Object Record
Images
Metadata
Title |
Stoneworking Bushhammer, c. 1920-1925 |
Object Name |
Bushhammer |
Description |
Stoneworking Smoothing Tool, c. 1920-1925. Large silver-colored metal tool with a straight handle, multi-component head, and a swinging arm. The head is a wide, oblong-shape, split in the middle with nine sheets of the same metal protruding forward - the edges of these sheets are used to smooth the surface of a piece of granite. Behind these sheets is a narrow, wedge-shaped bolt driven between the sheets at the other end to create tension and hold them together, plus a cross-piece behind that in which the sheets are housed within the head of the tool. The end of the handle would be powered with an air-hammer. The swinging arm is a single rod of the same metal bent into an open rectangle and attached to the tool on either side of the head - this would help the craftsman to steady the tool during use. |
Date |
c. 1920-1925 |
Creator |
V. Fontana & Company |
Role |
Manufacturer |
Medium |
/Metal |
Catalog Number |
2019.062.015 |
Dimensions |
H-10.5 W-5.5 D-5 inches |
Collection |
3D - Masonry & Stoneworking Tools & Equipment |
Inscription Text |
none. |
Provenance |
Valerio Fontana's original stone working air tools, c. 1900-1921. He used these when he opened V. Fontana & Company monuments in 1921. |
Notes |
"Stonemasonry or stonecraft is the creation of buildings, structures, and sculpture using stone as the primary material. It is one of the oldest activities and professions in human history. Many of the long-lasting, ancient shelters, temples, monuments, artifacts, fortifications, roads, bridges, and entire cities were built of stone. Famous works of stonemasonry include the EgyptianPyramids, the Taj Mahal, Cusco's Incan Wall, Easter Island's statues, Angkor Wat, Borobudur, Tihuanaco, Tenochtitlan, Persepolis, the Parthenon, Stonehenge, the Great Wall of China, Chartres Cathedral, and Pumapunku." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stonemasonry "A bush hammer is a masonry tool used to texturize stone and concrete. Bush hammers exist in many forms, from simple hand-held hammers to large electric machines, but the basic functional property of the tool is always the same – a grid of conical or pyramidal points at the end of a large metal slug. The repeated impact of these points into stone or concrete creates a rough, pockmarked texture that resembles naturally weathered rock. They can help to increase bonding effectiveness when applying new concrete to an existing concrete surface by increasing the surface area of the bonding zone." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bush_hammer |
Search Terms |
Fontana, Valerio V. Fontana & Company Tools Masonry Stone carving Stone cutting |
Subjects |
Tool & die industry Masonry Stone carving Stone cutting |
People |
Fontana, Valerio V. Fontana & Company |
Credit line |
Courtesy of Mark Fontana |