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Carving Your Own House Sign

If you are considering carving your own house sign it may be worth you having a little background knowledge of which tools are used for which jobs.  Some tools are useful for all kinds of materials but there are three main sets depending on which stone or marble you are using.

Masons Chisels (wooden handled) These are quite easy to get hold of and look very similar to wood working chisels.  Although they are more heavy duty as the steel is tempered differently, they are available in all different shapes and sizes and are great for working with softish sandstones like Bathstone and Cotswold.  It is necessary to use a lead dummy with these specialist chisels.  A lead dummy is a mallet which comprises of a lead cylinder about 3 inches high and 2 inches in diameter which is mounted onto a wooden handle.

Steel Chisels (bulb end) These chisels are used for working on harder stone such as Limestone’s like Portland.  These steel chisels are more heavy duty than the wooden handled ones and come in a variety of shapes and sizes.  The Steel chisels are designed to be used with a wooden masons mallet which are round in shape and made from Italian Yew.  They are available in many different sizes and weights.

Steel and Tungsten Chisels (steel end) You will find these chisels are the most commonly available and come in great ranges of shapes and sizes.  If this is your first carving project I would suggest that you only purchase two chisels at this point.  A half inch and a quarter inch splitter, a splitter is a  small chisel used for letter cutting and fine carving. These chisels are designed to be used with a masons steel hammer or a steel club hammer. Some steel and tungsten chisels have individual names I have listed a few below:-

Punch or Point: Usually used for getting rid of waste material and is pointed in shape.

Bolster: This is any flat bedded chisel with a straight edge from half an inch to four inches

Comb or Claw: Creates a roughly flat finish and is used to take away waste in a controlled way, it is a toothed chisel.

Scallop: This chisels blade is hollowed out like a half section of tube and is used on softer materials.

Bullnose: Is a flat chisel with a rounded edge for creating curved surfaces

Pitcher: Has a wedge like edge on a flat blade and is used to remove large chunks of waste.

This background information may prevent you buying more tools than you need to begin with.   House signs  are a great first project and will be admired by all the visitors to your home.

About the Author

TrudySilcox specialises in custom made house signs. Learn more about the methods used to make a house sign and get a great house sign. Visit us at http://www.trudysilcox.co.uk

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