BUILD QUICK AND DIRTY TOMBSTONES!
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I whipped
off 9 tombstones in 1 hour last night. I used a template from
Cryptopropoligy.
I'll post the next 9 when they are done... I'm running out of time
and I have a ton of paperwork to do at school so this year these will be 2
inches thick, attached with stakes on the back and epitaphs will be
painted on in UV reactive paint. I'll be building a HUGE black light
for the front... |
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Hardware:
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Recipe |
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 Template Drawing #1 |
 Template Drawing #2 |
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The first sheet is cut... just need to finish sand the edges and paint.
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Finally finished the
cutting. Would not have been possible without a hotwire. I
ended up getting 16 stones out of two sheets instead of the 18 I wanted...
but I did get 3 stones between 4 and 5 feet tall... You can see them
in the rear of the photo. Home Depot had a can of Porch and Floor latex enamel. It was a mis-tint and was beige. After 3 ounces of added black tint it came to a stony gray colour. It retails for $37 per gallon and I got it for $9! I also picked up a can of fluorescent spray paint to spray on the epitaphs which will react under blacklight. |
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| So the paint covered great! It's a very cement looking gray colour... Since it was beige paint that was tinted gray it's a really different shade of gray that you wouldn't get anywhere I don't think. |
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In the photo above you can
see the test engraving I did with an exacto-knife which was a real pain. On the left you can see the sample engraving I did with a soldering iron... a lot faster and more square but you need a VERY steady hand. |
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I broke down a bought a
Dremel. The 400XPR to be exact... the best Dremel on the market... I
also picked up the plunge router. It's supposed to make a lot of
dust so I found a great place to use it... The shower! The results are night and day compared to other engraving methods! |
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My wife didn't like this one... she thought it was too morbid. That means it's PERFECT! The soother was a neat addition. God bless my Dremel! | ||
| Once this set was carved I painfully brushed black paint into all the letters and cracks. Then laid them down to dry. |
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After rolling with a short haired roller I am pretty happy with how they turned out. | ||
| To attach then I hammered 2 foot wooden 2x2s into the ground and then glued a piece to the back of each tombstone... I will paint the backs black and then just fasten to tombstone to the stake with a screw of "zip-tie" |
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Here you can see the "zip-tie" going through the hole and around the stake. It is VERY secure as the bottom of the stone keeps it from tipping to the side and the friction of the wood on the wood keeps it stable. | ||
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Here is my stones in order of completion... more will be added daily to the yard and to this page! |
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Supplies:
Inspiration: |
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