Quality Stone

Linda asked what the stone I talk about is. Its our home business. The girls and I make manufactured stone used for the outside of buildings, homes and for fireplaces. We also make a stepping stone with the left over mix but our main product is the manufactured stone.

We hire a high school boy who helps lift the heavy (94lb.) bags of cement up and into our mortar mixer. He does all the heavy lifting for us. The girls and I can do it by ourselves but the cement is the heaviest thing and about does us in. Plus I don't like the girls lifting things that heavy. Girls are made different than boys ya know?

Anyway I make the mix, and then the girls and Jr. (our hired hand) dump it into a wheel barrow and wheel it over to our pouring table/vibrator table. There they pour the mix into the molds and vibrate it to get the air bubbles out of the mix.

They then lift the tray of molds over to a pallet that is on wheels. They keep doing this, two trays at a time until all the trays are done. Example, the field stone style of stone has about 27-28 trays of molds. I have previously put color into the molds and the kids brush it.

The filed stone takes 5 mortar mixer loads to complete. So that means I make the mix, five times. Sometimes there is extra mix. If there is, I make stepping stones or trim stones or other accessory type stones.

When all mix is used up, we tarp the stacks of molds and clean up. The mixer and wheel barrow and scoops all need washed out. Then the work area needs blown out with the leaf blower.

The next day we un-mold the stone and stack it on pallets. The stone is allowed to air dry for a few days.

The whole process takes about 2 to 2 1/2 hours from un-molding to mixing and cleaning.

Its hard dirty work but the kids get paid good and they like the money.

If you want to learn more about our stone visit our website at:http://www.qualitystonellc.com/