Dressing sandstone.

[rangerb]

I have bought some soft sandstone slabs to top off my garden wall and would like some advice on how to dress them off. The stone merchant wanted in excess of £200 to do thid and I simply cannot afford it on top of the cost of stone. The trouble is that sawn edges are simply too smooth.

What tools would I need to do it myself, and is it within the scope of an amateur to do it?

[alan ditchfield]

This is not the easiest of jobs to carry out for a begginer, there are that many variants in sandstone ie. density, thickness and the grain of the stone that each piece would ussually be dressed on its own merits in a different way ie. the angle you would strike the stone at,, where to hit it etc.. it really is a job that gets easier with experience, however there is a wide range of stone dressing chissels available but good ones are quite expensive. it may be worth trying to dress a few with a bolster or similar and see how it goes if you start breaking the corners off then get someone else to do it for you. im sure there will be something on this site that will describe the best methods.

[rangerb]

Thanks for that. I have dressed stone before, but only random lumps for walling. I suppose it's a case of taking it easy.

Would a brick hammer be any good, or a scutch hammer? I just want to take off the sawn effect.

[alan ditchfield]

scutch hammers are probably the preffered method if you just want to rough the edges up, how thick is the stone ?

[rangerb]

It averages about 1 1/2 "

[alan ditchfield]

you may be able to pitch the stone from the top and bottom if it is strong enough just be carefull at the corners, i had a quick look on the main site but could not find the info you may need but im sure it will be on there somewhere with diagrams, if you opt to pitch the stone as i said start with the corners and hit it from the outside edge to give you a start hit it about 5mm from the edge at a slight outward angle. Does that make sense ?

[84-1093879891]

There is some info on the main site about cutting flags using a pitcher (Pitching chisel) but it doesn't go into detail about how to dress a pitched face onto stone.

However, the techniques are quite similar. Rather than expand on them here when our enquirer might not even have access to a pitcher, I'd suggest using the narrowest bolster or widest chisel available, and using that to dress a face.

Lay the stone down on a pile of sand and make sure it is fully supported. Place the edge of the chisel/bolster so that it's parallel to the edge being dressed, but back from the edge by 4-7mm or so. Try to use one sharp rap with a lump hammer to drive the chisel/bolster and remove a shard of stone from the edge. Assuming it's succesful, move the chisel/bolster along the edge, a bit at a time, repeating the process, and then turn over the flagstone and repeat on the 'bottom' edge.

I should have mentioned that it's really important to dress the corners FIRST and this is best done by dressing from the side, rather than from the top/bottom face.

The basic techniques can be seen on the Cutting Flags page.

[rangerb]

Thanks for that. I think I'll have a look for a broken slab to have a practice on. I don't have a pitching chisel, but I'll buy one. Looks as though a bit of trial and error is called for.

[84-1093879891]

You'll struggle to find a pitching chisel. I get emails from contractors almost every week asking if I can help them fin one, as theirs has been nicked or buried by accident.

There's a blacksmith up in Shetland still making them, and Rollins in London claim to have them imported from the States. There were some at Thomas and Nelson in Liverpool the last time I called in, but they are becoming rarer and rarer by the day as more and more old Streetmasons pass on into retirement and the new paviors, who can only operate with a power saw, wouldn't know which end of a pitcher to hold!

[alan ditchfield]

just reading through this post and it seems the have been paviors seem to have a problem with the newer (11yrs on site experienced paviors who can only use a grinder to cut flags) but if they took the time to read the posts it would have saved them repeating exactly what the highly qualified pavior that made this reply had actually said, ie, try a bolster, start at the edge (due to it most likeley breaking in the corners so why waste time pitching the face and then break the corner off) oops forgot to mention somewhere between 4 and 7 mm would be better than my rec of 5mm, see you soon Alan, by that time TM will have changed my name to Michelle and i will have been a member since 1566 with 1 post, any comments?????

[84-1093879891]

What are you on about?

I can't tell whether this is some sort of skewed pop at me and the reply I made, or whether you're trying to make a serious point.

As for the mystery name thing - I've no idea why that happened. I tried to find out by rummaging through the bowels of the software behind this message board, and the only thing I could spot was an apparent attempt to edit your profile, either by yourself or by someone else, but definitely not me!

[alan ditchfield]

seems like you repeated my points exactly and i assumed you were the only one who can edit my profile as i cannot edit it myself to that extent so i am assuming that it is you that is having a skewed pop at me and the reply i made.

[84-1093879891]

Well you assumed wrong, and I did not merely repeat your points, but expanded on them and provided a link to further info on the main site that you admitted you could not find.

I do not edit anyone's Profile without informing them. You should have contacted me by email or posted a message if you thought there was a problem.

And I do not use this forum, or any other part of the website, to have a pop at anyone. That's not my nature. If I want to have a go at someone, they will damned well know that I'm having a go, no two ways about it. I don't post follow-up messages to criticise or to appear more authoritative than anyone else: I post them to aid understanding, to clarify a point, or to add further information.

[alan ditchfield]

Well i guess i ll have to apolagise it looked to me as if you had accused me of not knowing which end of a pitching chissel to hold, as all the good street masons have retired. Ps. if your not to blame then i would look at some updated security for YOUR website because the problem came from your end not mine. you said you expanded on my point but if you look back i say there is no usefull info that i could find on the main web site and the link you give (as you admitted) does not go into detail. ie; is therefore of no use, Thanks Alan...

[84-1093879891]

You seem to have some problem with me, or you're carrying a chip on your shoulder over some imagined slight - when did I ever say that you didn't know which end of a pitcher to hold?

I haven't got time for this - if you don't like my answers, you're under no obligation to read them, but don't let paranoia kid you into thinking that I'm criticising you in some way.

Let that be an end to it.