Sound test (stonemason)

With the sound test, a stonemason or stone sculptor checks rough stones before processing. It is a test method that they have used for centuries to this day.

Before a stone is worked on, a stonemason takes either a hammer or a piece of wood and strikes the stone . He can tell from the sound whether the workpiece has cracks (called stitches by stonemasons) or loose layers. If he hears a dull sound or a clatter, the stone has been damaged that is not necessarily visible on the outside. Only ashlars that sound light are suitable for further processing.

This test procedure was the reason for Siegfried Lenz to name one of his novels The Sound Sample . In this novel, the sound test is presented as a method for testing people and a character in the novel wants the stonemasons to differentiate between people.

Web links

Master stonemason Friedrich Opferkuh writes about the sound of stones: Historisches Lexikon Kaisersteinbruch Volume 2 Index: Sound of stones 2004