hand carving memorials

[Maureen Thompson <maureen@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

You are forewarned, I did not follow the advice of Horace,
"Whatever advice you give, be brief."

I can't let the router question go by without sharing some
thoughts. I really do believe one must understand how things
were done in the past before jumping into modern methods. I
realize it is not time or cost effective to learn how to
carve letters with a mallet and chisel but it will enhance,
beyond words, your understanding of what you are doing.
There is more to memorial design than stencils and routers.

I am obviously emotional about this topic so forgive me if
that shines brighter than the point I'm attempting to make
about beginning the journey into designing and carving. I am
completely supportive of seeing new people come into the
business. What concerns me is seeing more and more
uninspired work in the cemeteries, more machine made
lettering, less and less craftsmanship and originality.
That's a general statement and not directed to anyone
specific. I've said it before, good work can be done with
powertools and sandblasting equipment.

You have to admit though, it's not common. Yes, it's easy to
make a quick buck in the memorial business. It's a safe bet
that people will keep dying and their families will want a
stone to go on the plot. Before you jump on the job though,
take George's advice and spend a few afternoons in the older
cemeteries. In addition, get to know the family, ask
questions about the person you are memorializing. When you
get to the cemetery, what is your eye drawn to there? Is the
lettering standard? Are you seeing a line of caps, does it
come from the same family as the lowercase, is it done by
machine, were the letters drawn with a ruler, by hand, or a
stencil?

Take notes, take photos, take rubbings if they're allowed.
Read about the lettering masters, the carving masters, dead
and alive, figure out who they are and how they managed,
what inspired them, what challenged them. Know that not
every layout needs to be centered, try doing your own
lettering with a calligraphy pen and ink. See how words look
when they are justified.

Are you the kind of designer that will visit the site before
setting a stone there? How will you get the stone there?
Will the environment influence the lettering you choose, the
material, etc.? Do you know where to buy a chisel, how to
sharpen it, how to tell when it's dull? What if you blow a
corner off the chisel, hell, what if you blow a chip out of
a letter, are a corner off a stone? When working will you
want to use a wooden mallet, a steel hammer, a zinc mallet?

What are the closest quarries to you? Will they send you
samples? Most will, free of charge. Can you hand carve
granite? In most situations, yes. Do you have eye
protection? When should you wear a dusk mask instead of a
respirator? Can you carve without wearing a mask and what
are the hazards? This is not to say you all haven't
considered this, you probably have. I hope you have. I have
been in this business for about ten years and I learn new
things every day. I have never used anything but a mallet
and chisel to carve my lettering, and every letter has been
drawn with pen and ink or a brush and paint. It can be done.
This is not to say you can't do lettering with a router, but
just know the results are different.

If you don't know why they are different I encourage you to
do the research before you do the work. Educate yourself,
see where your talents are, find out what stones appeal to
you and why, are there people in your community that can
support you; financially, emotionally, physically. A good
network of peers is invaluable. A strong neighbor is too! I
had a slate upright in the shop yesterday. It's 28" tall,
20" wide and 3" thick. I had finished carving the front and
needed to wash if off and flip it. It weighs roughly 180
lbs.

If this were in your shop how would you get it off the
banker, down on a couple of 2x4s, wash it, flip it and get
it back to the banker if you had to? Are your ceilings too
low for a hoist? Sure you learn as you go, you come up with
colorful solutions, sometimes not all that safe.

There are days you'll look back and think, dear god, glad no
one died today. I'm half kidding, and laughing as I type
that. This is all to say, I freaking love what I do, since
the second day of class ten years ago, where I first learned
about this craft, until this morning when I'm about to drive
out to set the first slate upright in a Little River, Texas
cemetery. And again, George already said this, you will have
questions, you will be faced with problems, you will also
want to share your successes and will discover great things.
This is one stone community you can do that with, don't
hesitate to share, don't be afraid to ask. How's that for a
quick response?

Damn...
Maureen