The Operation & Processes that
Create Your Monument from Steedley Monument Works

Cutting the Stencil

Once the file has been plotted to the cutter, the stencil is cut. The computer cuts all different styles of font, to whatever size stone. The stencil is rubberized to protect the face of the stone.

Once the stencil is cut, it is taken out to the shop and it is applied to the tablet which is being carved.

The cutter (shown right) was developed so that it would cut down the cutting process from 24 manhours to 30 minutes of manhours, and of course it cuts all lettering much more perfectly than any human could ever cut.

Applying the Stencil to the Stone

The stencil is squared up onto the tablet. Once the stencil is squared, it is applied to the stone. The stencil has an adhesive backing that holds the stencil down to the granite.

The stencil is rolled on to the stone, trying to prevent any air pockets to form. If any air pockets form under the stencil, and not gotten rid of, something could "blow up" when the stencil covered stone reaches the blasting room.

Weeding the Stencil

Once the stencil is applied, then we "weed" out all the lines, designs, and lettering off of the stencil.

The whole purpose of the stencil is to protect the stone, so that whenever the stone goes into the blasting room, the granite that is exposed through the stencil will be pretty much eroded away by the blasting machine.

Some of the special designs have to be cut by hand where the computer can't really cut it due to the difference in the special cut stones, because they are not all cut exactly each time. Some of the stones may have a different size dimension, and are all called by dimension stock sizes, but they can vary 3/4 of an inch sometimes due to the grain in the granite.

Changes can be made halfway through to ensure accuracy. That's one reason the vase (shown right) had to be cut out by hand, because we can't always count on the heighth of the notch where the vase is sawed and the top being the same, or the width between the two hearts, in this case. If the measurements are double checked, the stencil can be corrected before continuing on.

Cutting by Hand

In the photo to the left, some more of the stencil is being laid out by hand. You can see where the straight edge more or less arcs.

The middle arcs are used to cut the shape of the heart out.

Again, because of the difference in the shape of each individual stone we have to cut them out to try and make them match the contour of the heart on either side.

Patching the Stone

Here the stone is being patched up, covering all granite surfaces that we don't want blasted in the room, using the same type of rubber stencil to protect the stone. Once the stone is fully patched, it is then put onto a cart and moved into the blasting room.

Transporting the Stone

These chain hoists are used to move all of our materials around in the shop. The stone is flipped in the belts and set upright on a cart. That particular dye itself probably weighs in the neighborhood of 1200 - 1400 pounds. So it takes a couple of men to move the stones around.

In the Sandblasting Area

The stone is moved to the blasting area of the shop. It is put in the sand blast booth where we use a recyclable metal shot called aluminum oxide.

The stone is lined up in front of the blasting nozzle, trying to keep a certain distance so the stencil is not burnt due to the amount of pressure we use in the room which is any where from 110-130 pounds of pressure. The limit switches are set, horizontally and vertically, on the face of the stone. The distance is double checked to be sure not to have the stone too far away or too close.

The sand blast machine is then cut on, where the abrasives cut into the stone. Here you can see the color change in the stencil where the abrasive is cutting into the granite. And VOILA it is done!

This process time varies depending on the size of the stone. We try to cut the depth of the granite to at least 3/16 of an inch, commonly known as a v-line on most stones. This is because it actually cuts to a "V" in the letters on each line and designs.

Once the stone is removed from the main blasting room, it is sent to a finish room, where the stone is blown out with air to remove any kind of abrasives or sand dust or whatever may have been left in the lettering.

Applying Lithochrome

Lithochrome, a special type of paint that becomes rubberized, is applied. The lithochrome is resistant to water and darkens all of the letters to make them standout.

Lithochrome can be done in virtually any color that you can think of, such as gold, white, black, red, etc. Some colors just do not look right on some stones so therefore you don't see them used. Therefore, the lithochrome color chosen, is chosen to enhance the monument itself.

Here he is "weeding" the stencil off of the stone, pulling the panels that we want to frost or steel off, still leaving the majority of the stencil on the stone.

Mudding the Stone

This is where we give the contrast between the polished finish and the steel finish, creating the different finishes on the face of the stone, because the entire face of the stone is polished when we start.

Here the "mudpack" is being applied, which is what we are going to use to protect the black lithochrome that we just sprayed into the stone.

A mudpack is made up of leftover aluminum oxide dust that is used in the larger blasting room, and is put into the v-lines. Regular sand is then used, like a dry rub, to remove any excess mudpack not wanted on the stone face, to get is as clean as possible.

Removing the Polish

This is a smaller version of the blasting room with of course a smaller version of the sandblast pot that we use.

The polish is removed where the granite is exposed so that the mudpack remains preventing damage to the lettering or v-lines.

Once the polish is removed, the lighter coat on the stone is visible, the remaining stencil is removed and the contrast between the polish and steel finish is visible.

Cleaning the Monument

The monument is placed into a wash area, where the stone is going to be cleaned, all over, removing any dust or abrasive that was collected in the rooms.

Water is used to spray out all of the remaining mudpack that was left in the stone, revealing the lettering and design.

As shown in the photo below, once the stone is completely free of any abrasives or mudpack, it is removed and stored in an area to dry until the monument can be installed.

The Finished Monument