Callow Lane - cobbling a la Harrap - Part 2
Entry posted by Captain Kernow
2,110 views
I've finally knuckled down and made a start on scribing the granite setts in the area around the back of the goods shed on Callow Lane. As mentioned in previous blog entries, the section of 'grout' immediately next to the outer faces of both running rails is extra-white fine Milliput, the larger part of the area is Tetrion filler, applied over several layers and sanded smooth.
I've been doing around 45 mins - 60 mins per evening for the last four days, and progress is painfully slow, but this is the current state of play. The Milliput is harder to scribe, being slightly plasticky, whereas the Tetrion is a bit softer, and thus reacts better to the scribing process, yet is sufficiently hard not to crumble when the scribing pin is applied.
The above photos show, of course, only a relatively small proportion of the total area to be scribed. This is generally how each individual row of granite setts is scribed.
The scribing tool itself:
First of all, a piece of plasticard measures the distance between grouting lines, perfect precision is not necessary here, because the prototype doesn't require it (fortunately!):
Using the piece of plasticard (which is 1.5mm wide), a pencil line is roughly drawn along the alignment of the granite setts:
A steel pin in an old pin vice is used to start scribing a continuous line along the alignment of the pencil line:
With the continuous line scribed, the scribing pin is now used to scribe individual setts (I have another plasticard template to get the length of the setts approximately right, in reality in Bristol I've found that they can vary between 4" and 9" in length):
Just over half the row now scribed:
The row of setts completed. Time to start the next one (or perhaps have a stiff drink!!):
-
25
15 Comments
Recommended Comments
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now