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Granite is really hard!

In my youth the first thing that came to mind when thinking about stone carving was the marble figure carving done by the ancient Greeks and Romans. Marble is a soft stone. Other soft stones such as limestone (which is having somewhat of a renaissance here in New Zealand) and sandstone are often seen ornamenting gardens (and sometimes cemeteries) around New Zealand.

Compared with its peers granite is a stubborn and obstinate rock that doesn’t easily yield. Artisans in ancient Greece and Rome with their rudimentary tools would have relegated granite to the too hard basket. This stone was more commonly used for less lofty purposes such as buildings and roads.  It is only with the advancement of modern tools that granite has risen to the status which it currently occupies.

An assortment of granite and marble carvings at the Fujian Tenghui Stone factory in China.

So why has granite become the preferred stone when it comes to making monuments all around the world? Because its really really hard. A granite monument will (quite literally) outshine its softer cousins by hundreds of years. You might have heard about the eighty or so headstones that were unearthed and re-erected at Makaraka cemetery back in 2018. The marble stones unearthed were broken and badly pitted. After a quick clean the majority of the granite headstones came out looking how they would have at the time they were erected (some over a hundred years ago).

There are other factors that make granite preferable for monuments. Granite’s density means that it can be polished to a high gloss finish. The tough granite surface can be cleaned using abrasives like pumice hundreds of times before it starts to loose its shine. Granite also has natural beauty with its abundance of striking colors and patterns.

Carving a heart shaped granite plaque.

Carving a granite monument is simple in concept. Many of our tools can be found in your average garage workshop. Your average grinder disk wont cut it though (quite literally). To chew into granite you need teeth made of the hardest substance available. Granite cutting tools are invariably tipped or coated with diamond teeth. Even when up against hundreds of tiny diamonds granite does not submit easily. Patience and care is always needed and tools are used in conjunction with water to keep the area being worked clean and cool.

The reflection you can see in the face of the stone is the clouds in the sky.

For this example I’m using a heart shaped piece that i worked on back in 2019 which was attached to an upright granite headstone. I started off with a nice fresh black granite panel, polished on one face. This is cheating for sure but how this piece was processed into polished panels is a story for another day. For now we’ll just assume that granite occurs naturally in nice square panels with one side polished.

Even though my desired shape is fairly simple, to keep it perfect and symmetrical I printed out a vinyl mask as a guide.

Cutting

Our panel goes into the pull saw to cut out the basic shape. I leave a good 2 millimetre buffer zone between my cut and the edge of the mask. This allows me room to hone the edge with finer tools afterwards.

With a grinder and a diamond tipped blade I refine the edge until it hugs the profile outlined by my mask. This is the part where a little bit of skill and patience is required. Maintaining a square edge is important if you want the finished product to look good.

Polishing

After I’m happy with my edge I start to polish. We begin with a 50 grit polishing pad on our polisher and work our way incrementally up to 3000 grit followed by a buff. Polishing is a skill in itself. I find the trick is to focus on doing a thorough job with the lower grits (50 – 500). If there are any imperfections on the surface once you have finished with the lower grits they will show through in your final product.

The finished product

Finally we add a bevel to our edge. This reduces the likelihood of chipping. It also catches glints of light giving it that bling.

I hope you liked this brief insight into granite memorials. If you did, like our page on facebook. We will continue to post info about stone carving as well as other topics relating to the industry in the future.

Dot McCulloch, patron saint of headstones, talks life, passion and friends

Some may have heard about the 80 or so headstones that were unearthed and re-erected at Makaraka cemetery last year. In the wake of it all we sat down for a chat with Dot McCulloch, one of the key individuals responsible for having the headstones returned to their rightful places. This is what Dot had to say.

You’re a busy woman Dot. You’ve recently had a book published For Those Who Lie Beneath. You’re active in a number of local groups, notably the Friends of Makaraka Cemetery Trust group.

What else do you have on the go? What motivates you to be so active within the community?

I am also actively involved in the Te Hapara Garden and Floral Art Club, the Gisborne Floral Art Club, the Gisborne Care & Craft Centre and Gisborne Sister Cities. I collect knitted garments and such for premature babies at Middlemore Hospital. I collect fish and chip singlets and beanies for other places in the world where they are needed.

I also have a keen interest in genealogy, I’ve been helping people to locate and identify their family for many years. This interest has culminated in the production of the book that you mention.

I like helping the needy and I like helping with those things that I am able to help with.

Who are the Friends of Makaraka Cemetery Trust group and what do they do?

Our aim in starting the Trust was to look after the cemetery beyond what the council do, it being a closed one, but having been abused in the past. It is now looking lovely with the tender loving care we have given it.

We have regular clean up sessions, washing the headstones, cleaning debris from around them and general tidying up. We will be holding regular tours of the cemetery with special emphasis on the once buried headstones. Themes like those buried there who were involved in the Suffragette Movement. Soldiers, etc will also be addressed. We also answer a lot of queries on-line, emails and phone calls.

What have you and the friends of Makaraka Cemetery achieved? What hurdles have you faced along the way?

Having the Trust basis enabled us to petition the Gisborne District Council very often to get the 88 once buried headstones out of the ground and placed on the appropriate graves. This we achieved after 13 years of hard slog. The headstones were uplifted over three days between April 30^th and May 2^nd 2018.

We have sold the books ‘For Those Who Lie Beneath’ to give us funds to do things at the cemetery if the Council will let us. Book two is almost ready to be published.

Can anyone become a Friend of Makaraka Cemetery? How does one join the group?

I am the Chairperson of the Friends of Makaraka Cemetery Trust. There is a small governing Board, and we have not opened to other members yet but will probably do so in the future. This will be decided at a future Board meeting.

Is there anything that you’d like to say to others interested in local heritage and genealogy?

If you are interested in local heritage and genealogy, become involved. Papers past, H.B.Williams Memorial Library, (they have good research facilities – microfische on BDM’s electoral rolls, shipping) books, advice, the local L.D.S. Family Research Centre, the local family history group which meets at the Library and such are good starting points. Ask questions, and ask more, and enjoy yourself while you are doing it.

For those of you who are interested in local history and genealogy Dot has a follow up book to For Those Who Lie Beneath in production. The funds from which will be used for various projects within Makaraka cemetery.

Details on where you can pick up a copy will be posted once orders are open.