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Joe Pelonio
07-22-2007, 5:47 PM
I hate to sound like I'm promoting this place, but if you are looking for black granite, the H.D. nearest me has a pallet of the 12x12 "absolute Black" which engraves nicely for $5.98 each. I recall buying it there for as much as $10 before.

I don't know if they would have it at all the stores or not.

Steven Smith
07-22-2007, 6:12 PM
I hate to sound like I'm promoting this place, but if you are looking for black granite, the H.D. nearest me has a pallet of the 12x12 "absolute Black" which engraves nicely for $5.98 each. I recall buying it there for as much as $10 before.

I don't know if they would have it at all the stores or not.

The slugs at my HD don't even know what that is. I did find some at a local Lowe's for about $6...
Best price I found back in June was at a chain called Bedrosians, they were having a warehouse sale and I picked up some for 3.47 sqft. (no exchange, no return) I wish I would have bought more at that price. BUT $6 a square isn't too bad if you just build the cost into the project.

One thing HD had that worked pretty nice was 6"x 6"dark slate about a buck each (I think). One has to explore!

Bob Cole
07-22-2007, 8:02 PM
I purchased several to test at HD and could never get the quality that I wanted. Certainly not anywhere close to what some others have posted using black granite/marble.

I will have to say, the HD I went to only had rejects (not in box), so I am sure I was going through the worst out of the litter.

I purchased some black laser marble from Laserbits at $15 sq/ft so hopefully, the quality is far better. Just haven't had a chance to run through photograv and laser it up.

I may try some more HD stuff and hopefully will have better results.

Post some pics once you have done a few.

Bill Cunningham
07-24-2007, 8:00 PM
Keep in mind Bob that black marble and black granite are two totally different animals.. Marble is very easy to get good photos on even using the halftone function of your driver.. But if you try that with granite, the result will be far less than satisfactory.. I was never able to get a good photo on Granite, until I started using photograv..

Steven Smith
07-24-2007, 8:14 PM
Keep in mind Bob that black marble and black granite are two totally different animals.. Marble is very easy to get good photos on even using the halftone function of your driver.. But if you try that with granite, the result will be far less than satisfactory.. I was never able to get a good photo on Granite, until I started using photograv..

I was buying some 1x3 poplar at my local HD today and spied 5 ABG tiles and inquired about the price.... The guy came back and said 7.98 per square... meh...
"Is that all you have?" "Yep, it's out of stock..." I was going to ask who he was going to sell five tiles to, but...

I have good results with 100s 20p on a Pinnacle 30w.

Bill Cunningham
07-24-2007, 9:13 PM
I was buying some 1x3 poplar at my local HD today and spied 5 ABG tiles and inquired about the price.... The guy came back and said 7.98 per square... meh...
"Is that all you have?" "Yep, it's out of stock..." I was going to ask who he was going to sell five tiles to, but...

I have good results with 100s 20p on a Pinnacle 30w.

Are you in Canada Steve? Most of the H.D's up here have not quite got it yet, that the Canadian dollar is almost par with the U.S.Buck now! (5% diff.) And Canadians are starting to tell them we won't stand for the 50% rip off anymore!

Bob Cole
07-25-2007, 1:03 AM
I do have photograv and it did help on the HD granite, but still wasn't anywhere near what others have posted on granite.

I am still new and quite possibly don't have the settings correct.

Joe Pelonio
07-25-2007, 8:25 AM
With granite it's easy to use too much power, less is better.

Steven Smith
07-25-2007, 6:08 PM
>Are you in Canada Steve?
Nope, I'm in No. Calif. HD used to be a great place but now, I find little good to say. It seems people want nothing but cheap. Bah!

Craig Hogarth
07-25-2007, 11:21 PM
With granite it's easy to use too much power, less is better.

I've heard this several times before, but I get best results at 80 power, 100 speed.

Dan Starr
07-28-2007, 8:34 PM
Keep in mind that while settings are important, the quality of the black granite is even more important. I just got a sample of absolute black from a supplier in china and regardless of how many different settings I tried, there was no way of getting an acceptable result. One problem with a lot of black granite's as well as black marble's is that many manufacturers doctor their stone by using black dye to hide imperfections. The area's that have been dyed do not laser well and the dye will eventually fade leaving you with an unhappy customer. The best way to test for this is to put some acetone on a clean rag and rub the stone, if any black shows up on the rag it has been died. HD and Lowe's import their granite tiles from China and China is the most notorios for dying their granite. Bedrosians as someone mentioned earlier imports theirs from India which has a much better reputation. Personally I would pay double the normal price for absolute black granite, if I could find truely ABSOLUTE black.

Ray Mighells
07-29-2007, 1:17 PM
Dan; thank you for confirming my suspicions.. the Chinese are well known for their complete disregard for compliance with industry standards.

Joni Campbell
07-31-2007, 10:29 PM
My son's headstone was cut out of a quarry in India and it is absolutely beautiful. They cut it to shape right in the quarry...I love black granite
Too much glare to see the beauty of the engraving. India is definately the place to get it....But Where?

http://www.whiteriverstencilco.com/fpdb/images/Joni_by_joes_headstone_2_06-042.JPG

Belinda Barfield
08-01-2007, 7:46 AM
Dan, you are correct about the Chinese stones. I have posted this info several times on this forum. There are two varities of Black Absolute granite, I being from India, Z being from Zimbabwe. Black Z has more flecking that most folks in the laser business like to see. Contact G & L marble in Jacksonville if you are interested in true Black Z. I have done business with them for years and have never received a dyed product without first being told that it may have been dye enhanced (Negro Marquina marble hand picked by a client).

Mark Koenig
08-01-2007, 8:19 AM
Dan, you are correct about the Chinese stones. I have posted this info several times on this forum. There are two varities of Black Absolute granite, I being from India, Z being from Zimbabwe. Black Z has more flecking that most folks in the laser business like to see. Contact G & L marble in Jacksonville if you are interested in true Black Z. I have done business with them for years and have never received a dyed product without first being told that it may have been dye enhanced (Negro Marquina marble hand picked by a client).

Do you have a web site link???

Belinda Barfield
08-01-2007, 9:05 AM
Do you have a web site link???

Sorry, meant to post that as well. On the website the Black Absolute thumbnail appears to have no flecking; however, go to the full view and you will have a better feel for the patterning.

www.glmarble.com (http://www.glmarble.com) I just called the Atlanta warehouse (800-377-9981) and they have 2600 sq ft of 12 x 12 China Black No Vein, not dyed. I spoke with Abby, in Sales.

China Black No Vein is typically pretty clean, with very minimal - if any - veining. According to my last price list the 12 x 12s go for $5.14, but there is usually a price increase sometime in July and I may not have the most current price list. They will be happy to ship you a single if you want to give it a shot.

There is no true, naturally occuring, absolutely black granite.
All black granite will have some flecking. The closest to a true black in marble is China Black No Vein. The only true back stone that I am aware of is black Onyx.

Bill Cunningham
08-02-2007, 9:52 PM
A company in China, had sent me 3 Heart shaped granite samples. Two had very tiny flecks, and the third was solid black. I can't see any fleck at all. Tried the acetone and a white cloth came away clean, so it's not likely dyed.. I have not tried to etch anything on any of them yet, I'm sure if I do, and want to order some, I'm going to have to buy them by the container load.. I don't quite need that many.. I will just hold onto these, until that special project comes along..

Thad Nickoley
08-02-2007, 10:30 PM
If i am not mistaken all black granite comes from india and china imports and resells

Jade comes from China and maybe Mahogany.

Belinda Barfield
08-03-2007, 8:20 AM
If i am not mistaken all black granite comes from india and china imports and resells

Jade comes from China and maybe Mahogany.

Sorry to disagree Thad, some black granite comes from India, some from Zimbabwe.

Correct, China does not quarry black granite, but does process and resell. A significant amount of black granite never passes through China.