Tombstone epitaph., 1891-02-08
HOW GRANITE iS POLISHED.
Putting . Smooth Surfsce on the Has4 [
 Stone. -Methods h Detail

Putting . Smooth Surfsce on the Hard T
 stone- Methods in Detail
 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 naturo Of course the time re- quired is considerably greater in the case of granite as compared with other stones.
 If the surface is not to be polished, but only fine axed as it is called, that is done by the use of hammer composed of . number of slips of steel of about six teenth of an inch thick, which are tightly bound together, the edges being placed on the same rlane With this tool the workman sm,,oths the surface of the stone by a 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 Q smooth face produced.
 Polishing is performed oy rubbing in .he first place with ap iron tool and with sand and water. Emery is next applied, then putty witl: flannel. All plain sur- face and molding can be done by ma chinery. but all carvings, or surfaces broken into. small portions of various elevations. are done by the hands of the I.:ient hand polishers.
 The operation of saving a block of granite into slabs for panels, tables or chimney. pieces is a very slow process, the rate of progress being about half an inch per day of ten hours. The machines employed are few and simple. They are technically called lathes, wagons and pendulums or rubbers. The lathes arc employed for the polishing of columns, the wagons for flat surface, and the rendulums for molding and such flat Aork as Is not suitable for the wagon.
 In the lathes the column is placed and supported at each end by points. upon which it rcvolves. On the upper surface of the column there are laid pieces of iron. segments of the circumference 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, accord ing to the state of finish to which the column has been brought. constitute the whole operation.
 While sand is used during the rougher state of the process, these irons are bare, but when using emery and putty the sur face of the iron aext to the stone is cov- cred with thick flannel.
 The wagon is a carriage running upon rails, in which the pieces of stone to be polished are fixed, having uppernost tho surface to be operated upon. Above this surr,ce there are shafts placed perpen- dicularly. on the lower end of which are fixed rings of iron. These rings rest upon the stone. and when the shaft re- wolves they rub the surface of the stone. At the same time the wagon travels back ward and forward upon the rails, so as to expose the whole surface of the same to the action of the rings.
 The pendulum is frame hung upon hinges from the room of the work shop. To this frame are attached iron rods, moving in a 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. the1 irons are dragged backward and forward over the surface of the stone. and SO it is polished.
 When polishing plain surfaces, such as the needle of an obeli.k. the pieces of iron are flat, but when we have to polish n molding we make ,an extra pattern ol its form and the irons are cast from that pattern. Mason, England.