Gargoyle
Official Cafe Stone Carver
I've been having fun the past few months...
Limestone morning glory garland
- Thread starter Gargoyle
- Start date
Gargoyle
Official Cafe Stone Carver
Yes, and like many traditions, it developed and stuck around because it works extremely well. Lighter weight, more comfortable, and breaths better (cooler in the summer) than cloth hats, and it covers more of the hair, so it keeps dust off better than other hats. Also, I can afford it.
graniteguy52
Elite Cafe Member
Walter,
Thanks for a fun and informative video.
Is the background sound when you are cutting, the limestone ringing from the vibration? (a similar sound when you were using a hand chisel). It reminds of the sound a piece of granite makes just before it become lots of smaller pieces.
And do you use a rotary compressor? The air chisel must consume a b-load of air.
Thanks,
Thanks for a fun and informative video.
Is the background sound when you are cutting, the limestone ringing from the vibration? (a similar sound when you were using a hand chisel). It reminds of the sound a piece of granite makes just before it become lots of smaller pieces.
And do you use a rotary compressor? The air chisel must consume a b-load of air.
Thanks,
Gargoyle
Official Cafe Stone Carver
Yes, that's the stone ringing clear, a good sound. If it has a dead sound, that's when you have to worry.
I have an old compressor, 1960's vintage, 3 hp motor and 5 hp 2 stage cast iron pump, which results in the pump running slowly- good for it's life span. An 80 gallon tank. But don't compare to the 3 or 5 hp compressors from Home Depot; I think they are goosing the specs on that new stuff. You could fit both the motor and pump of one of those inside my pump with lots of room to spare. One shop I know used to buy those, they'd burn out every three years.
I have a regulator 15 feet upstream from where I work, and neck it down to about 55 psi. Some people just let the full pressure come up to the butterfly valve for their hammer, but that puts more vibration into the hose.
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air-compressor 002.jpg
Dave London
~ Elite 1000 Member ~
Walter
Thank you for the excellent video, how ever my hands hurt just watching
also I like the riffers inaction
Thank you for the excellent video, how ever my hands hurt just watching
also I like the riffers inaction
Gargoyle
Official Cafe Stone Carver
Looks like they are moving back and forth, but the pressure is only on the forward stroke, then a quick return for the next stroke. The teeth on those only cut one way.
As to your hands hurting, keep in mind that is just one of 72 morning glories- 71 on the garland, and one in her hair.
Dave London
~ Elite 1000 Member ~
I used those w/hen I was carving alabaster, thanks for the photo
love the vid. tyvm 4 that. my hammer looks to be the same as yours. i cobbled up a variable control which i attached to mine lets me use any pressure needed. also comes to compleat stop . saves air and vibes when not needed.
Gargoyle
Official Cafe Stone Carver
I have a butterfly valve about 24 or 30" up the hose, so I can just reach up and bump it to adjust. I don't want anything extra attached to the back of the hammer- no valves, no quick couplers... that just makes it longer, heavier and less maneuverable. Most carvers put quick couplers there, but it only saves maybe 1-1/2 seconds when changing a hammer compared to unscrewing it... a bad tradeoff, imho.
I also hang the hose from the rafters, so the hammer just touches the ground. That way most of the weight of the hose is from the rafters, I'm only carrying just enough to be able to move around the work easily.
Gargoyle
Official Cafe Stone Carver
BTW, I changed hammers once or twice during the video- I cropped out the dead space. I'm using two sizes of Cuturi hammers there, a type E and a type V.
i dont recall the brand name, but i got mine years ago from a firm in barre, vermont. igot a lot of goodies from them. finally got smart and began making my own chisels. my fave tool, a five pound bush hammer. it could do a number on soft stone. it was manual not pneumatic.
Gargoyle
Official Cafe Stone Carver
That would be Trow & Holden. I have a number of their hammers, including one from 1902. They rebuilt it for me, didn't charge me- it 's still under warranty.
They hold a patent on these hammers, from around 1887 or 1889 (the company was founded in 1890, I'll have to check the details- perhaps one of the founders already had designed the hammer). There were several competing patents that came out in the 1890's.
interesting info. what a shame that more companies don't do customer service like they do
Mike Cirelli
~ Elite 1000 Member ~
Nice, very interesting video. Beautiful work. Thanks for sharing that.
great video Walter!! Really nice work you're doing.
Most of the newer compressors are really junk, needing replacement after a few years. I sold my old one years ago and now am attending auctions for old machine shops and gas stations looking for a decent compressor to replace it. Dumb move on my part.
i got an ingersol/rand maybe 30 years ago. did much stone work, including 3 tombstones. still going strong, tho i don't us it as much as when i was doing stonework. i've virtually ignored maintenamnce. ony changed the oil 3 times and the intake filter just once. oh. and btw, it was made in good ole conus.
Gargoyle
Official Cafe Stone Carver
When I was first training in Italy many of the shops had Ingersol's that the U.S. Army left behind after the war. Solid, reliable compressors, the shops resisted replacing or upgrading and kept those going as long as they could.
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