Ice Man

Photo By Staff Sgt. Annette Andrews | Spc. Andrew Armstrong, 54th Forward Support Company, 1st Battalion, 321st Airborne Field Artillery Regiment, adds detail to his ice sculpture with a special drill outside the 18th Fires Brigade Dining Facility on Thanksgiving Day.  

11.26.2009

Story by Staff Sgt. Annette Andrews 

18th Field Artillery Brigade

This holiday morning started out chilly and overcast. It was a perfect day, with 50-degree weather, for Spc. Andrew Armstrong from the 54th Forward Support Company, 1st Battalion, 321st Airborne Field Artillery Regiment, to pick up a chainsaw.

Armstrong began ice sculpting about two weeks ago, and on Thanksgiving Day this Soldier from Albany, N.Y., plugged in his chainsaw; cautioned onlookers to keep a safe distance, and proceeded to display his artistic talents with a 90-minute ice sculpting exhibition outside the front doors of the 18th Fires Brigade Dining Facility on Gruber Road.

"Once I get started, I don't know who's watching, because when I'm working I'm in the zone," Armstrong stated. "I have to concentrate on what I'm doing, and the exact location of the blades for each tool I'm using. It's a beautiful art, but it can be dangerous too."

And that's why members of the 18th Fires Bde. Dining Facility took turns acting as Armstrong's safety. They kept the crowd at a safe distance and answered questions from the curious onlookers.

"These blocks of ice have to be taken from the freezer hours ahead of time," said Spc. Javier Muniz of the 135th Forward Support Company, 3rd Battalion, 27th Field Artillery Regiment, also skilled in ice carving. A skill both Soldiers learned at the Fort Bragg Culinary Arts Lab. "After the ice has been out about three hours it's considered tempered; then we can start carving on it."

The tempered ice produced that crystal clear appearance, "If we were to start carving on it right away the sculpture would have a foggy, non-translucent look," Muniz said.

After the three-hour wait, Armstrong started up his chainsaw and without a template he began slicing away chunks of ice from the 300-pound block of ice. Next he applied a special drill to carve specific details on the base of master piece. And the fine details were achieved with a chisel.

"I spray water on the sculpture to clean out the grooves and add definition to the piece," he said. "The water bottle is invaluable when working with ice. These sculptures will last a few hours in this weather. Just enough time for everyone eating here today to see them and appreciate them," said Armstrong.

Inside the dining facility the decor was a combination of Year-of-the-NCO and Disney characters theme. That explained the glass slippers made from the 20 inch by 40 inch ice blocks on the lawn of the brigade's display area in front of its dining facility. Or maybe this 10-year veteran just wanted to give his wife an extra special present for carrying his first child through this holiday season.

• Date Taken: 11.26.2009
• Date Posted: 12.02.2009 16:15
• Story ID: 42258