Sketch an outline of what you would like your finished limestone sculpture to look like. This will act as a reference guide throughout the process. Keep in mind the size of your limestone block and avoid intricate details, if working on a small scale.
Set down the sandbag in the area you will be working. This should be on a sturdy surface, preferably outdoors, or in a well-ventilated indoor area where dusty stone fragments will not ruin anything. You will be setting your block of limestone on top of the sandbag, as it helps to keep vibrations at bay and your sculpting block steady.
Put on your dustmask and eye protection. Lay out all of your tools within easy reach.
Rough out the stone by removing any unwanted bulk from the the entire limestone block with a heavy chisel. Refer to your drawing to ensure you do not remove more stone than necessary.
Use a point chisel at a 45-degree angle to create cross-hatched lines in your stone block. Move in succession to create a series of grid-like squares that are relevant to your original drawing. Carefully chisel out areas within this grid, allowing shapes to emerge. This allows you to remove more specific areas within your design, as the lines can be followed like a blueprint.
Take the claw chisel and use this to shape and smooth away the lines that are remaining. Create areas in your sculpture that appear to be growing from the inside, rather than knocked away.
Use the toothed chisel to remove any unnecessary lines, further smoothing the stone and defining your image.
Take the flat chisel to remove undesirable lines left behind from the toothed chisel.
Use the rasp in a swift and repetitive forward motion to smooth any unwanted chisel marks and begin to carve any details too coarse for the chisels to define. Continue to add details and design elements that are consistent with your original sketch until you are satisfied with the final results.
Sand the statue using moistened, coarse sandpaper, working your way to the finer grades of sandpaper.
Apply the wax, rubbing with enough pressure to warm the stone and distribute the wax across your sculpture's surface. Buff the waxed statue using a buffing wheel or cloth, applying light pressure.