Tag Archives: reclaimed slate

Vinum Cibus Vitae

November 19, 2021House Signs, Wall Plaquescarved slate, Carved stone, hand carved, reclaimed slate, Scottish Borders, slate carving, slate wall plaqueHatch, Burn, Carve

This sign was commissioned by the owner of The Lunesdale Arms, a restaurant/pub in Tunstall, Lancashire.

Made from a piece of reclaimed 1 cm thick slate, the final piece measured 60 x 9 cm. The motto ‘Vinum, Cibus, Vitae’ translates as ‘The Wine, The Food, The Life’.

Above is the starting material and the plaque on my easel just after finishing the lettering, and below is a close up of the finished piece.

Om Ah Hung Slate Monoliths

June 11, 2018Art, Buddhist Stones, Garden StonesAh, Art, carved slate, Carved stone, Devon, enamelled slate, garden, garden art, Garden installation, Gardens, hand carved, handcarved, Handcrafted, Hung, om, Om Ah Hung, om ah hung stone, om ah hung stones, reclaimed slate, recycled slate, Scotland, scottish, Scottish Borders, slate art, stone carver, Tibet, Tibetan, Tibetan Buddhism, Tibetan Buddhist, UK, united kingdomHatch, Burn, Carve

These monoliths were cut, carved, enamelled and polished from 2.5 cm thick slabs of reclaimed building cladding. From start to finish, this was a project of intense concentration and precise measurements until their final installation in a garden in Devon.

The above image shows the three syllables chiselled out and in the process of adding relief ‘detailing’ with my Foredom.

The above image shows the Hung syllable after carving the ‘detailing’.

The Hung syllable after polishing and adding three coats of signwriters/monument enamel.

After carefully transporting the three stones over a journey of 400 miles, my wife and I spent around 10 hours digging the trench (in appalling ground conditions!) for the installation. Firstly, the plinths were assembled- these were pre-cut slate slabs and monoblocks adhered using CT-1 construction adhesive;