Return to the Gardening with Stone Forum
| Post a Follow-Up
Letter cutting in stone
| | |
Posted by schoolhouse z5/ohio (My Page) on Sun, Oct 18, 09 at 9:00
| Does anyone here do this or have tried to learn? (by the way the title of this post is also the title of a "must-have" book for stone carvers! which I don't have yet). If so, how difficult is/was it?
I'm planning to buy a large block of sandstone to place at the far end of my property. On it, I want to carve the name of my place. Do you suppose it would be better to pay a professional than mess it up by try to do it myself? |
Follow-Up Postings:
RE: Letter cutting in stone
| | |
- Posted by botann z8 SEof Seattle (My Page) on
Sat, Oct 31, 09 at 14:23
Gravestone markers are made by placing a rubber sheet over the stone with stenciled letters and numbers. It is then sandblasted until the desired depth is achieved. The sand bounces off the rubber, but erodes the rock. Clever, isn't it?
Look up monument makers in your area. You bring the rock or they can supply it. |
RE: Letter cutting in stone
| | |
| We have one at the end of our drive. We have a neighbor guy that does this.. We had one done for each of our kids.. |
RE: Letter cutting in stone
| | |
| I have had the same delemma for years, which leaves me without a carved stone. I think that I would have it professionally done. Of course, this is only my personal opinion. I have a stone foundation under my house and stone steps, and many barn stones on my property. I love the old sandstone. I'm not sure where you are located in Ohio, but check with Midwest Brick Engraving in Wadsworth, Ohio. Ask for Dave. Easy to work with and they will do it in their shop or I think that his dad will come to your place to do it on site. And they do it the way you want it. Good Luck. |
RE: Letter cutting in stone
| | |
| Luke, thanks for the information about the Wadsworth engraving place. Wadsworth isn't very far from me, my aunt even lives there. I'll definitely check it out tomorrow. Meanwhile, I bought the book Lettercutting in Stone by Richard Gasby from John Neal Booksellers out of North Carolina. An bit expensive, but worth it I think. I haven't had alot of time to sit down with it but from the very first pages I've discovered that letter cutting begins by learning to paint and place the letters properly on the stone. It is a must to learn this art first. Then there are the correct tools one needs. I have spoken to several monument dealers in the area and all use stencils and all said they prefer not to work with sandstone because the stencils will not stick to the gritty surface. They do no hand carving whatsoever anymore. That type of work fell by the wayside when laser machines made it possible to cut faster and thus create a larger volume of work quicker. In fact one dealer remarked that he wouldn't even consider working on as big of block of sandstone as I want (5' long). The laser cut letters are not quite the look I'm after, I was hoping for the V-sunk lettering one sees on older buildings. This project looks like it may not happen until next Spring or Summer anyway, as I need to have the stump of a pine tree removed. This is where I want the stone to sit. It will cost $285 to have the stump ground out, so I have to come up with that bit of extra cash before I can even buy the stone. I have a source for the stone, but am being picky as to the size and color; the dealer is still searching for the right one for me. Thanks for the the replies and info. I'll keep you posted on the progress! |
RE: Letter cutting in stone
| | |
| A sign making shop can cut a stensil for you to keep the size and spacing correct. I found cutting tools on ebay, not too expensive. The ultimate is a stone cutters pneumatic hammer(my dream). Also, just get a few chisels a hammer and some safety glasses. Find some small pieces of sandstone and play away. You can always place your practices pieces face down if you don't like them. Have fun. Luke |
RE: Letter cutting in stone
| | |
| Hi, just getting back to this post. The book by Richard Gasby is fantastic, I recommend it to anyone wanting to learn about stone letter cutting. About tools - I thought about Ebay, I will do some checking there tonight. A stencil made by a sign shop is another good idea, Luke. Thanks. I have quite a few pieces of sandstone laying about to practice on,too. I'm definitely give it all a try. |
RE: Letter cutting
| | |
| Ok, I put a bid on some used stone mason tools; but I should have waited a little closer to the auction's end on Monday. I figure I'll start off with an inexpensive used set (if I get them) before investing in a super new set of chisels in case I decide stone carving isn't for me. |
RE: tools
| | |
| Well - I just one the set of stone mason tools on Ebay! I'll let you know if I learn to carve those letters on that stone next year. |
RE: Letter cutting in stone
| | |
- Posted by luke_oh zone 5 NE Ohio (My Page) on
Mon, Nov 30, 09 at 20:53
| Good for you! I checked out the mason tools on Ebay last week and was surprised at how many there were. A couple of other things that you might find useful is a circular saw with a mason blade. I have a dedicated saw just for cutting sandstone . It works by either scoring ot cutting the depth of the blade. Be patient and don't force the saw, but it's easily cut. You can use a drill with a mason bit for holes or indentations. Don't forget your goggles. Luke |
RE: Letter cutting in stone
| | |
| The tools came in the mail today. Looks as though the seller sharpened them too; now to learn their names and how each are used. Gasby's book will be my guide. You are right when you say there are many sets of tools to choose from on Ebay, and being a complete novice I just bid on an inexpensive one and hoped I got the main chisels I need for letter carving. Yes - I think there's a pair of safety glasses somewhere in the garage that belonged to my great-uncle who was a carpenter. If I remember right, they looked more like eye glasses, so I suppose to be safe I should just go buy a good pair of goggles. I'm anxious to try this stone cutting, but I haven't a workshop to speak of and it's been cold and rainy here. So next summer I need to find a space to haul the stone to and be able to work with it comfortably. I'm going to start small, tho. |
RE: Letter cutting in stone
| | |
| For practicing on the small stones try sitting your small rock in a loosely filled bag of sand. Stone carving in sandstone is very easy compared to other types of rock. |
RE: Letter cutting in stone
| | |
| Sounds good to me, thanks for the tip. |
RE: Letter cutting in stone
| | |
| Hi Friends I have an office and i really concerned about my office and home interiors and exterior decoration system... but at the same time i vsist these guys theye make my dreams true what i want.... i really recommend these peoples...... |
Here is a link that might be useful: Interior Manufactured Ledge Stone Toronto
|
|
|
|
