Can you just remind me of the sequence of glue, paper and sealants? My
memory of your procedure is:
1. Glue the paper onto the unsealed stone with Elmers
2. Seal the paper with urethane (?) Or was it spar varnish?
3. Carve the stone
4. Soak, scrape and remove the paper
5. Polish the surface
6. Seal the stone with urethane
9. Apply paint to the lines and numbers
But logic tells me I would want to seal the stone before before gluing down
the paper. If I did that then the lines could accept the paint which would
would adhere to unsealed carved surfaces. A polishing would remove the
original sealant, glue and any paper residue and then whole thing is
re-sealed. Maybe this is actually what you do.
Jack
At 04:09 PM 10/28/2002 -0700, you wrote:
Hi Jack:
I received the slate sample you sent and did some cutting and engraving
experiments using my diamond burrs and disks. They work great on slate!!!
When cutting, I can feel that it is a harder stone than sandstone or marble
because I have to press harder on the handpiece, but it is not as hard to
work as granite. And we keep learning.
John
John L. Carmichael Jr.
Sundial Sculptures
925 E. Foothills Dr.
Tucson Arizona 85718
USA
Tel: 520-696-1709
Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Website: <http://www.sundialsculptures.com>
----- Original Message -----
From: "Jack Aubert" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
To: <[email protected]>
Sent: Sunday, October 13, 2002 11:50 AM
Subject: Re: Carmicheal technique for making stone dials
> John,
>
> Several years ago I had found a book in the library on carving slate
> plaques. It didn't mention sundials, but had numerous examples
> of lettering. I started out with the traditional hammer and chisel but
> found that my V-grooves were not coming out very cleanly. By trial and
> error, however, I discovered that I could incise fairly deep V-shaped
> grooves by making multiple passes with a tool pulled toward me by
> alternating left and right sides. I ground the tool to a shape that
looked
> like a V""""""""""""""==== where the ==== represents the handle. It was
> hard to do the roman numerals, particularly the serifs this way, but I
> think a rotary tool using your technique would make this a lot mor
> manageable.
>
> I owe you one piece of slate. Coming up.
>
> Jack
>
> At 08:59 AM 10/13/2002 -0700, you wrote:
> >Hello Jack:
> >
> >Sometimes I really wish artisans Harriet James and Ben Jones, were
members
> >of Sundial List. Both live in England and both craft fabulous slate
> >sundials. (Ben just gave a talk at the BSS conference on his stone
carving
> >techniques. I'd love to get a copy of it.) Slate is very big over there.
> >They have good quarries. Both Harriet and Ben carve their slate sundials
> >the old-fashioned way, with hammer and and an array of chisels.
Typically
> >though, many slate sundials are scratched or scribed using the technique
you
> >mention, probably because scribing is a lot easier than chiseling. Of
> >course, a scribed sundial face has carvings that are more shallow and
less
> >prominent than a chiseled face. Over many many years a scribed sundial
will
> >lose its markings faster than a chiseled one. Marble and other
sandstones
> >can be scribed or chiseled easier than slate because they are softer
stones.
> >
> >If you want to see how well marble, slate and granite weather, visit your
> >local cemetery and look at the dates on the headstones. You can really
see
> >the effects of weathering, especially in Europe where the cemeteries are
> >older. You'd be surprised to see how poorly granite weathers. Marble
> >weathering can be severe in acid rain areas and areas that freeze. Slate
> >seems to be the most durable of all. It's pores are so small that water
> >can't seep in.
> >
> >Cutting with diamond burrs works very well on marble, limestone,
sandstone,
> >and flagstone. It works on granite, but is more difficult to cut. I
haven't
> >tried it on slate because there is none available here. If you could send
me
> >a tiny sample of slate, I'll try it.
> >
> >John
> >
> >John L. Carmichael Jr.
> >Sundial Sculptures
> >925 E. Foothills Dr.
> >Tucson Arizona 85718
> >USA
> >
> >Tel: 520-696-1709
> >Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> >Website: <http://www.sundialsculptures.com>
> >----- Original Message -----
> >From: "Jack Aubert" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
> >To: <[email protected]>
> >Sent: Sunday, October 13, 2002 7:39 AM
> >Subject: Carmicheal technique for making stone dials
> >
> >
> > > Having returned from the NASS conference in Tuscon and having been
dazzled
> > > by the beauty and techniques John demonstrated for working with
sandstone,
> > > I am energized to attempt something similar using locally available
> > > materials.
> > >
> > > My neighborhood stone supply place sells slate and white/black/green
> > > marble. I know slate is very easy to work with, having made a slate
dial
> > > once by simply scribing the lines and numbers with some home-made
hardened
> > > steel tools and a straightedge. Marble should also be quite easy to
> >carve,
> > > but I wonder how durable an exposed marble horizontal surface would be
> > > given acid rain and so forth. I also wonder if it would be feasible
to
> >use
> > > John's technique (diamond cutting tools with water drip) to work on
> > > granite, which is quite a bit harder. I suspect it might be feasible
to
> > > carve the lines, but perhaps not to polish by hand.
> > >
> > > I wonder if John or any of the other list members have any ideas about
the
> > > suitability of different types of stone.
> > >
> > > Jack
> > >
> > > -
> > >
> >
> >
> >-
>
>
> -
>
-
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