Bob Haselby wrote:
> Mike and John, > I have looked into "sand carving" a little and found the following web > pages > to be very informative. (They actually prefer to use aluminum oxide grit to > blast). > http://www.rayzist.com/Main.htm is the web page of a company local to me (San > Diego area). I have talked to production people and concluded that this would > be > a very good method to create sundials. They sent me some mask samples and I > did > manage to put a small logo on the side of a wine bottle with my small "spot > blaster". The detail is amazing. I was using silica sand as the blasting > grit. I also have blasted a vertical declining sundial into a 12" square > pink > granite floor tile using a mask cut into vinyl tape with an exacto knife (very > tedious). However I have not attemped any characters on this design yet. My > spot > grit blaster was very inexpensive and is basically a syphon design and only > covers about 0.5" area at a time. Rayzist also provides custom mask services > and training courses as well. > http://www.photobrasivesystems.com/ is another source of info etc. in this > subject. > http://www.rockofages.com/manuf/industry.htm is an area > http://www.rockofages.com which gives some history and manufacturing > information in the granite memorial industry. Their corporate headquarters > are > in Concord NH. They indicate that they have a manufacturing tour. Has anyone > in > the area ever taken this tour. It would be interesting to see if any of their > processes would apply to our hobby. > > Bob 33N 117W > > John Carmichael wrote: > > > Hi Mike! > > > > Good to hear from you again. > > > > Thanks for info on sandblasting. I have been aware of the technique for > > some time, and have decided that my hand carvings are far superior as I can > > cut lines that are only 1/16 th inch wide, whereas it seems that the minimum > > width that can be cut by sandblasting is about 1/8 inch. Also, Theer is > > very little depth control with sand blasting as there is with hand cutting. > > Besides, I really have fun cutting my stones by hand, and there is nothing > > fun about sandblasting! > > > > However, for those people who are unable to hand cut their own sundials, > > sandblasting would certainly be a viable option. Remember the beautiful > > vertical slate dial over the church door in Conneticut that we saw on the > > NASS tour? That, and the EOT plaque were sandblasted. > > > > John > > > > >John, > > > > > >My local friendly tombstone manufacturer does his lettering by > > >sandblasting. > > >He has a computer system that cuts the lettering, lines etc. out of a > > >flexible, self adhesive sheet. This is then stuck on to the tombstone. > > >The > > >sand (or whatever it is that he uses) bounces back off the flexible sheet, > > >but cuts into the exposed stone. > > >If you look carefully at the cut letters, you can see that the surface is > > >not a clean V - it follows the changing softness of the stone. This is not > > >noticeable when painted in. > > > > > >Mike > > > > > >[EMAIL PROTECTED] > > >53.37N 3.02W > > >Wirral, UK > > > > > > > > > > > >
