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Varies a lot depending on many factors. That exact stone back in 2020 (before equipment started getting silly expensive)I believe I charged $600 engraved. I provided the stone, they didn't spend much time picking out a font and they picked it up shrink wrapped to a pallet. It was also a dense granite stone but on the softer side so it was faster to engrave than most we run into. You can get a better idea on what we charge by seeing our online inventory at www.brboulders.com

Bernard, Iowa www.bigriverengraving.com

www.granquartz.com - www.milessupply.com - www.uscutter.com - www.brontapes.com - www.ublaststencil.com to name a few

I do not believe they used sand blasting like we know it today. I have read articles about them using water, sand, towels & elbow grease to very slowly polish surfaces like limestone and marble. Seems like this question would be best suited for google... Here is a video I just watched that is interesting. th-cam.com/video/Lx6CeVTXcOE/w-d-xo.html

That was 3M #2 Sandblast Filler Glue. It can be removed with mineral spirits if using lithichrome paint or camping fuel. We have been switching to Anchor stencil and their #211 glue because we are about out of 3M materials.

Thank you for reaching out. Email sent!

@@bigriverengraving Can I get the file too? I am wondering - what should be the characteristics of the compressor, sandblaster and stone carving nozzle. Thanks

th-cam.com/video/6LlM2eU82kI/w-d-xo.html

on site I use a 25% silica 75% playsand mix

Full RPB Blast Suit with boots that I sewed in and Nova 3 helmet with XL long cape to save the suit a little longer. I have two systems for breathing air, the main one is a Rhino Air 13-2 that is in my office with a long hose for great quality air. I bought this years ago and cannot get parts for it that I know of. The other is a clemco inline air that I keep a new filter in every 6 months or less.

I would love to do this someday. My current schedule does not allow me to do this. I am also still using material and a process that is no longer available. When I am forced to use the available material it will be a bit more of a challenge to get a clean engraving and I may be able to do a video then.

www.danairinc.com/autohammer.shtml - Dan Air Inc. air hammer. Using them 15 years or more now, really gets that stencil tight to the rock. We have a few of them because they require a bit of maintenance every 40-60 large rocks especially if it is a rougher surface and don't want to stop what we are doing to take apart and grease/change seals. I use the Super Soft Plastic T-15-ss head on them. I also have found that the oil they sell just gets everywhere and messes with the stickiness of my glue when the main seal starts to wear so I only take apart and grease the seals with sil-glyde amzn.to/3otMjuR. Biggest piece of advice is to buy a pressure regulator like this one on amazon amzn.to/3orK1MP. I have found that 60 psi is a good pressure to run at. I usually forget to turn the pressure down on turn main regulator knob at the wall and 80-120 psi seems to push the main seal out faster costing more maintenance. I also disconnect from the air hose when not in use and that makes it last much longer. Danairinc.com has great guides available www.danairinc.com/techsupport.shtml#autohammer - 4 videos at the top of the page to show you how to take apart and reassemble www.danairinc.com/pdf/AH15TR_S.pdf - Troubleshooting guide www.danairinc.com/pdf/AHmanual.pdf - Parts Diagram Links to amazon are sponsored by us

I have never used a double Liner stencil so I am unfamiliar with it. I could see that being an issue with it needing to stretch to conform to the surface but only if its a decent indent into the surface. I just contacted UBlast last week to try out their stencil and their own filler glue that has been on back order but should be in stock soon. I am going to try their 732 stencil to see what I think. I do not have high hopes though as it seems like it will be exactly like Anchor stencil that I cannot get to hold well at all even with the their #211 filler glue whether I put it on light or heavy. It does seem to stick better if I leave the anchor stencil stuck for 2-3 days and use the danair hammer once each day to re-fasten it to the rock. I have also learned to keep the rock covered right until sand blast it so the dust doesn't settle into the spots that have lifted. I have used my Mr. Heater to get the stencil and surface of the rock nice and hot. That really seemed to help but is a pain to deal with. I have also learned a trick lately for rocks that have alot more text. I cover the rock with transfer tape then sandblast the top letters first just after pounding the stencil then once those letters are done I remove more tape, pound the next letters then sand blast then continue on until the whole rock is done. Seems like the stencil only holds for about 15-20 minutes before it starts to release from the rock so it lets dust into the edges of the letters that have not been blasted much then will not stay stuck after that without more glue and alot of jacking around.. Gosh, I miss 3M Stencil and glue.

Every rock, brick or whatever it is you are engraving can be different for amount of time to engrave depending on the hardness, size of lettering, type of font or a number of other factors. We will get into projects like 12, 15" wide rocks all with the same design and some are a quick 5-6 passes with increasing size of blast nozzles and pressure every few passes and some are 10-15 passes with the same 1/8" nozzle . Some rocks & bricks you feel like you need the tip closer and some you have to keep the blast tip away 12 inches to get a good clean cut as to not cause the lines to be jagged after the stencil comes off or risk losing the centers of the letters. Slate is usually very hard and takes many passes to get a nice clean engraving. If the lettering is big enough I would start with a 1/16" tip to gouge out the centers of the letters and end up with a 1/4" tip to get the edges of the letters finally burning up the stencil right before failure.

​@@bigriverengraving hi sir what do you use media sand blasting

Rocks. Mostly I go to landscaping stores and buy what you would call granite boulders. I also hunt for rocks in farmers fields and try to only bring back tighter grain rocks that will last longer with the lithichrome stone paint.

Thank you!

On The Welik rock I believe I was running at 110psi with the big hose and 3/8" tip and 80psi on the smaller hose and 1/8" tip when I did the Est. and final. Sometimes I run at 130psi for the bigger letters and for smaller more intricate stuff I get down to 60psi, takes a bit longer to cut but the finished product turns out nicer. I also want to point out that to get really good depth on a =thicker lettering I will often start out with a 1/16" tip @ 100 psi and carve a nice deep line in the center of the letter then go to my 1/4" tip to get close to the stencils edge then finally get out the big hose and hit it with the 3/8" tip. This takes a bit more work but if the customer appreciates a nice deep engraving this is the best way to achieve that and get the stencil to hold up through the whole process. This all really depends on the hardness of the rock, amount to sand I want to burn through and the time I have bid the job for. I just did one that would be a 10/10 on my hardness scale and if I would have just hit it with the 3/8" tip the stencil would have been flopping around before I got past 1/16 of depth. I cut the first line with my 1/16 tip then did the rest of the rock with the 1/8 tip. Took 3 times longer to engrave but I am very happy with the depth I achieved and the customer loved the deep look.

@@bigriverengraving this is really helpful info! thanks for taking the time to write it out! Do you know the name of the equipment you used? Compressor/hose/tips/stencil blanks

@@ned_mograph5957 email me at rockengraver@gmail.com and I will send you a PDF my dad had created many years ago for fun.

@@bigriverengraving also sending you email with my questions

Glad you enjoyed it!

Arena de sílice

We buy alphatape no curl transfer tape from www.Wensco.com . It seems to work the best when we use a light solution of dawn dish soap and water to clean the stencil before we run it through the plotter.

Hi Mal J, Please email me at matt@bigriverengraving.com and I will send you a pdf my father created years ago. Not the same exact materials and processes we use now but it will get you started

@@bigriverengraving I would like to start doing too. Can you please send that pdf

@@rubenmorales9891 Please email me at matt@bigriverengraving.com and I will be happy to forward that on

We do not use any chemicals in the etching process of the stone. Just sand blasting media at the rock.

@@bigriverengraving what grit of slag? sand wouldnt cut that deep would it? thanks!

@@jetconcrete7068 Good ol' silica sand 30/40 grit. Cuts nice and clean and does not erode the stencil as fast as slag or other expensive blast media we have tried in the past. I have used Crushed Glass it works good for large letters and when I cannot have silica sand present but dislike it when I get into smaller letters under 1" amzn.to/3RVLbwS . My video looks like it only took minutes but it was hours by the time I was done engraving this rock. I also change tip size often from 1/2" (have 250CFM availability with two compressors running at the same time and a large store of air) to 3/32 but lately have been using the smaller tip to do larger letters so I can get the best looking V look in my engravings. If I run anything else for media I just seem to fight it more so silicosis for the WIN! With expensive filtration and good PPE practices I do not believe I have issues but I am sure I will not last as long as I should because of it. The amount of dust that I create after engraving even with crushed glass is overwhelming sometimes. I use all Clemco Gear that I buy from Blue Dog Blasting. Check out our referral link bluedogblasting.com?ref=773

@@bigriverengraving sir, what is the name of the SAND that you use for Stone Engraving through the Sandblasting Machine?

@@mohammadrazanayel2542 silica sand 30/40 grit

We use a 3M, 1532 stencil with a #2 filler glue. 3M has exited the stencil and filler market as of Oct. 15, 2021 so we will either quit doing rocks or find a suitable replacement. We have lots of rolls and glue in stock so we will see what is out there when we run out.

Get a used Machine about 650 for Marco... if you are cutting granite like I do you will need 120psi at 185 CFS

When my dad started sand blasting 20+ years ago he bought everything he needed for about $1000 USED. Now we have over $50,000 just in blasting equipment for this small shop since we cannot afford to wait around while the tanks fill back up. There are a lot of lost details to the sand blasting equipment like pressure pot, blasting nozzles of many sizes, blasting protection, plumbing and the air compressor itself. We have 3 main sand blasting pots all ranging from $400 to $2,000 each. Our 300# clemco pot was bought used for $800 and was like new from a guy that tried it a few times and quit. We have two different air compressors 90 cfm and 185 cfm that are both plumbed into the same pre-cooler (Cool down the air that goes into our 250 gallon vertical tank where most of the moisture is caught (never need to choke ANYMORE) then into our 450 gallon storage tank) then distributed to multiple locations depending on where we are blasting at the shop.

Made by 3M it is two types needed so that it pulls off with the stencil. I forgot the 3M name call Miles Supply ask them to give you a gallon of Stencil Filler number 1 and number 2 by 3M. Mix up half and half. Don’t forget to to buy the plastic bottles with the brush that screws into the top it’s a must...I remembered the name it’s Stencil Filler 1 and 2

@@Goodboy0953 We use 3M #2 Filler glue with 3M 1532 stencil for rocks. For bricks we would mix 70/30 #2 filler with #3 filler to make it a little less sticky. However, 3M has exited the Stencil and Filler glue market as of Oct. 15th 2021 so now we are working to switch to Anchor stencil when we finally run out of 3M by next year. Due to low supply we are having a hard time buying and testing anchor stencils with their #211 glue that would preform like 3M did (7/16/2022 - EDIT: Anchor does not even compare to 3M for adhesion to rough surfaces) . Wishing someone would take over the 3M Stencil business and keep it going.

APD 24” plotter with friction feed. I added extra rollers so it tracks nicely. I use WinPcSign 2018. I have been using it since I was a kid so I cannot say it is easy to use since it is second nature to me.

@@bigriverengraving ahhh gotcha. Thanks for the info!

@@jerridgray5056 Allen’s Datagraphic with Gerber Memorial Software. I have one for sale. Half off used very little

Glad you enjoyed learning how we do it!

Mineral spirits

We use Lithichrome Stone paint. That’s why the mineral spirits will not hurt the paint job

Danair ah-15 air hammer with red rubber end from www.Danairinc.com

Lithichrome Stone Paint and Lithichrome clear coat. 8 coats of black and 4 of clear starting very thin to thick with each coat.

It’s not paint it is a Highlite if you place on heaven it will flake in the future. Spray Left to Right Up and down and Down and Up Right to Left and one quick straight in.... Granite colors are all Hilights Lithochrome....

@@Goodboy0953 Been at this for 20+ years. The way we have come to apply lithichrome takes awhile but I can count on one hand the number of failures we have experienced. When I said thick coat I meant the last coat of Black Shadow is the thickness you find in a new gallon of paint. Every layer below that is thinner all the way to a 50/50 mix with lithichrome thinner making sure each coat dries within a couple of minutes or less. THIS DOES NOT APPLY TO SOFT ROCKS OR LIMESTONE. I warn people before hand that it will fail in 3-5ish years or maybe less. When we started we used the airmite sprayer they recommended but it would always go on too thick and I remember many times taking that rock back into the blast room to remove paint because we knew it would not hold up. If you have a better stone paint please email me at matt@bigriverengraving.com. I would love to know what you would recommend

I just realized I thought you meant the type of paint we used. The stencil Filler is 3M #2 Filler Glue.

I am using a Clemco 300 pound pot and a 20HP rotary screw Compressor running at 125 psi @ roughly 100 CFM. I have a pre cooler to cool down the air that goes into a 250 gallon vertical tank to remove most of the moisture and a 450 gallon tank for running other tools in the shop along with a bit more moisture. I also have a regulator before my cemco pot so I can drop my pressure down to 30-60psi for fine engraving.

@@bigriverengraving thanks. That is power!!!! It is quite big investment. Sure it a 20hp or 2.0hp?

Edgardo Campos it is a 20 hp, 3 phase compressor. Yes, it was a large investment of thousands of dollars and I had to upgrade power into the shop. Along with it I have an XAS 185 mobile compressor for the really big rocks. We have been at this type of work for over 25 years so we like to get the job done quickly and without hassle.

@@bigriverengraving hi thwere im looking to engrave some petoskey stones wehats the proccess to do it ?

@@Helberg1993 Those are very small rocks usually and our process is not quite enough to do something so small. Check out www.scmsysteminc.com/ These are the guys that really got us started in the beginning way back when.

Silica Sand

​@@bigriverengraving You should NEVER use silica sand for blasting. The evidence makes it's clear that exposure to respirable crystalline silica during sandblasting can cause a serious or even fatal respiratory disease, called Silicosis, a scarring and hardening of the lungs.

@@tmiddleton100 a mask would make this safe

@@tmiddleton100 Thank you for your concern. We use a full blast suit with fresh air helmet and a huge air filtering system. We have never been satisfied with other media and the costs of other media outweighs the cost of washing filters. In this business its not the silica sand that will hurt your lungs but the rock dust that will get you so any other media would still be mixed with that wonderful rock dust.