Granite slabs for tooling and sharpening

[Billy P]

I've heard both ways saying that marble is better if you get a thick piece, as it's softer and if a tool punches through less likely to damage the tool. Granite is harder and I do know that it will mess up tools. My daughter used a single hole punch and really destroyed it on granite. After the talking to I gave her she knows better now, but damage was already done. One other thing, I have a piece of marble about 3 and 1/2 in. thick that is app. 24"x28'' that I got for free from the scrap pile of a monument maker. The manager, after I told him what I wanted it for took me out to the pile and told me to get anything that I could load, as they have to pay to have it hauled off. That was the best piece that day, but he also told me to check back. That has been several years ago, and I hopeing to get a new tooling table made and if things work out I going back and try to get a pice with really straight edges and have it recessed into the table top. Anyway a good source might be to check with any local monument makers for their cast offs. Good Luck Billy P

[Jimbob]

Ya need at least 3-4 inch slab of granite to tool....also you can sand it down so you have smooth surface to sharpen tools !!!

I have a 36X20X4 for free, if anybody wants it....pick up in Gate City, VA 24251!!!

Greetings

[celticleather]

  Jimbob said:

I have a 36X20X4 for free, if anybody wants it....pick up in Gate City, VA 24251!!!

Greetings

Just what I'm looking for . . . pity you can't just slip it in a Jiffy bag and drop it in the postbox!

[Bree]

I picked up a very nice 9"x12"x3" 2 ledge granite plate over at Grizzly at their Muncy, PA distribution center while I was on vacation. It cost me $23 and is very portable. Impulse buy.

BTW I would not tool on it without a poundo board or something similar on top.

[HideShop]

Tried to order one but the promo code comes up as invalid. Could there be a typo or another code?

Thanks

Richard

[Tkleather1]

  Bree said:

I picked up a very nice 9"x12"x3" 2 ledge granite plate over at Grizzly at their Muncy, PA distribution center while I was on vacation. It cost me $23 and is very portable. Impulse buy.

BTW I would not tool on it without a poundo board or something similar on top.

what. why do you put poundo board between your leather and your stone? seems like it would defeat the purpose to me.

[Bree]

  Tkleather1 said:

what. why do you put poundo board between your leather and your stone? seems like it would defeat the purpose to me.

I don't want to punch through and have the tool hit the stone. The stone is a solid stable flat surface... good base for tooling operations. The poundo board absorbs any punch throughs. If I am only stamping, I wouldn't need the poundo but I do a lot of punching so I tend to use it all the time. I think I was speaking of tooling in the broader sense where punching is tooling as Billy P was describing with his daughter.

Quite frankly I found that a 1" Resolene board is great for both kinds of tooling. I have a large one in the shop and I do all my shop punching on it. Upstairs I have a marble base with poundo glued to the bottom to keep it from scratching the table and a poundo that I can remove or put on top as I wish. I don't have a poundo of the same size as the new granite plate as it is a little smaller than the marble. I guess I could use the oversize poundo if I need it.

[tonyc1]

  Bree said:

I don't want to punch through and have the tool hit the stone. The stone is a solid stable flat surface... good base for tooling operations. The poundo board absorbs any punch throughs. If I am only stamping, I wouldn't need the poundo but I do a lot of punching so I tend to use it all the time. I think I was speaking of tooling in the broader sense where punching is tooling as Billy P was describing with his daughter.

Quite frankly I found that a 1" Resolene board is great for both kinds of tooling. I have a large one in the shop and I do all my shop punching on it. Upstairs I have a marble base with poundo glued to the bottom to keep it from scratching the table and a poundo that I can remove or put on top as I wish. I don't have a poundo of the same size as the new granite plate as it is a little smaller than the marble. I guess I could use the oversize poundo if I need it.

Bree, what is Resolene Board?

Tony.

[Bree]

  tonyc1 said:

Bree, what is Resolene Board?

Tony.

It's a kind of HDPE board. Campbell Bosworth sell them. Other Clicker Press suppliers do as well.

http://www.campbell-bosworth.com/catalog/p...roducts_id/2291

[Mongo]

  Greywynd said:

This was on another forum, but Enco has granite surface plates on sale right now.

Enco has most smaller plates on 1/2 off sale right now. Use code PRSMAR for free shipping to sweeten the deal even more!

http://www.use-enco.com/CGI/INLMK3?PMK0NO=1009324

These are the plates that are flat and true, great for uses other than just stamping!

Are you sure this promo code is correct? It would not work for me either.