My dad was Stone Cutter. I spent many hours in the shop he was foreman of helping prep the stones by cleaning them, then applying the stencil rubber with the glue after frosting the right areas. He would do the artwork on paper and then transfer it with carbon paper. Out came the scalpel and he would cut the artwork, then the lettering. Sandblasting the stones by hand (no automation until he had been there twenty years) and cleaning out the sandblast booth between stones. Stripping the stencils after applying lithichrome to the lettering and imprints. Then peeling the rubber and cleaning off the glue. I was about five when I first started going to the shop with him. My brother too. We would help set the stones at the cemetery and at Memorial Day we would help with the rush. Cemetery lettering in the summer. I spent many a warm day on the grass watching my dad blast the dates into the rock. He is gone now and I visit his stone and grave often. He taught me so much and loved all of us. No better tribute to a person than a monument to their life and humanity could be made. Thank you for letting me revisit my childhood one more time.

It has long been my wont to see how headstones are engraved and set. Thank you for this video!

WONDERFUL VIDEO!!!! Love you guys and your work….. keep up the awesome and amazing work!!!

Love seeing the process from start to finish!

Thank you for posting this video. It answered alot of my questions. God Bless you

remember 40 yr ago when a was slating a chapel roof in the church yard, watched this fellow during my break do all this cutting by hand, he had a hessian sack full of tools placed the sack on the grave sat on it cross legged, got out his pencil and he wrote old English inscription to match the old victorian inscription, cold chisel and wooden mallet, cut it out beautiful, a thought he was all done, got his little had drill out started drilling holes in the lettering, then he had strips of lead beating into the letters, it was perfect, a said how long have you been doing this kind of work, he said I was trained the old school way off my dad when I was 14 yrs old, I asked what age are you 70yr old, he was retired and done it for a bit pocket money, I said your skilled, he said semi skilled, to think the Egyptians Babylonians , etc could cut granite with bronze chisels by hand a think we have lost a lot of skills since the introduction of electricity, its all about mass production now, the fellow was finished job in 3 hours

I love this! I did monuments for 8 years it was interesting work.

Loved the video all around! Keep up the good work!

I had no clue that sandblasting was involved, I guess I imagined someone with a chisel going at it for a week, if not more. Then the fact that sandblasting can go that deep into the stone( and the text staying so sharp ) without going through the paper, I wasn't expecting that ether. Very cool process.

Great job , 👍👍👍

there is just something satisfying about weeding vinyl or masking, Great Video!

I have seen this done at a cemetery but not in store. Educational. Loved when you said worked for your father in law five years..put in your time to get a wife.🥰

The cardinals are a pretty touch. We finally got my sister's stone made, so pretty cool to see how that would have been done.

Good video thanks for sharing! Nice looking stone the top was smooth and the ends or corners if you will were radaias I spelled that wrong but you know what I mean. I like the process of bluing the letters to contrast and applying clear coat nice touch I saw that process on one of your previous videos thanks!

Thanks!

Great work, I happen to do it differently when it comes to frosting an area. I engrave the names etc, paint the engravings then let dry. After with some mud I fill in the engraved parts that I will be frosting making sure to clean the images or panels to just leave the mud that is filling the engraved. After with light pressure I lightly sandblast the polished areas to remove that polish. Once done not only do I have the panels and areas/images frosted their also painted and ready to peel stencil off for cleaning.

I wish you could make our stone. It’s good to know the process when buying a stone. Thank you.

Wow!I didn't know that it took that much work.

Thank you

Great job! Very well done and I am so glad it made it to KZfaq:) keep up the good work...

We won’t have stones. We’ve chosen not to be buried. But I would like to think that if we had made a different decision that the person doing, our work would be as conscientious and professional as you are. Nice job.

My dad's headstone is made out of the same rock as this. Beautiful stone - very glossy - and pricey.

Excellent.!!!

So good to see Mel and Norma! So glad they let you have a wife. Heheheh.

Impressive stuff. How was this done say, 100 years ago? We have an old family plot in a western Chicago suburb. Its a granite Celtic cross that sits on a limestone base - installed sometime around 1900 and roughly 7-8 feet tall. I can imagine making, transporting, and setting a monument of that size wasn't easy!

God bless 🙏

Very Good!... #65 ✝ {11-2-2023}

That was a lot more work than I ever imagined. I never knew how the engraving was done. Sadly I thought it was done with chisels. And to add a name and birthday and date of death of another person you do it on site or take the stone back to the shop?

Pretty neat. Did you epoxy the top to the bottom first? I didn’t see it if you did. I only saw the setting compound around the edge. Thanks, Tom

I worked in a glasses bevelling company in Phoenix, I was the sand blaster on afew table tops either the whole table or did a design the hardest part was creating the depth in a picture.

Great work. What program, plotter and stencil do you use?

That’s beautiful work, how much that would cost to do?

Nice. How do you add names to stones that are already set? Do you remove them and take to the shop?

Wow, you could have put down the butal tape before setting and relifting the head stone down.Amazing.

What’s the tool at 15:05 being used to lift the stone. I’m a memorial mason and fitter and haven’t seen this before. I’ve always used wooden blocks to protect my hands and the base when putting the headstone on. Excellent job guys from us in the uk

I would very much like to see the sight prep before the stone arrives.

Greetings what is the name of the blue Jack you were using? or if you don't mine telling me where you purchased it.Me and my son will be doing our first setting this weekend. I'm looking for a the useful tips I can get.I really enjoy you page .I take a lot of notes.

Nice video! Do you use stainless steel pins between the base and the headstone? 🤔

Hey guys I was wondering where you got the tool that you use to set the die onto the base. I work at a cemetery and we set most of our uprights. We use a pry bar that I modified to work but has its risk. So any info would help thanks in advance. If you see this and can respond, I would appreciate it

I forgot to ask what the hand tool was for installing the setting compound. Looks like a versatile tool. I am trying to learn to do repairs and maintenance on a small cemetery. Thank You.

Huh I always wondered how they make those it’s very interesting and cool like it

We always frosted the panels after cutting the lettering. We muddied the lines and lettering after painting them, frosted the panel and washed the mud out. Have you ever tried doing it like that?

Great Job. Very careful with your work... I purchased my father a single headstone called Bahama blue for $3000 dollars... It was perfect... I went to the cemetery the other day and noticed small pieces of the putty sealer laying on the ground, as if his stone had been moved for some reason. After further inspection I could see very small hairline cracks in the stone. Almost like spiderweb cracks.... Come to find out the cemetery workers moved my dads stone in order to get through the cemetery to set another large stone behind my dads plot... I told them about the cracks and they said that they were just small hair cracks that followed the grain of the stone. They said that they should never cause a problem... But I'm afraid that moisture will get into the cracks and then freeze causing it to chip or crack more... I'm also wondering if they broke the seal under the stone and didn't seal it back. There use to be a fine bead of putty that looked as if it had squeezed out when new. Now there is no bead of putty around the bottom edge of the stone....

Important job Need considered it I’m surprised it’s not put deeper into the stone. Seems like deeper cuts would make the stone hold up longer but I know nothing about this

Nice rubber didn't have a computer cut had a press with letters

What media so you use in the bluing process? I have only ever seen Lithochrome used.

I’m curious why a fully automated advanced CNC machine isn’t used to make these, I do appreciate the art of what you do, it’s just with technology now one machine on its own, could cut that all out and finish it without the excess labor.

Great job! I always thought it was pait being used. What's bluing?

As a concrete truck driver I would have to haul the concrete to the cemetery for the footers..

Thanks for the video. I don’t understand’ the dates .Did they both died on October 8, 1967? Also, what kind of stone is this?.Thank you.

What do you use for setting compound?

What is the stencil material used, that the sand blasting does not destroy?

What’s the nomenclature of that blue hand jack you’re using??

Hello,i am looking to get into end date engraving but im having problems finding information on which plotter i should try and find..is there any advice you can give me?

What's that blue tool in the thumbnail and where can I buy one?

looks great but i think i saw a crack at the end!

Can you explain what bluing is and why you do it instead of paint? Thanks

Am a mason in uk. Where do you get the lifting jack from at end of video?

What sandblasting vinyl are you using now since 3m got out of the game?

You guys are pikers, my father was in the business back in the late 40’s and had to hand cut the rubber and design the wording by hand..

What kinda jack is he using to lift the stone

I have a question for you. My Dad has an inground headstone that has his information and his then wife's information. She moved away after my Dad's death. She passed and was cremated and ashes spread in Florida. How much would it cost to have her name taken off my Dad's stone and a new name put on?

What stencil are you using. I am using a chinese stencil and it is terrible.

Isn't there some way to make them deeper into the ground so that vandals can't knock them over?

What holds the stone to the base?

Why no setting compound under the base?

15:01 Has that device ever slipped? Yow! Thanks for the informative video. Who’s responsible for the spelling and punctuation?

Does anyone do the deep blasting by hand? Is it possible for a trained professional?

Does not look to me like the headstone is secured to the plinth that we'll, would of thought they would use like a sort of cement, same goes for the plinth, it looks like just plonked on the ground, looks like if I gave it a little push it would fall down, or am I missing something.

I was at a place that made stones I saw a bunch of stones in the corner I ask what was the deal on those, they told me they were sold but the owners didn't want them for different reasons, Divorce etc. I ask if they could not remove the names and dates and use them again they said no, it looked like a waste

And to think my great-grandfather who was a tombstone maker for all of his adult life did it with a hammer and chisels.

Why take it out side to blue it, can't you do it in the booth?

Frosted

Enjoyed watching the process but the soundtrack was not needed. Surprised that people are still purchasing headstones. So many cemeteries use those flat to the ground plagues.

Blimey, if you made one for each of the six billion people on the planet, where would everyone else go?

Gravestone ho down

☕😷🇺🇲

What if all the dead people rise up on them graves what are all these people going to think about that

3:46

Would have been a better video without the music.

No wonder these fall over not a single pin holding anything

They should use a hammer and chisel like the real men did originally!

So we spend our entire lives consuming resources and now, even when dead, consume further resources. It’s appalling when you really think about it. I’m just happy to give something back and feed a few worms or be used as tree food.

Interesting video! The music however, totally inappropriate!

Good video, get rid of the horrible music...

i have no issue with the subject of teh video I do wonder if you ever listen to your video after you have finished it you voice is at one volume and the music comes in 5 times louder... so for that you got a dislike

Interesting process spoilt by awful music.

we had a place when I was kid , I would go down there and actually watch them hand do every headstone - not computer make this crap for money , you should be ashamed

Music is a bit much.

You should say a small prayer for them I don't care what you do with me throw me in the dumpster

RIP to my desire that I once held for a stalker. That shit is DEAD!🤣😂🤣😂