Semi-weekly south Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1883-1889, 1888-12-21
POLISHING GRANITE.

How This Seemingly Intricate Work Is
Performed by Clever Artisans.
The form is given to the stone by the
hands of skilled masons, in much the
same way as is done with other stones
OF softer nature. OF course the time
required is considerably greater in the
case of granite as compared with other
stones.
II the surface is not to be polished,
but only fine-axed, as it is called, that
is done by the use of hammer com
posed OF a number OF slips of steel of
about a sixteenth of an inch thick,
which are tightly bound together, the
edges being placed on the same plane.
With this tool the workman smooths
the surface of the stone by series Of
taps or blows given at a right angle to
the surface operated upon. BY this
means the marks of the blows as given
obliquely ON the surface of the stone
are obliterated, and smooth face pro-
duced.
Polishing is performed by rubbing in
the first place with an iron tool and
sand and water Emery is next APP
piled, then putty with flannel. All
plain surface and molding can be done
by machinery, but all carvings, or sur
faces broken into small portions OF
various elevations, are done by the
hands of the patient ha nd polishers.
The operation OF saving n block OF
granite into slabs for panels, tables or
chimney pieces is slow process, the
rate Of progress being about half an
inch per day OF ten hours. The ma.
chimes employed are few and simple.
They are technically called lathes,
wagons and pendulums or rubbers.
The lathes are employed for polishing
OF columns, the wagons for fat sur
face, and the pendulums for molding
and such fiat work as is not suitable foI
the wagon.
In the lathes tho column is placed
and supported at each end by points,
upon which it revolves. On the upper
surface of the column there are laid
pieces of iron, segnents OF the circum-
ference OF the column. The weight OF
these pieces of iron lying upon the
column, and the constant supply by
the lathe attendant of sand and water,
emery or putty, according to the state
of finish to which the column has been
brought, constitute the whole opera
ton.
While sand is used during the
rougher state OF the process, these
irons are bare, but when using emery
and putty, the surface of the iron next
to the stone is covered with thick
flannel.
The wagon is carriage running
upon rails, in which the pieces of
stone TO be polished are fixed, having
uppermost the surface to be operated
upon. Above this surface there are
shafts placed perpendicularly, on the
lower end of which are fixed rings Of
iron. These rings rest upon the stone,
and when the shaft revolves they rub the
surface OF the stone. AT the same
time the wagon travels backward and
forward upon the rails, so as to expose
the whole surface of the stone to the
action of the rings.
The pendulum is frame hung upon
hinges from the roof of the workshop.
To this frame are attached iron rods,
moving in horizontal direction. In
the line upon which these rods move,
and under them, the stone is firmly
placed upon the floor. Pieces of iron
are then loosely attached to the rods,
and allowed to rest upon the surface OF
the stone. When the whole is set in
motion these irons are dragged back
ward and forward over the surface OF
the stone, and SO it is polished.
When polishing plain surfaces, such
as the needle of an obelisk, the pieces
of iron are fat, but when we have to |
polish molding wo make an extra
pattern Of its form and the irons are
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