Frank Evans wrote: >Re Edley's thoughts on cast stone I can say that in Ross Hall Park, a >municipal park in Glasgow, formerly the grounds of a grand house, there >is an extensive grotto made of stone, some natural and some artificial. >It dates from the nineteenth century. My son-in-law who is a >professional sedimentologist says he has difficulty in distinguishing >the artificial stone from the real stuff. I believe Glasgow Council may >have this old recipe for casting stone but will ask my son-in-law for >further information. Unfortunately he is currently in Uganda (looking >for oil) but will be home shortly. More later.
There was a foundry in Alston - 'The Highest Market Town in England' - which used a moulding technology developed by its proprietor who, as a wartime scientist, was tasked with chemically solidifying the desert surface in North Africa to make aircraft runways. Solidified sand = 'stone' perhaps? Sadly they are no longer in business but there may be onetime employees who recall the process. One of the largest companies in the UK producing 'artificial stone' is situated in Newbiggin-by-the-Sea close to the wind-eroded churchyard headstones mentioned recently. They use a variety of combinations of coloured sands and coloured cements to cleverly simulate sandstones from many areas of Britain. I find it hard to conceptually distinguish between this type of product and the Egyptians' man-made 'stone' Edley mentioned. Is it just the addition of cement? This company are currently producing a cluster of eight 'sandstone' 'seats' as 3D 'points of the compass' to surround a public dial I am currently busy with. Each has 'N', 'S', 'E', 'W' 'NE' etc. carved into the top. < Likely to 'make a good impression' on visitors! ;-) > Having made the quite complex moulds for these to my design I'm sure they'd be happy to produce additional sets for similar projects. JPEG of the design off list to anyone who might be interested. Tony Moss -
