Monumental Stone Masonry Melbourne
CMP Stone in Hallam are a stonemason tools supplier in Melbourne that specialise in Monumental Stone Masonry tools in Melbourne.
We also specialise in tools for:
- Monumental Stone Masonry
- Stone Masonry Tools & Equipment
- Bricklaying Tools & Equipment
- Marble Cutting Tools & Equipment
- Sculpting Tools & Equipment
- Landscaping Tools & Equipment
- Tile Cutting & Tiling Tools & Equipment
- Dry Wall Masonry Tools & Equipment
A type of stonemasonry called monumental masonry, commonly referred to as memorial masonry, is devoted to the design, installation, and maintenance of headstones and other memorials.
These are the stonemasons who construct grave markers and engrave their inscriptions.
Modern stonemasons go through a thorough training process that includes both classroom instruction and on-the-job training. Longer, having practical abilities is insufficient. Additionally, one must be knowledgeable about the many types of stones, their optimum applications, how to work with them, and how to fix them in place.
The work of the monumental mason is smaller than that of the majority of stonemasons, frequently just a little slab of stone, but it usually has a very fine finish. Gravestones typically have intricate engravings of text and symbols and are highly polished. Some memorials are more ornate and may include the sculpture of morbid symbols like angels, hands clasped in prayer, and flower vases. Letter cutters have created beautiful lettering on some carefully manufactured stones.
Lawrence Weaver felt compelled to write "The Craft Has Deteriorated" at the start of the 20th century "Nowadays, a large number of those who are oddly referred to as "monumental masons" bring to their work neither educated taste nor an understanding of good historical examples; they are frequently also incompetent in their craft. The ecclesiastical tailors who sell most of the engraved brasses have mostly succeeded in making that form of the memorial the most gloomy. All three sources of supply have given a new fear of death. The more important businesses which purvey marble monuments are, if anything, rather worse because they stereotype terrible ideas, which are the more insulting because more ambitious and expensive."
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Materials
Granite, sandstone, marble, and porphyry are only a few of the many stones used in monument construction.
Granite
Due to its extreme durability and the fact that working with granite necessitates methods that are fundamentally distinct from those used with sedimentary stones, granite masonry is often treated as a distinct industry. Many churches in Cornwall and the city of Aberdeen include granite with modest mouldings carved into them; this was achieved via a great deal of patience and perseverance. However, its strength and endurance mean that it is typically reserved for applications like kerbstones, worktops, floors, and breakwaters.
Marble
Marble is a beautiful and versatile stone that is often white but comes in a wide range of other colours as well. Statuary and the facades of many Byzantine and Italian Renaissance buildings were usually carved from this stone. Using the marble of Paros and Thassos primarily, the Greeks such as Antenor (6th century BC), Phidias and Critias (5th century BC), Praxiteles (4th century BC), and others were the first and most admirable marble carvers and sculptors. The Pentelikon marble is the whitest and brightest of all the marbles, although it is not the best. The Greeks were unparalleled in their plasticity and lifelike (re)presentation, whether of Gods (Apollo, Aphrodite, Hermes, Zeus, etc.) or humans, despite the fact that their work predated that of older sculptors from Mesopotamia and Egypt (Pythagoras, Socrates, Plato, Phryne, etc.). Many people believe that Pentelican marble was used to build the Acropolis in Athens. The region around Carrara, Italy, is the traditional centre of the marble business, and it is there that the finest and most brilliant white marble is mined in great quantities.
Sandstone
Sandstone is a type of clastic sedimentary rock that is made up primarily of mineral particles or rock fragments that are between 0.0625 and 2 millimetres in size.
According to the Goldich dissolution series, silicates like quartz and feldspar are the most resistant to weathering processes at the Earth's surface, which is why they make up the bulk of sandstone. Sandstone, like unconsolidated sand, can be any colour due to imperfections in the minerals that compose it. However, the most prevalent colours in sandstone are tan, brown, yellow, red, grey, pink, white, and black. Because sandstone deposits so frequently form cliffs and other prominent geographical features, various hues of sandstone have been inextricably linked to particular locations.
Typically, sandstone-dominated rock formations are permeable to water and other fluids and porous enough to hold considerable volumes, making them attractive aquifers and petroleum reserves. Sandstones, which are part of a fine-grained aquifer, are more effective at filtering out surface pollutants than limestone, which is prone to cracking and crevicing due to seismic activity.
Porphyry
The enduring appeal of porphyry stone explains why it has been used for ages in countries all across the globe. Porphyry paving from antiquity, renowned for its longevity, has also been preserved to the present day. Some of the most beautiful and rare Porphyry in the world comes from our Australian quarry.
Porphyry refers to a type of igneous rock in which big crystals like quartz are scattered throughout a more finely-grained groundmass.
When a rising magma column is cooled gradually, it leaves behind deposits of porphyry. In the first, huge crystals with a diameter of 2 millimetres or more form as the magma is cooled very slowly. This final phase involves fast cooling of the magma, which results in the formation of extremely fine grains that are typically undetectable by the naked eye.
Construction with this attractive and long-lasting stone has been prized for over three thousand years. It was installed in the palace of King Minos at Knossos on the island of Crete around 1 850 B.C. Porphyry was employed for paving, construction, and monuments by the Babylonians, Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans. Some remnants of these can still be seen today, which is a tribute to the longevity of this exquisite stone.
Traditional Tools
When working with stone blocks (ashlar) and slabs, stonemasons have a vast range of equipment at their disposal. A mallet, some chisels, and a straight metal edge are the fundamental equipment for working with stone. These are essential to every stoneworker because they allow you to create a level surface.
Chisels
There is a wide range of chisel sizes and styles available. Many distinct names are given to them in different regions, each reflecting the specific purpose for which they are employed. Chisels come in a wide range of shapes and sizes and can be used for everything from chipping away enormous chunks of material to smoothing out the surface of the stone.
The chisel is one of the most fundamental tools for any mason to have. These tools are essentially metal rods with sharpened, flattened heads.
Chisels have been around since before metal was even discovered by humans. There is a wide range of sizes and purposes for chisels. Chisels come in a variety of sizes, with larger ones designed for making rougher cuts and smaller ones for being more precise.
Chisels can either be manufactured as general-purpose tools or as specialized tools for certain materials.
Hammer
It is called a Punch Hammer, and it is a type of mason's hammer with a long, thin head. One may use a chisel or splitter with it for a number of tasks.
The hammer is the final instrument on the list and maybe the most well-known among masonry implements. A hammer, typically shaped like a cube of metal mounted on a wooden handle, is used by masons to transfer the force of their swing to a chisel or wedge. The need for a separate chisel to carve stone is eliminated when a hammer's reverse side is designed to function as a chisel.
To make rubble, pinnings, or snecks, a walling hammer (catchy hammer) can be used instead of a hammer and chisel or pincher.
Wedges
A metal wedge, shaped like a triangle, is used to fracture stone along preexisting cracks. Insert the wedge's thin end into the crack or fissure in the stone until you reach the end of the crack or fissure. The wedge is driven farther into the stone by repeatedly striking it with a hammer. How a stone cracks depends heavily on how hard you hit the wedge. For a quicker split, use greater force, but if you want to guide the wedge along a specific crack, a lighter touch may be required. A wedge is only useful for widening and strengthening preexisting fissures in the stone; it is not employed in the same way as an axe to break through the smooth surface.
Wire
A simple metal wire is another classic masonry implement. This wire may be used in much the same way a saw might be used on a log of wood. A groove is worn into the stone by repeatedly rubbing a wire across it. This is accomplished by repeatedly pulling the wire back and forth across the stone. The depth of this groove increases until it penetrates the stone. Due to the lack of teeth on the wire, grit in the form of sand is applied to the stone's surface. The sand then functions as the saw's 'teeth,' with the wire acting as the saw's directional guidance.
Mixing Mortar
Mortar mixers, which typically employ a spinning drum or rotating paddles to mix the mortar, are the standard method of mixing mortar in modern times.
Masonry Trowel
Once the stones are in position, the mortar is applied between and around them with a masonry trowel. In construction, pointing refers to the process of filling joints with mortar. Small joint pointing can be done using a variety of tools, including tuck pointers, pointing trowels, and margin trowels.
Many people today utilize power tools like compressed-air chisels, abrasive spinners, and angle grinders to save time and money. However, this equipment can be dangerous and need just as much skill as traditional hand tools. Stonemasons have used many of the same key tools for centuries. Chisels, for example, haven't evolved much in size or shape in the last few thousand years despite being used to construct the pyramids at Giza.
