Hand Tooling Stone: Understanding the Traditional Finishes We Use

Look closely at historic stonework and you’ll rarely find a perfectly uniform surface.

You’ll see lines, small depressions, variations and tooling marks left behind by the mason who worked the stone. These marks weren’t simply decorative. They were created by the different stages involved in taking a rough piece of stone and working it towards its finished form.

At Salthouse Stonemasonry, we deliberately retain and replicate these traditional methods. Whether we’re producing a new mullion, door surround, fireplace, cill or replacement piece of masonry, the way the surface is finished plays a huge part in whether that stone looks like it genuinely belongs within the building.

Pitched Face

Pitching is one of the earliest stages of working a piece of stone.

A pitching tool is used to remove relatively large amounts of material, particularly around the edges and high points of the stone. Historically, this allowed the mason to quickly begin bringing a rough block towards the required dimensions and establish the general face of the stone.

It is relatively aggressive compared with the later stages of tooling, and the resulting surface can have a bold, rugged character.

On certain pieces we deliberately retain a pitched face as the finished appearance. It creates strong shadow lines and texture and can work particularly well where we are trying to reproduce heavy, traditional masonry.

Punched Finish

Once the bulk of the unwanted material has been removed through pitching, the stone can be worked further using a punch.

Punching allows us to remove the material that cannot practically or accurately be taken away with the pitching tool.

This brings the surface much closer to its final level. You could think of it as taking the stone around 70% of the way towards a finished face.

The repeated punch marks create their own distinctive texture, and depending on the stonework we are trying to reproduce, these marks can either be retained as the final finish or worked further.

Bolstered Finish

Bolstering is one of the finishes we use most frequently.

Once a stone has been pitched and punched towards its required surface, a bolster can be used to flatten and refine the remaining punched face.

The repeated passes of the bolster leave fine linear tooling marks across the stone. These subtle variations catch the light differently and immediately give the surface considerably more character than something simply cut flat by a machine.

Where required, we then work the surface with a carborundum stone to remove unwanted high points and bring the face to the required level while still retaining the character of the hand tooling.

The result is a surface that is accurate and properly finished, but still unmistakably worked by hand.

Smooth Finish

We can also produce a much smoother finish, although this is something we use less frequently.

There are situations where the architectural style, existing masonry or particular detail calls for a finer surface. In these cases, the stone can be progressively worked and rubbed to create a much smoother and more uniform appearance.

The important point is that the finish should be appropriate to the building.

There is little benefit in producing a perfectly smooth piece of new stone if everything surrounding it carries 150 years of traditional tooling and character.

Why Do We Still Work Stone This Way?

Modern machinery can cut stone remarkably accurately and very quickly. But accuracy alone doesn't necessarily produce convincing traditional masonry.

When we manufacture a replacement stone feature for a historic or period property, our aim isn't for it to look obviously new.

We want it to belong.

Understanding how stone was traditionally worked allows us to recreate the subtle evidence of that process. Pitched edges, punched surfaces and bolstered lines introduce texture, variation and character that simply aren't present on a completely machine-finished surface.

They also tell the story of how the stone has been worked.

Pitching removes the bulk. Punching brings the surface closer. Bolstering refines and flattens it. Carborundum rubbing allows us to make the final adjustments.

These aren't random marks added afterwards to make something look old. They are part of the traditional process of working stone.

Matching the Existing Stonework

Not every building requires the same finish.

When we're producing new architectural masonry, one of the first things we consider is the surrounding stonework. We look at the tooling marks, their direction, their depth and how refined or irregular the original mason intended the surface to be.

We can then adapt our own tooling accordingly.

That might mean leaving a relatively heavy pitched or punched surface on one project, while another requires much finer bolstered work.

It's this attention to detail that can make the difference between a replacement stone that simply fits the opening and one that feels as though it has always been part of the building.

Traditional Craftsmanship With a Purpose

For us, hand tooling isn't about rejecting modern machinery. We use modern equipment where it makes sense.

It's about knowing where machinery should stop and traditional craftsmanship should take over.

The final surface of a piece of masonry has a significant influence on how it looks, how it weathers and how successfully it integrates with the existing building.

That's why hand tooling remains such an important part of what we do.

Traditional materials. Traditional techniques. Stonework made to belong.