Unpolished granite

[Rawhide]

I have a couple of granite stones from a mortuary that are not polished. They are flat though. I want to know if this will harm (or help) the leather or tooling process. Should I try to polish it?

Thanks,

Marlon

[indypbear]

Marlon,

Why does it need to be polished if the surface is flat? A guy in Hudson Oaks wanted me to buy his polished screw up for $150 dollars and I don't see the need for polished surface. What are the dimensions of your pieces? Just my $0.02.

Indy

[D.A. Kabatoff]

Hi Marlon,

I've attached a photo which shows the granite slab that I use. I got it from a local quarry that does custom cutting... it's about 30"s wide x 36"s deep and 2"s thick. I paid $80.00 for it because it's unpolished. I use this slab for everything from stamping to slicking leather and have never had any problem with it marking leather etc... The only things worth mentioning are that granite is porous if not sealed and will stain If you have a raw piece of rock like mine you have to be a little careful of the edges which are not rounded, if your leather drapes over the edges of the slab, the rough edge can mark the leather.

Darc

[Rawhide]

Thanks guys. I just wanted to be sure there wasn't a reason to polish it. I actually have two stones. Both are 14" wide and about 24" long. I bought them from a monument maker as a screw up for $40. They even beveled the edges for me so it would be sharp.

Marlon

[Kevin]

I have 2 unpolished also. 1 at work and 1 at home, it doesn't seem to matter even when skiving. I do wish they were polished just for my own vanity. Kevin

[Hidemechanic]

Marlin, I have one of each. I only like the polished one, like Kevin, cause it's perdier. And it's easier to clean. If you felt you needed one polished I'd just start over and buy a polished one. I used to work in a mosolium polishing marble that was water stained. It's a bearcat to polish without the right equipment.

Hay Darc, can I have that tree sittin on your slab??? HAAAA, fat chance right? GH

[steveb]

mmm...nice... D.A.!

I think i have granite envy, that is a really nice slab o rock

i have a nice piece (well , for me its nice...) of granite - 3x2 - like 4" thick - that i paid $60 for - that has a nice smooth surface....perfect for what we do

and came from right out in the stone yard, dirt and all........actually Duane and I bought our stones from Swenson at the same time during a visit....i will have it forever

i think he got the smart stone tho, cuz boy my work sure doesnt look half as good as his does!! lol

and ya know it is true what they ..."it is all in the slab.." ;-/

edit>>

oh yeah, i as being such a smart-ass i forgot to mention, if you want to knock down the sharp edges on the sides of a slab of granite, take a red brick - a plain old red brick and run it across the edge lengthwise - it knocks that sharp edge right down beautifully, mine is nicely rounded, took me 20min....MUCH more comfortable and safer around leather than a sharp raspy edge - the guy at the quarry turned me onto that after i asked why the granite slab had a knife edge

Edited February 12, 2008 by steveb

[barra]

A mate of mine who live in the middle of woop woop (Australian for miles from anywhere) could not get a decent slab so he just got a suitable mold and mixed up concrete. He then had this mounted into his bench so it is flush with the rest of the bench. I think he sealed the slab with some sort of brick layer sealant. It is heavy, solid and works fine.

I'm toying with the idea of getting a slab pre inscribed and use it til it is needed for it's other intended purpose.

Here lies Barra, into leather, whips and spurs til the end.

(just for one last laugh. It should have a few guessing the meaning of that inscription).

Barra

Edited February 12, 2008 by barra

[Timbo]

I got mine from Grizzly. They sell them as machinist and woodworker tru flat surfaces or machinist surface plates. They are pretty cheap on them as well. But then again, I don't have to pay shipping as I can drive to the Grizzly store in Springfield, MO. Mine is on the smaller side though, it is 9"x12" and 3" thick and it was only 20.00. I had a hard time with thinner marble slabs. I would get in a hurry and use it to set a rivet or something and break it into a million pieces. I try to be more careful with this one. But the granite it is made of seems to be lot more dense than the marble I was getting.

Tim

[indypbear]

I got mine from Grizzly. They sell them as machinist and woodworker tru flat surfaces or machinist surface plates. They are pretty cheap on them as well. But then again, I don't have to pay shipping as I can drive to the Grizzly store in Springfield, MO. Mine is on the smaller side though, it is 9"x12" and 3" thick and it was only 20.00. I had a hard time with thinner marble slabs. I would get in a hurry and use it to set a rivet or something and break it into a million pieces. I try to be more careful with this one. But the granite it is made of seems to be lot more dense than the marble I was getting.

Tim

Hey Timbo,

That's what those neat little anvils are for-setting rivets:)! It saves wear and tear on marbles or granites and keeps me from#$%^&@#$@ing!!! What is a Grizzly store?

Indy

[bruce johnson]

I'm toying with the idea of getting a slab pre inscribed and use it til it is needed for it's other intended purpose.

Here lies Barra, into leather, whips and spurs til the end.

(just for one last laugh. It should have a few guessing the meaning of that inscription).

Barra

My granite actually does have the guy's picture photo etched on it, and the dates. They broke a corner when they reset it. It is kind of eerie to see him smiling there, and I pound on the bottom side (smooth, but unpolished and will stay that way).

Another source for granite I recently found was the local Habitat for Humanity outlet. Contractors donate leftovers and scratch and dent stuff. Basically a thrift store for building materials, and they have several pieces of granite countertop. It was around $3 a square foot as I recall.

[yaklady]

Hi Marlon,

I've attached a photo which shows the granite slab that I use. I got it from a local quarry that does custom cutting... it's about 30"s wide x 36"s deep and 2"s thick. I paid $80.00 for it because it's unpolished. I use this slab for everything from stamping to slicking leather and have never had any problem with it marking leather etc... The only things worth mentioning are that granite is porous if not sealed and will stain If you have a raw piece of rock like mine you have to be a little careful of the edges which are not rounded, if your leather drapes over the edges of the slab, the rough edge can mark the leather.

Darc

I thought all men knew how to use duct tape! Just put some on your rough edges and you won't have to worry about scratching your leather any more.

You can get chunks of granite from guys who do kitchens. They're usually round for sink cut-outs, but they're often free. I have some marble in weird shapes, why not granite?

Kathy

Edited February 12, 2008 by yaklady

[Rawhide]

My granite actually does have the guy's picture photo etched on it, and the dates. They broke a corner when they reset it. It is kind of eerie to see him smiling there, and I pound on the bottom side (smooth, but unpolished and will stay that way).

Another source for granite I recently found was the local Habitat for Humanity outlet. Contractors donate leftovers and scratch and dent stuff. Basically a thrift store for building materials, and they have several pieces of granite countertop. It was around $3 a square foot as I recall.

Thanks everybody. I already have the stone. I just wanted to know if it was worth the trouble of polishing it. I see now that they will stay unpolished.

Marlon.

[howardb]

Awww, come on Marlon! Put a little elbow grease into it and polish those babies up! Probably only take a sunday or two (or ten). All you need is a BIIIIG rock tumbler...

Brent