A tombstone for Dash.

[Jstpssng]

He was only ever unhappy during the 15 minutes that we thought was 15 minutes too early for his dinner. ;-)

Yep, he was a Lab. You can always tell what they're thinking, either " I wish that he'd hurry up and feed me", or "Is that ALL that I'm going to get?

My cousin told of an Indian friend who has a small orchard on the family property. The family loves dogs, and each tree is on the grave site of a family pet, going back for several generations. They feel that the dog's spirit is still with them.

 

[N80]

Well, I got the tombstone done. Used a Dremel tool and a couple of drills with some tungsten carbide grinding bits straight out of China. The whole box of them cost less than one Dremel brand bit. They worked perfectly. The rock was actually quite hard in places and this took about 3 hours. I would have liked the letters to be deeper but I got them down about 1/8 of an inch. The rock has a wide base and is about 8 inches in the ground so it isn't going anywhere.

 

[Kyle_in_Tex]

That looks very nice.

 

[rekees4300]

Excellent, I'm sure Dash is looking down and wagging his tail in approval. :thumbsup:

 

[MossRoad]

Wow, that turned out very nice. Good job. :thumbsup:

 

[mark02tj]

Super job!!

 

[mbrule]

Nice Job! RIP Dash...

 

[dmccarty]

Dang, that is a really nice job. Surprised one could get that kind of work done with those tools. Have to think about this a bit...

Later,
Dan

 

[Mace Canute]

A fine work of love.

 

[sseelhoff]

Fantastic work. I'm sure Dash is pleased.

 

[Silvic]

Brings a smile to my face. Thanks

I'm sure you miss him but you did well by him.

 

[groundcover]

Well done ! A work of love.

 

[N80]

Dang, that is a really nice job. Surprised one could get that kind of work done with those tools. Have to think about this a bit...

Later,
Dan

Dan, I had no idea if it would work when I started. I tested one of the bits on the bottom of the rock and it removed material fairly well so I proceeded. My wife printed out the letters in the font she chose and then stenciled them onto the rock with a Sharpee. After that I just started grinding away. The Dremel worked best but got hot fairly often. I used the corded drill for rough work and the cordless drill (several batteries worth) for intermediate work. The bits came in various shapes and each shape had its own strengths. One of the hardest parts was that the 'grain' of the rock was variable. This made cutting neat lines somewhat hard, the bit wanted to jump out of place. The curves in the 'S' were the hardest and the 'S' is not as deep or as neat as I'd like it to be. Also, the composition of the rock varied in that some was softer than others. I'd hit a spot that cut away like sandstone and other spots that didn't want to budge at all.

Like I said, I think it took about 3 hours. It was tedious and slow but once I saw that it could work I just kept at it. At the end of it I was tired. But, if I'd spent another couple of hours I could have cut the letters deeper and possible neatened them up a bit too. But, I think this will do. If I need to work on it some more, well, it isn't going anywhere.

Also, as mentioned, these cheap Chinese bits held up very well and do not look worn at all. I think with an air compressor and a die grinder with those bits, this would have been much easier and faster.

P.S.: I think this job helped with the grieving but there is still a big hole in our lives right now. I noticed a piece of potato chip on the floor the other day and it almost made me cry. With a Lab around there is NEVER food on the floor.

 

[dmccarty]

....
Also, as mentioned, these cheap Chinese bits held up very well and do not look worn at all. I think with an air compressor and a die grinder with those bits, this would have been much easier and faster.

That is excellent information. Thank you.

P.S.: I think this job helped with the grieving but there is still a big hole in our lives right now. I noticed a piece of potato chip on the floor the other day and it almost made me cry. With a Lab around there is NEVER food on the floor.

Yeah, I understand. Kelly would clean up even though she does not have the eating issues as our Goldens. :laughing::laughing::laughing: GSD are really misnamed, they really are German SHEDDING Dogs instead of German Shepard Dogs. :laughing::laughing::laughing: After Kelly was gone, I was finding hair for months. I still find some here and there and she passed years ago. GSD indeed! :laughing::laughing::laughing:

There is a couple sailing around the world on a sailboat that have a GSD on board. That is pretty unusual and limits where they can go sometimes. They post a picture every once in awhile with the dog on the boat which make me think of Kelly.

Later,
Dan