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Step TWO
Because he’s a cool chainsaw master, Zhang then sliced off two panels, each about seven centimeters thick and about 1.2 meters long. The ice blocks weren’t wide enough to create a magazine cover-like panel, so he “glued” the two together by wetting the top of the bottom panel, fitting the second panel on it, and then allowed them to refreeze. Even close-up, seeing where the two panels were fitted was not easy, so seamless was the move. The edges of the panels can be smoothed using a basic household tool: an iron.
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Step THREE
Zhang used a small metal scraper to remove any ice shavings from inside the letters. To “seal” the sculpture, smooth the edges, and give the whole thing more of a shine, he heated a metal plate using the iron, then passed it over the entire front of the sculpture, melting the top layer of ice, which would then quickly refreeze. This makes the sculpture glossy and removes any bumps on its surface. The surface becomes smooth to the touch, and light shined through the ice diffuses more clearly.
Step FOUR
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Zhang affixed a printout of the Beijinger logo and cover text to the top portion of the ice, to allow him to etch the letters into the ice using a Dremel drill. This primary etching process took about 20 minutes.
The biggest surprise? What we expected would be a threehour job took about 20 minutes. Zhang, who studied ice sculpting as part of a degree in sculpture and fine art, said that more complex pieces, such as the swans that are popular at Sunday brunches, take less than an hour for him to complete.
19
January 2014