Don't Eat This Pudding
By Connie M. Thompson
Once upon a time glaciers covered our planet. There was a mountain in
the Blind River/Thessalon, Ontario area just to the northeast of the Eastern
Upper Peninsula, As the last glacier moved forward, it cut the tip of the
whole mountain off and rolled it southwards as it went. It then spread
out that mountaintop over a 40-mile radius in Michigan, widening out as
it went below the bridge.
Drummond Island was once a giant piece of limestone until that last glacier
deposited chunks and boulders of Ontario's mountaintop over it. Within
that mountaintop laid an unusual type of stone called pudding stone. Some
folks have heard of it, but not many have seen large chunks of it like
are present on Drummond Island and in the extreme Eastern Upper Peninsula.
Pudding stone is as rare as Petoskey stones are in lower Michigan. Someone
who has a gravel pit full of it may differ in opinion, but the average
person has seen few, if any, pudding stones in their life. One such gravel
pit on Drummond Island belongs to Michael Seaman and he has found a unique
way to utilize such a treasure trove.
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If you were to visit his workshop on the island you would find various pudding stone boulders strewn about the lawn as if they were just waiting for their beauty to be discovered. And that is what Seaman does - he brings out the beauty in the stone.
Pudding stone in Michigan is a jasper conglomerate and comes in many different colors and sizes. The whimsical name derives from the early French-Canadian settlers who named the stone after a pudding they often served for dessert containing cherries, currants and nuts. In pudding stone, bits of red, pink, green, gray, green and black are mixed in a matrix of light gray which holds all of the smaller stones together. Seaman describes some of the matrixes as being different colors as well and mentions that pudding stone with a green matrix is his favorite - and also the hardest to find.
Only a retired stone mason could find and bring out such beauty in a simple rock that most people wouldn't give a second look. Seaman retired from brick laying in 1990 and has found a simple serenity in stone cutting on his 37 acre homestead.
Seaman can look at a rock and tell what can be made out of it. His stonework involves making many types of different objects and he makes what can only be called artwork. His pieces are beautiful and exquisite in their design and he makes them for the simple joy of creating, not for an income.
Many years ago Seaman bought out a rock shop, getting all the rocks and equipment in the deal. Much of it was geared towards jewelry-making, which he tried and didn't enjoy too much - the work was too small for him. One time a guy asked him if he could make a little box out of stone because his wife collected little boxes. Michael tried to make one and a new product was born, one which would be one of Seaman's best sellers. That's how his stone slab building process got started. Since then Seaman has used up or sold much of the original equipment, but has acquired much more that is specific to his type of work.
Seaman has a garage that he uses for his slab cutting, which is where he takes the small boulders, places them in large cutting bins that enclose lapidary saws and sets them to work cutting the slabs. The stone saws use a 36-inch diamond-tipped circular blade that is oil-lubricated. It takes about three hours for the saw to cut through a regular-sized rock (about 24 inches wide). Seaman is able to set it up, then walk away and the saw will turn itself off when it is done.
Four of these stone saws occupy Seaman's garage and he spends all spring and summer running these cutting slabs so that he can spend all winter inside in his workshop cutting them into smaller pieces with a tiny bandsaw and diamond-coated grinders.
The largest stones he moves around with his tractor and they have to be cut into blocks before they can be cut into slabs. Seaman has literally dozens of large pudding stone boulders that are waiting to be cut, along with others that he has started to cut into slabs, but hasn't finished. He has never had to buy a pudding stone, as they are found naturally in his gravel pit. Many people bring him pudding stones also, hoping that he will consider a trade and make them something in return.
One such example is his cousin, who has a 2-3 ton pudding stone that his wife would like a vanity top out of. Unfortunately, he does not have a saw large enough to cut it up. It is illegal to take pudding stone off of state land and Seaman questions each person who brings him a piece, to make sure that they acquired it legally. He has gotten pudding stone from Gaylord, Rogers City and south as far as Ohio.
One piece of pudding stone that he has been trying to acquire for 15 years is owned by a gal downstate. It is a pink puddingstone (quite rare) and he keeps asking her, "Let me saw that rock up," but she hasn't given in yet.
Seaman's love for stone is evident in his work, as he seems to have an innate ability to bring out the colors in their best light. "Pudding stone itself is naturally full of holes," Seaman says and "It comes in all colors, even purple!" Seaman also mentioned that there will sometimes be iron pyrite in the pudding stone, which gives it gold sparkles. All of Seaman's work is unpolished, but his saws cut so slowly that the stone is as smooth as glass when he is finished. Any sanding that has to be done is done by machine, as hand-sanding would be impossibly slow.
Finely arranged in his workshop are many finished pieces and many more unfinished work. He has Drummond Island-shaped clocks, chess piece sets, chess boards, tiny chests of drawers, napkin, toothpick and pencil holders, coasters, cutlery, drawer pulls and steak knife sets. There are also baby spoons, suncatchers, and golf putters to be had, while nearby many more pieces sit waiting to be cut and assembled.
Seaman professes to be a devout Catholic and spends many hours each year cutting out hundreds of crosses and angels to give to the Diocese in Gaylord. That got started one day when he made a tiny pudding stone cross for his wife. She gave it away and asked him to make a few more so that she could give them away to fellow cancer patients. "I've received so much in my life that making these is a way for me to give back," Seaman says.
As far as what to make, Seaman says, "People give me ideas all the time." This is how he has come to make countertops, foyer floors, coffee tables and baby spoons. He also gets inspiration right out of his workshop window, as he did one time while daydreaming. The daisies gently swaying in his backyard caught his eye and he found himself wondering how he could transform them into stone. He thought, "I could make one of those," then got right to work making some patterns. Soon he ended up with a 3-D daisy, complete with stem, base and leaves - all made out of pudding stone! He says, "I'm not an artist, I can't sit down and draw something." But he is definitely able to get his ideas cut out into the right shapes.
Seaman is very creative with his ideas, preferring to recycle where he can. He has found that plastic butter dishes make the perfect medium for patterns (you can't wear them out!) and that chew cans make the perfect 'legs' to put his pieces on when applying the plastic polymer for his finish coating. "I just enjoy doing this and really like creating something." He utilizes a local cabinetry shop for any woodworking that he may need in his creations (table legs, chess boards, etc.)
One thing that Seaman is not worried about is anyone copying his ideas. "Actually when they copy me it kind of flatters me." With stone saw blades at $1500 and bandsaw blades at $99 apiece, he knows it is an expensive hobby and not one that many people would have an interest in. The work is very also intense and time-consuming. Just the one little chest of drawers that he makes that are so popular consist of 32 tiny pieces put together in a meticulous fashion.
One of the strangest items that Seaman has ever built was an urn for ashes. He knew that every box of ashes is a different size and he would had to build the stone urn around the box. "I had to make the stone box to fit - I didn't want to have to throw any of him away!"
Another small claim to fame for Seaman is that one of his pudding stone golf putters was signed by Wayne Gretzky. Seaman had sold the putter to someone down in Gaylord who gave it to his son. His son then found himself playing in a tournament one day with Gretzky and asked him to sign the putter. Gretzky then used it the rest of the 18 holes and gave it back. Seaman has since asked to buy the putter back - with no luck!
Even with severe rheumatoid arthritis and post-polio atrophy in his right arm, Seaman still manages quite well to turn out some of the most gorgeous stone pieces I have ever seen. His pieces are one-of-a-kind and no two are alike. Seaman also likes creating pieces out of sedimentary rock and has some multi-toned work that is unearthly beautiful.
In order to see more of his work, a trip to Drummond Island is in order. Seaman does not do very many special orders, does not take phone orders and none of his work can be seen in any gift shop. He is very particular about his hobby becoming work and is careful to keep it as a fun project.
If you'd like to see his work on display, he sets up a booth at both of the art/craft shows on the island on July 4th and the first Saturday in August. You can also stop by his workshop any time and he is more than happy to show you what he is creating lately. Seaman's home/workshop is at 36820 Meade Island Rd., Drummond Island, MI. -PPP • Photos by Connie M. Thompson • Dafter, MI • conniework@lighthouse.net