The day was divided between a morning classroom session in the training centre where I outlined the issues and various laws governing memorial safety and inspection; and where all present gave their opinions and experiences. This resulted in a rare thing a rolling debate in which opinions were not only held but formed and reformed.
After lunch in the Java bean we all reconvened in the cemetery surrounding Addoldy Chapel (thanks to Martha Cowley for all her help) and spent a very useful afternoon doing visual inspections of memorials and learning how to focus risk assessments when assessing a cemetery prior to inspection.

Now I realize that these courses may seem to be a good excuse for a day off but in fact they ensure that all masons have a deep knowledge of the issues and give accurate, ethical advice to cemetery staff and customers alike.

In closing I have had a number of customers lately comment that they have had flower containers stolen from their memorials. In most cases the flower container has not been stolen at all but rather it has been blown out of its container hole and has been probably put in a bin by a passer by. This is the reason that we use 6” weighted flower containers that cannot be blown out of a container hole. Happily these flower containers are not compatible with other standard flower container holes so stealing is unlikely.

It goes without saying that when I set out to design and carve a piece for a trade competition or an individual art work the complete design is my own. I dream it up, draw it and carve it. But when helping a customer to come up with a tribute befitting their lost loved one it is a very different and more involved procedure.

Normally these days due to the constraints of finance, customers generally ask for a memorial they have seen in one of my catalogues and if it is not in stock an order is placed and a rough delivery time given.

We then spend some time discussing the inscription and the design or photo plaque if required; it is during this stage that drawings are produced and the finer points of the inscription are finalized; then an exact quotation is produced, including any cemetery fees; this will only change if the details of the memorial are changed, i.e. a design or lettering is added or subtracted.

Finally if the memorial requires it, the inscription, and design if needed, is drawn out full size on paper and positioned on the memorial for the customer’s approval. The reason that we go through a fairly involved process is that we need to be as sure as possible that we are doing what the customer wants. Our advice could be invaluable, but it is not always wanted or needed and we should not impose our esthetic ideas where they are not wanted.

Unfortunately there is no room this month so next month I will tell you about a course I recently ran in Glynneath looking at memorial inspection and testing.

MOTHERING SUNDAY 3rd OF APRIL.

PALM SUNDAY: 17TH OF APRIL.

GOOD FRIDAY: 22nd OF APRIL.

The first week in January saw me travelling to the City of London Cemetery to deliver a course on the fixing of memorials followed by another trip to London to test eight candidates for their BRAMM fixing qualification.

Still on the subject of training at the end of the month I will be hosting a course in Glynneath for memorial masons and Sextons on the delicate subject of memorial inspection and testing.

Below you will find the dates for Mothering Sunday, Palm Sunday and Easter and if you would like to have any remedial work carried out on a family memorial please remember that you should allow plenty of time to ensure the work is carried out as this is a busy time for such work.

Before closing I should remind you that Photo plaques are very popular and can be easily and securely fixed onto a memorial on site. So if you have a memorial and you thought you had missed the opportunity to fit a photo plaque, be assured there is no problem at all.

In closing I would like to wish everyone a peaceful and prosperous new year.

MOTHERING SUNDAY 3^rd OF APRIL.

PALM SUNDAY: 17^TH OF APRIL.

GOOD FRIDAY: 22^nd OF APRIL.

]]> http://www.vale-memorials.co.uk/community-times-june-2010/feed/ 0 http://www.vale-memorials.co.uk/specialist-hand-carving/ http://www.vale-memorials.co.uk/specialist-hand-carving/#comments Wed, 09 Dec 2009 16:11:58 +0000 Nick Thomas http://vale-memorials.co.uk/?p=133

This month I want to tell you about an unusual commission, recently completed that has caused me more than a few sleepless nights, but has also rekindled my love of carving Welsh slate. Although this particular memorial is out of the ordinary it should serve to illustrate what a mason is trying to achieve when asked to carve an additional inscription.

This first inscription on this memorial was carved by a lettering artist with a world wide reputation, named Ieuan Rees, who unfortunately was unable to complete the work. So my task was to carve the additional inscription as faithfully as possible to the original. This is often a difficult thing to do for a number of reasons.

Firstly, the way two people draw and carve a letter naturally is as different as handwriting.  I can often tell who carved a piece from the inscription, so the drawing must be as close as possible to the original design. Secondly, lettering artists tend to carve shallower than memorial masons and this does affect the look of the finished letter.

So part of the job is to suppress your own style so as to match the inscription to the original. This applies across the board whether your memorial was hand carved, machine carved or sand blasted; the mason’s job is to stay as close to the original as possible, if he does not. then the whole memorial will not look right when re-fixed in the cemetery.

This inscription was firstly drawn out on paper and after many alterations ‘pounced’ down on to the slate using carbon paper, a very time consuming job. Once this is done, it’s down to a hammer, a chisel and patience!

In this month’s article I would like to talk a little on the subject of gilding memorial lettering. Many memorials have lettering finished in gold leaf and it is important, for the care of this lettering, that we understand how the memorial is gilded, in order that we can make sure we do not do anything that may harm the gold.

Firstly, the gold used to gild lettering should be twenty three and half carat gold leaf. This is important as lesser grades of gold will deteriorate far more quickly when exposed to the elements and it is not merely wind and rain that will take its toll, atmospheric pollution will also, over time, affect the luster of gold and a poor grade of gold will fade faster.

The durability of the gold will be affected if the “size” used to adhere the gold to the letter is not fit for purpose and so your mason, having a great many years gilding experience, will have a particular brand or mix of brands to give the best, most durable outcome.

It is sometimes necessary to gild a memorial in the cemetery and this can be done with a little planning and preparation, however, the ideal is to gild in the workshop where the conditions can be more easily regulated.

All gold and size are guaranteed for no longer than a year, however I tell my customers to keep a close eye on their inscriptions and if they see a blemish to let me know and I will attend to it, to prevent any costly deterioration.

Finally, a word about the general care of gold lettering.  If you have a polished granite memorial, then it would be best to avoid damaging the gold leaf, by using a window cleaners’ squeegee to clean the surface of the memorial and so avoid coming into contact with the lettering itself. If necessary, it is possible to use a dusting cloth very lightly in order to wipe off excess water.