In general, monuments are lettered with
sandblasting, although laser or hand lettering is sometimes used. In
sandblasting, abrasive material such as sand or fine steel is projected by
compressed air to engrave the lettering. The following lettering styles,
available in numerous fonts, are most commonly used.
V-Sunk:
The groove of the letter is angled,
coming to a point at the bottom of the groove (think three-dimensional
“V”). This is the deepest lettering style. Variations are U-sunk, in which
the groove has a U-shaped bottom; and box-sunk, in which the groove has
uniform depth.
Frosted Outline:
Lightly sandblasted lettering. It is referred to as “frosted” because the
etched lettering creates a grey frosted appearance in contrast to the
polished stone.
Skin Cut:
Engraved lettering that barely breaks the surface of the stone.
Raised: The surrounding area of the letters is ground away, resulting in
lettering above the surface of the stone.
Lettering is also available with “litho” (colored paint) or “no litho.”
With no litho, the lighter the stone, the less contrast between lettering
and stone. Litho may be used to increase the contrast.
Rather than simply using lettering on stone, panels (boxes) are often used
surrounding the lettering to create contrast and nuance. The two most
common panel types are frosted panels and v-line panels. A frosted panel
is a lightly shaded box created by sandblasting. A v-line panel is simply
a v-sunk groove used as a rectangular border around the lettering. The
inside of the v-line panel can be frosted, or it can be left alone so its
finish matches the area outside the panel. Sometimes a double v-line
border is used.
Click here for some examples of
the typefaces that can be used. |
