Sandblasting vs. lettercutting by hand

["S. Nolte" <shannon@zzzzzzzzzz>]

Hi Ian,
I looked at your beautiful work, and I found the problem in communication
between us (between all of us).  Well of COURSE you're going to cut slate,
limestone, etc. by hand. I have, and I'd LOVE to do that for a living.
Unfortunately, here in the Midwestern US states, they don't allow new slate
in many cemeteries anymore, except maybe way out East where the cemeteries
still have slate stuff from the 1700's.  New cemeteries don't allow it...at
least not around here, because careless, overworked lawnmowers gouge it, and
vandals destroy it routinely.  So, it's only granite in today's American
cemeteries. (If I'm wrong, please correct me! :))   They're moving toward
not even allowing upright stones anymore, so lawnmowers don't even have to
turn right or left, but just mow right over them entirely.  I hope to one
day go to Europe or Australia, or even back east here, and train in slate
letter cutting, but at this point no one buys it around here.  So, we're not
so far off in ideology after all.  Do you know of anyone who carves letters
in granite by hand routinely?  I could keep at it until I'm stronger.  A
sandblaster I talked to Friday said that he did, not letters, but entire
stones (just death dates)...19 in one day!  15 or so he thinks, are about
the least one could do in a day to get by.  So 15 times, what's a death
date?  8-10 letters minimum, 150 letters in granite a day.  Is it possible?
I have been inspecting the old granite stones for clues as to how they did
it.  Because, yeah,  hauling around a handful of chisels and dummies would
be a lot more fun, clean, healthy and easy.

Anyway...I don't mean to have a tone.  I love visiting older, more historic,
artistic cemeteries, and I bemoan the track that new ones are taking.  Wish
they weren't.
Thanks for hanging in there with me y'all.  I am looking at the sandblasting
forum now too.  Thanks for letting me know about it, Will.

Let me add just one more thing.  I spent $60,000 plus on a PhD, but I'm
already burned out on teaching writing, and I'm chucking it all to be a
letter cutter, sand, hand or otherwise, or rather, I'm easing myself out of
teaching to do stone.  I'd rather work out in my shop, out in the country,
etc. with the departed, rather than dealing with bureaucracies.  Not only
that, but some odd way, I annoy my students and employers!  :)  So I need to
be my own boss.
Shannon