Tombstone epitaph., 1891-01-04
HOW GRANITE IS POLISHED.
Putting Smooth Surface on tho Har'
 f., ncta;I

Putting Smooth Snrface on tho Hard
 Stone, Methods ia Detail.
 The form i, given 10 the stone by the hands of skilled masons, in much tho same way as is done with other stones of softer nature. Of course the time re quired is considerably greater in the case aOf 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 a six teenth 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 produced.
 Polishing is performed by rubbing in the first place with an iron tool and with sand and water. Emery is next applied, then putty with 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 sesient hand polishers.
 The operation of saving block of granite into slabs for panels, tables or chimney pieces is 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 are employed for the polishing of columns, the wagons for flat surface, and the rendulums for molding and such flat work as is not suitable for the wagon.
 In the lathes the 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, 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 roughel 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 GOV. cred with thick flannel.
 The wagon is q 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 surIoce 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 a frame hung upon hinges from the room of the work shop. To this frame are attached iron rods, moving ill 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 backward and forward over the surface of the stone, and so it i: polished.
 When polishing plain surfaces, such a. the needls of an obelisk, the pieces ol iron are flat, but when we have to polisI Q molding we make an extra pattern ol its form and the irons are cast from that pattern.-Stone Mason, England.