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How to Carve a Music Keyboard for a Headstone

In the early days of headstone carving, funeral homes commissioned talented artisans to create beautifully carved works of art. But today's headstone makers, for the most part, use high-powered sandblasters to craft their designs. Although sandblasting a headstone is quick and easy, there are still some artists who carve them by hand. Whether you choose to use a sandblaster or carve your own, making a headstone can be a rewarding experience. However, carving your own allows for more creativity.

Things You'll Need

  • Pencil
  • Paper
  • Tape measure
  • Charcoal
  • Headstone
  • Various stone-carving chisels
  • Grease pencil or paint marker
  • Grinder
  • Grinder depth gauge
  • Buffer
  • Ruler or straightedge
  • Fine-toothed diamond-tip disk
  • Air compressor and hose
  • Black, waterproof acrylic-enamel-based paint
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Instructions

    • 1
      Create your design on a piece of paper first.

      Sketch a diagram of the keyboard on a piece of paper. Lay out the intended dimensions for width, length and height.

    • 2
      Find a stone that can handle the dimensions of your design.

      Choose a smooth, flat stone that fits the dimensions of your sketch. Make sure to leave room for letters and dates you might want to add later. Different types of stones have different properties for carving. For example, limestone might be easier to work with, but a stone made of granite allows for sharper lines because of its hardness. You can determine the hardness of the stone using the Mohs hardness scale.

    • 3

      Polish the headstone with a buffer or another appropriate tool.

    • 4
      Rub charcoal on the back of the drawing and you can use it like carbon paper.

      Mark out the diagram onto the headstone. Redraw your original sketch directly on the stone or make a life-size drawing. If you choose to make a life-size drawing, cover the back of the drawing with charcoal, set the charcoal-covered side on the headstone and retrace the drawing with a pencil. The charcoal should transfer to the stone, giving you a stencil in which to work. Darken the stencil with a grease pencil or paint marker so you can see the lines better. Tighten up your lines with a ruler or straightedge. Make sure all the lines are straight and all the keys are the same length and width.

    • 5
      Using a pointed chisel allows you to trace the perimeter lines of your drawing.

      Use the tooth (pointed) chisel to outline the drawing and etch it into the stone. Make the perimeter lines around the keys that correspond to the white keys 1/4-inch thick and 1/4-inch deep. You will remove the stone from the keys that correspond to the black keys so the perimeter-line thickness is not as important. Keep all your cuts smooth and consistent.

    • 6
      Removing stone from the "black keys" is easy with a flat-head chisel.

      Use the flat-head chisels to remove stone from each of the the "black keys." Remove 1/2 inch of stone from each black key. Make sure to chisel out smooth, flat rectangles.

    • 7

      Use a grinder equipped with a fine-toothed diamond-tip disk to smooth out all of the marks. Equip the grinder with an adjustable depth gauge to ensure all cuts are the same depth.

    • 8
      An airhose thoroughly cleans out all the stone dust from the carving.

      Blow all of the stone dust from the etching with an air hose and compressor. The stone should now resemble a piano with outlined white keys and hollowed-out black keys.

    • 9

      Paint the perimeter of the white keys and the insides of the black keys with black, waterproof acrylic-enamel-based paint.

    • 10

      Cover the stone with a waterproof lacquer.

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