Masonry Magazine September 2006 Page. 42
Using Natural Stone
There are many types of natural stone that the construction building industry uses.
It's important for masons and mason contractors to be knowledgeable about each stone that they work with and understand how each type was formed, what types of minerals and natural elements are present behind the rough exterior, each one's characteristics, and how each might be used to its best advantage in building construction.
TOOLS FOR STONE MASONRY
WORDGES & SHIMS
HAND HAMMER
CARBIDE BUSH HAMMER
MASH-HAMMER
CARBIDE STONE BUSTER
CARBIDE HAND TRACER
CARBIDE HAND SET
CARBIDE HAND CHISEL
CARBIDE HAND POINT
CARBIDE COMFORT GRIP HAND POINT
CARBIDE MASON'S CHIPPER
For over a century, Trow and Holden has been manufacturing the finest stoneworking tools available and continues to be the world leader in design and materials innovation.
MADE TO LAST SINCE 1890 IN BARRE, VERMONT USA
TROW & HOLDEN COMPANY
FINE STONEWORKING TOOLS
45 South Main Street Barre Vermont 05641
Toll-Free 1-800-451-4349 In Vermont call 476-7221
www.trowandholden.com
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CIRCLE 167 ON READER SERVICE CARD
September 2006
It's important for masons and mason contractors to be knowledgeable about each stone that they work with.
While obviously space prohibits us from discussing all the various individual types of natural stone available, here are three of the main subsurface natural stones used in the U.S. building industry:
Granite
GRANITE IS A very hard natural igneous rock formation of visibly crystalline texture, formed essentially of quartz and orthoclase or microcline, and used especially for building and for monuments. It is made up mostly from a mixture of quartz, feldspar and mica. Grantie has large crystals that can be seen very easily - the black specks in the material are crystals of mica.
The word "igneous" is from the Latin word ignis and means fire. Igneous rocks were formed from magma or lava. Magma is molten (i.e., melted) rock under the earth's surface. At the point when magma reaches the surface, it is called lava.