Roderick Wall wrote: >I was wondering if someone would be able to help me. I would like to be able >to make a stone sundial. I have purchased a lettering chisel (REXID 6mm >cutting width) and a carving point chisel to put the hour lines and numbers >into soft stone tiles that I have.
One easy way to put lettering etc. into stone is sandblasting. This is the method used by many monument and tombstone makers, and it works on hard stones such as granite. The design is cut into a rubber template which is affixed to the stone. The sand blast goes through the holes and cuts away the stone in the exposed areas. I would suggest a visit to a local monument maker. In softer stone such as slate, you can carve or scratch designs right into the stone with anything hard and sharp. An old file ground to shape will do nicely. (If you are going to use tiles, in some areas they can be purchased fired but unglazed. You can paint (with glazes) your own design on them and have them re-fired to set the glaze. I can't think of anything much more weatherproof than a glazed ceramic tile.) >Also I have purchased a DREMEL engraving power tool with a flexible >drive shaft to engrave the hour lines and numbers onto brass sundials. >Is there also a book on using powered engravers for engraving. There are power engraving tools, but the ones I know about have been made by the engravers themselves. An adapter is built that converts the rotary motion of a tool such as a dremel tool into a reciprocating motion. A graver is held in a chuck, and the tool is essentially a miniature jackhammer. A rotary tool will grind - not engrave, and is going to be difficult to control. I hope this helps, Robert Terwilliger Moderator, NASS Design and Construction Forum http://www.shadow.net/~bobt
