right shows the part that I am using for this Bear’s Den sculpture.

Stones like the amethyst geode are pinned to the base. Bolts are glued into the stone. I drill 1/4 inch holes that are about 1/2 inch deep. These holes are drilled under water to keep the diamond bit cool.

The bolts are secured using Tenax mastic epoxy. This is a commercial product used to fill and glue marbles and granite. The epoxy uses a catalyst with about a 3% mix ratio. It sets up in about 10 minutes with a strong exothermic reaction.

When the stone is prepared it is fit to the walnut base. I had originally thought to give the bears a black patina similar to The Three Bears sculpture. However, if the black cubs were set inside the den, they could not be easily seen.

I removed the patina and restored the bears to their natural bronze colour. Now, the bears are easier to see. I will further burnish the bears to create a more reflective surface for better visibility.

This sculpture is now finished except for sanding the walnut and applying a tung oil finish.