All of the stones used by curling stars at the Olympics are made from microgranite from the uninhabited Scottish volcanic island of Ailsa Craig, located about 10 miles (16 kilometers) west of the mainland.
Kays Scotland is the only company licensed to mine the island’s unique granite. The factory is located in the village of Mauchline on mainland Scotland, a few kilometers from the west coast.
“We actually say we harvest the granite – not mine it,” says Ricky English, operations manager at Kays Scotland, in broad Scottish English when DN reaches him by phone.
Since there are a number of rules that must be followed to protect the environment, getting to Ailsa Craig is quite complicated. The island has a large reserve of strictly protected bird species, including gannets and thrushes.
Therefore, the factory’s landing craft dock on the island every few years. There they harvest large amounts of granite using excavators and dump trucks.
Two different varieties are collected in different places:
“For the body of the stone we use ‘Ailsa Craig Common Green’ which is very durable, strong and long lasting,” says Ricky English.
The granite is elastic Characteristics. This means that the curling stone stores energy when it collides with another stone and then transfers that force to the other stone, which is transmitted to the other end of the rink.
– We use “Ailsa Craig Blue Hone” for the running surface of the stone. It is fundamentally non-porous and does not absorb water, so it does not freeze in ice, says Ricky English and continues:
– Plus, it’s very, very durable, which makes it perfect for gliding over the pretty rough ice.
Around 15 people work in the factory, which has been in Mauchline since 1851. Some have been working there for over 30 years, others are relatively new employees, says Ricky English. He himself has been operations manager for over a year.
– There is a good and varied mix of young and experienced people in the factory – an excellent place to work with so much history and tradition.
How often do you watch curling?
– Actually, we watch every day. You, who are from Sweden, probably know what happened in mixed doubles. You knocked us out in the semifinals and then won gold. It’s a big sport here.
The stones are sent all over the world, but of course it is particularly big at the Winter Olympics. The Kays Scotland factory has been supplying the competitions with its products since 1924. At that time they took place in Chamonix, France – and curling was also included for the first time.
– You see a product being created, and then you see it being used on the absolute biggest stage – the Olympics. “It’s fantastic for everyone involved, especially those who work in the factory every day,” says Ricky English.
Read more: Canada won with sandpaper stones – Sweden is still in the semi-finals
Facts.This is how the stones are made
Large blocks of stone are transported to the Mauchline factory by Ailsa Craig.
There they are sawn into smaller slices and then drilled out into round “cheese pieces”. The Common Green granite stones are shaped mechanically.
The sides are then polished smooth while the outer edge is left with a duller finish to withstand impact.
A ring of Blue Hone granite is incorporated into the underside of the stone. It forms the tread and ensures that the stone does not absorb water from the ice.
Each stone is weighed and balanced to reach the official competition weight of almost 20 kilos.
A curling stone from Kays Scotland costs at least SEK 9,000.
Source: Kays Scotland
