The Rune Forum

Just wanted to start this thread as I intend to collect stones of a beach which I have a real connection with - does anyone have any tips on the best tool to engrave them with?

I want the stones to vary in texture and colour, though they will be around the same size. So the hardness of the stone may vary too.

would be great to have a bit of advice before I hire a kango or cut half my fingers off in the process! ;)

Tricky question, because as you pointed out, different stones will have varying degrees of solidity.
However, I think a dremel tool would be the ideal choice, but as to which tip to use, I don't really know.  I highly suggest you wear eye protection however.  It might take several passes on each stone.

Conversely, you could simply paint the runes on. If you do this, keep the spare paint around for touch-ups.

Probably the more traditional material however, is wood.  Possibly from a "fruit" bearing tree, though that exact definition is debatable. (Nuts are fruit, and even seeds can be considered fruit)
I've cut mine from a branch of the huge ash tree that lives in my backyard. Ash seemed apropos to me as many consider Yggdrasil, the World Tree, to be an Ash tree.  (Yet others believe it to be Yew).

Good luck with it.

thanks for the advice Grymdycche!

I am really keen on the stones, the wooden ones don't seem to appeal to me, I don't know why! 

I have a real draw to the sea.  I love the stones, the weight of them, and the process of the sea taking them and smoothing them over and throwing them back.  (a bit like having a huge bag of runes being tumbled and fired back at you  ; :D). 

I can see what you mean about possibly having to wear eye protection.  I don't want to get too industrial,  I might try with lightly scoring first, and then painting with nail varnish or something similar.

well let you know how they turn out! :D

I agree, a dremel works well. You can buy a nice little kit, quite cheaply with lots of cutting heads. Then experiment with different heads to see which works well. I use dremel on stone to carve offerings for sacred places for when I visit. Slate works particularly well. You shouldn't cut yourself if you are careful. For small stones I would say buy a clamp to keep your fingers away from the cutting. You can paint into the cuts to add definition or leave it natural. I also use a stone polisher, although this is a long term project as it takes about 6 months! Polish first then cut the rune.

I think that the Dremel method sounds alot safer than me just 'scoring' them!

(The kit would come in handy too, as I have moved house and the garden is a mess - I plan to grow alot of my own herbs and veg so this would be a great way to engrave the pots)

I love the way rocks change colour in water too, and sort of feel I am missing out on this if they always look wet.  Just one of my odd wee ways!  :D  So apart from painting in the symbols I will probably leave them natural,

many thanks all - hope to continue this with an update in the future, hopefully typed with ALL my fingers!

Yep, use a Dremel with a diamond tip. The size of the bit will depend on how large your stones are and how large you want the drawing to be. Depending on the hardness of your stones, you'll want water handy to wash across the stone, keeping the bit cool. I drew the rune on the stone with a pencil, first, so I had a template to follow. If the stone is hard, the bit will 'skip' if you don't bear down hard, too.

After I'd carved in the rune, it wasn't really visible (blue-lace agate is very light colored). I wanted to use a 'natural' paint like carmine but after buying the cabochons, my funds were depleted. So, I mixed my blood with bright red nail varnish and painted the 'ditch'. Worked well.

One caveat: in addition to making the stones the same size, I'd recommend you make them the same texture, too. Otherwise as you work with them, you'll get to know which is which by feel alone and if you draw rather than cast, it could affect which one you pick.

you are quite right about the texture - its funny how you can quickly you can 'read' them even in the bag.

I love the nail varnish and blood idea.  Would be good to get a bit of iron into the rune markings themselves.

Knowing my luck with the drill tip there will be a fresh supply!  ;) I hope not too much though..!

I have priced the dremel, so I am going to nosy about the inlaws garage first to see if they have one I could borrow, otherwise my birthday list just got bigger!

many thanks MW!