Page 215 - Haddonstone Gesamtkatalog 2018

The stone is gradually packed into the mould using a number of
ingeniously crafted tools. Whilst this is normally done by hand, some
moulds can be packed using pneumatic hand rammers. Once packed,
the stone is left in the mould until the next working day. The process
of delaminating or stripping is probably the most visually rewarding of
the entire production process, particularly for a fibreglass mould. The
fibreglass case is first stripped away, leaving the rubber around the
stone. The rubber is then carefully peeled away to reveal the stone

The How It’s Made TV crew filming stone being packed into a mould at
Haddonstone’s Northamptonshire manufactory.
exists at the company’s US manufactory in Colorado. In the UK and USA,
Haddonstone also manufactures products, including structural designs,
by a wet-cast process called TecStone. Here, the mix is poured into
the mould. This process gives a finish, once acid etched, much more
akin to Coade stone and is ideal for larger products, complex statuary
and contemporary designs where clients prefer a surface finish which
does not weather quickly. Most recently, Haddonstone has developed
an artificial stone reinforced with glass fibres, called TecLite. Products
made by this process have thinner walls and are consequently lighter.

Trowelling off a carefully packed mould in the dry-cast production area.
design in all its glory. No finishing is required as the quality of mould
manufacture ensures that the design is perfect, although seam marks
are sometimes unavoidable. It is at this stage that the first of many
quality control checks is undertaken and the product is given a bar code
label, which will remain with it until delivery to the customer. The stone is
now strong enough to be transported outside the production area.

Like other companies in the industry, Haddonstone originally relied
on the vagaries of the English climate to ensure that the stone cured
correctly. However, the effects of temperature, precipitation and
wind made this an imprecise science. For this reason, the company
introduced a vapour curing system in 1999 that gives the stone the
equivalent of fourteen days strength overnight. Not only does this give
the company a guaranteed curing system, it also reduces delivery lead
times and storage issues.

Although some customers opt to collect their orders in the UK, most rely
on Haddonstone’s own transport fleet, the majority of which include a
demountable forklift to aid off-loading on site. Haddonstone (USA) Ltd
uses common carriers, whilst export orders are dispatched by container
or in specially constructed wooden crates.

A similar operation to Haddonstone’s manufactory in Northamptonshire Stripping the rubber away to reveal an exquisite Corinthian Capital.

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