How should a monument be finished: rock-hewn, smooth or polished?
While some prefer to have the top and sides of a memorial finished smooth, the majority select the “natural rock” appearance of the original granite and leave the top and sides rock-hewn. Granite is quarried in huge blocks about twelve feet long and four feet square by a combination of techniques involving blasting and drilling. These blocks are then sent to the saw plant where they are cut into slabs from six to twelve inches thick by the use of multiple wire saws. These saws leave ridges in the face of the granite which are removed by rotating a heavy flat disk of steel on the surface of the granite with a grinding grit under it. After many revolutions of this heavy, flat wheel, the ridges are worn down to smoothness. To bring a high gloss to this surface, this process is continued with the use of felt and putty powder (a polishing rough) under the heavy rotating disk. The combination of the high speed of the revolving wheel (disk) pressing down on the surface and the polishing agent
