Crazy Horse jet finishing torch

["George Graham" <georgergraham@zzzzzzzzzzz>]

Tim,

I've used a propane torch to remove toolmarks from granite. I haven't used
any of the hotter methods , so lets hope those who have first hand
experience will chime in .

The torch I'm referring to is a plumbers torch. Its the small bottles of
propane that any home owner can buy from the local hardware store. Its
maximum tempeture is about 380F and is not nearly as effective as an oxy-
acetylene torch. The  principal involved is to heat up the granite very
rapidly to cause the surface crystals to expand and separate from the
underlying stone.

All the talk about carving starts with the phrase, it depends, so bear that
in mind as you gather information.

Use the basic safety equipment to protect your eyes, face and skin from hot
flakes of stone.

The propane torch is not hot enough to carve, but can be handy for flaking
off tool , and stun marks from rock pitched  granite.  Think of a slab of
polished granite that is made into a base for a monument, that has natural
broken stone texture on the sides. The sides would be called rock-pitched
because someone like me would have taken hand tools and pitched off big
flakes of stone off to give the base its final size.

Any high points that left from working the slab from the top and bottom have
to pointed off, and that leaves a tool mark that may have to be removed. I
do this by setting my torch to its most intense flame, and heating an area a
couple of inches around the stun mark. Hopefully the hole area will separate
and fall off taking the stunned stone with it. If the stone that you are
trying to remove is raised above the surrounding stone, then it tends to
fall off in one big flake.

If the stun mark is deeper then the surrounding stone, the heat tends to
soak in, and the stone may flake off in small crystals that fly into your
face, or you may sit there heating one spot to long, and end up having a
much larger piece then you wanted falling off, onto your foot, causing you
to yell obscenities, and throw your tool across the room , which causes your
co-workers to laugh at you , which lowers your self-esteem, which sends you
to therapy,,,but I digress.

A propane torch is very limited in its use. Its effectiveness varies from
stone to stone. In my experience, canadian pink granite know as Mountain
rose responds the best, Barre granite almost as well. Dakota Mahogany and
Blue Pearl from Labrador are not as willing. Impala from South Africa and
Quincy Granite from Massachusetts are completely uncooperative and a waste
of time.

Interestingly enough, India black  is not to bad, but the process tends to
leave a slick finish that is also whitened up, so that you may have gotten
rid of a tool mark , but are left with an even bigger area that does not
look like the surrounding area.

I hope someone who has use the latest toy on the market , called a Jet-
stick, will tell us about it. I've seen the advertising for it and after you
have put on a full body fire protection suit, and moved to an area that has
nothing that could be burned to the ground, or damaged by flying debris ,
you can actually carve granite with quite a bit of control.  I think it
works by focusing a very small flame , under high pressure and very high
tempetures, up to 1500 to 1800F.

You know, it might be easier to carve stone with a hammer and
chisel,,,,,what do you think?

Good luck,
George Graham