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source of stone for wedging table

updated sun 9 apr 00

 

Janet Kaiser on fri 7 apr 00

Amy and any others who may have thought what Sibylle said was odd...

A grave is only yours for a limited period in Germany. You pay a rent and
the plot is yours for 20 to 25 years (I believe it is different from state
to state). Once that time is up, the church or civil authorities approach
your family or next of kin. If you have no next of kin or they are
untraceable or your relatives do not renew the rental, the plot is
reallocated and used again. (One reason for all those bones and skulls in
continental church crypts).

Grave stones, etc. are discarded although sometimes you will see them put
around the edges of a grave yard or along the side of a church. This
sensible use and reuse of the limited land resources is the reason you do
not see acre upon acre of cemeteries like you do in the US, UK and other
countries where you get buried for ever and ever, amen.

Hence grave yards and cemeteries in Germany are an excellent source of
marble, slate, limestone and other stones which would be ideal for wedging
tables. I guess any carved writing would have to be face down for practical
as well as aesthetic reasons.

I must say I was surprised at the number of people who use plaster to wedge
on... I have never seen a studio potter in the UK use plaster, except as a
drying table for recycled clay slurry. Never for wedging! But then our
climate is probably a lot damper and the plaster deteriorates much quicker.

Many use the underside of marble tops off old wash-stands. It is not highly
polished like the top, but smooth enough to work well. Others use slate...
North Wales was considered the slate capital of the world and we have
mountains (literally) of it. Scrap pieces are free to haul away after
getting permission from the manager, who arranges access. These are working
mines and quarries even thought the waste heaps look unused.

The monumental mason in town also has pieces which he gives away or will
sell for next to nothing... "Seconds" or reclaimed stone from old buildings
which he thought he may find a use for, but never has. Good source of marble
and slate. Billiard tables are more difficult to come by around here... If
they are damaged beyond repair, they usually get broken up on site.

Old steps and pantry shelves also find homes in potter's studios here,
although now they are coming back into fashion they are not as easy to find.
When old cottages are renovated, the large slate slabs are usually removed
from the floors to put in a damp course and cement floor. They are also
ideal, but whereas they used to be discarded, they are now put back down
again. Slate is considered waterproof here, but that may depend on the
quality and where it is from...

Anyway, don't worry about Sibylle getting arrested. She's not breaking the
law!

Janet Kaiser
The Chapel of Art, Criccieth LL52 0EA, GB-Wales
Home of The International Potters Path
TEL: (01766) 523570
WEB: http://www.the-coa.org.uk
EMAIL: postbox@the-coa.org.uk
----- Original Message -----

> Gee, Sibylle, if you do this in Georgia, USA, you will be arrested for
> defacing a cemetary. I would have thought it was illegal in your part of
the
> world also! And aren't you worried about bringing a ghost home to complain
> about his missing headstone???
>
> Amy
>
> >Hi,
> >here is another possibility for a wedging table, without doing all this
> >building work. I don't know wether it is as possible in US as in germany,
but
> >we went to a graveyard to get an old tombstone of granite. It didn't cost
> >anything. We built an trestle of wood fitting exactly. OK, it was hard
work for
> >half an hour, to transport this huge stone ( there steep stairs to our
> >pottery), but it was really worth it. It is polished, easy to clean, we
are
> >very pleased to have it.
> >
> >Sibylle

Jean Todd on sat 8 apr 00




----- Original Message -----
From: "Janet Kaiser"
To:
Sent: Saturday, April 08, 2000 3:23 AM
Subject: Source of stone for wedging table


> ----------------------------Original message----------------------------
> Amy and any others who may have thought what Sibylle said was odd...
>
> A grave is only yours for a limited period in Germany. You pay a rent and
> the plot is yours for 20 to 25 years (I believe it is different from state
> to state). Once that time is up, the church or civil authorities approach
> your family or next of kin. If you have no next of kin or they are
> untraceable or your relatives do not renew the rental, the plot is
> reallocated and used again. (One reason for all those bones and skulls in
> continental church crypts).
>

My other hobby is genealogy, and gravestone are very VERY IMPORTANT to a
genealogist. they often have the clues on them to lead you to your great
great grandmother etc. So to me this is sheer sacrilidge. Please use wood.

Jean
"Lang may your lum reek"
E-mail mallyree@ix.net.au