Cat's Eye Carving

Memorial with intricate heraldry.

I have just completed a memorial, it is almost ready to head off to London to be installed at Lambeth Cemetery.

Hand carved out of Portland limestone, I drew out the ogee top and sent the details to the quarry to cut to shape.

When the stone arrived I drew the inscription and family crest onto the stone and my customer visited me to confirm that they were happy with it. This is the stage where any design changes can be made, names, dates and spellings are checked and signed off.

When carving something of this nature, I start at the bottom, the dust falls down and I lean against the surface of the stone when I am carving, if I started at the top, there would be a risk of rubbing it out with my clothing or when I brush the dust off.

The names and dates were tricky to carve because of the shapes of the letters, but I keep my tungsten carbide tipped chisels very sharp.

Once I have completed the lettering, I put my carving chisels to use and start to carve the foliage and coat of arms.

Almost there.

The final stage is to rub out any pencil lines and give the carving a final wash to remove any loose dust.

If you would like to discuss a commission, please feel free to get in touch, or pop in and see me in my shop.