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For a Lasting Memory - Advise on
Commemorative Wording Options For a Memorial Bench
By Adam Thain
Memorial Benches are a wonderful way to commemorate a
happy event, or to celebrate the life of a loved one now
departed. Adding a special message makes a Bench a very
personal gift.
Wood Carving
Wood carving by hand involves using a variety of
different chisels and gouges in order to meticulously
carve out text. The text is first printed on to paper
then etched on to the timber. The process is lengthy and
time consuming but when done by a professional, looks
outstanding. Standard fonts are Aerial & Times Roman and
for best results, should only be done in capital
letters; Lower case lettering can look childlike at
best.
Hand carving can be done in places that a CNC router
cannot reach such as curved rails. As the inscription
will not deteriorate over time it provides an anti-theft
deterrent, as it cannot be removed. A very traditional
and elegant method but due to intensive manual labour,
this format is the most expensive.
CNC
The latest way to carve into wood uses a CNC router. The
abbreviation CNC stands for Computer Numerical Control,
and refers specifically to a computer "controller" that
reads computer instructions and drives a machine tool to
selectively remove material, in this case wood.
3D text, lower case lettering and unusual logos can
easily be engraved into the wood. The size of the
machine dictates the panels that can be engraved on, so
if you are after an inscription on a long bench, always
enquire before hand. Costs can vary but are usually
cheaper than hand carving where CNC routing is
available.
Upright / Plates
Most commemorative Uprights that are placed on Memorial
Benches are either Brass or Stainless steel.
Brass Uprights
Brass is a yellowish alloy of copper and zinc, sometimes
including small amounts of other metals, but usually 67
percent copper and 33 percent zinc. Text is computer
etched into the Brass then in-filled and stove enamelled
in black. This is a very traditional method and the
technology allows many types of fonts, many charachters
of text in a small area and some offer images too.
If left outside, the brass will gracefully fade to a
light brown. Use Brasso to bring aged Brass back to
life, however you may want to put some masking tape
around the outer edges of the Upright to protect the Teak
whilst cleaning. Generally speaking, this is the most
cost effective way of providing commemorative text.
Stainless Steel Uprights
Stainless Steel is defined as a steel alloy with a
minimum of 11% chromium content by mass. Stainless steel
does not stain, corrode, or rust as easily as ordinary
steel. It stains less, but it is not stain-proof. There
is no after care. The colour should stay fast for life
and has all the same benefits as Brass Uprights when it
comes to text engraving technology.
The price for stainless steel plates are generally
speaking 30% higher than a Brass Plate when budgeting.
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