Where Would I Look For Poundo And Granite Pieces?

[mtroyalguy]

You know, what kind of places would I look besides Tandy, which is the only tool supplier I have found in my area. I have one or two others for leather, but nothing really for tools.

I don't really want to order them online, they are heavy so shipping will be excessive.

Is poundo known by any other names? Could I find it as something else at Home Depot or somewhere?

[WillAdams]

For granite, go to a kitchen counter manufacturer and get a piece cut out of a counter for a sink.

[lowlife]

i got aiece of black granite @ 3ft x6ft ft at a local stone and granite counter top maker for $20. it was in their scrap plue. Just stopped in and ask them if they had any scrap. one note. the darker the grannite the harder it is. The makers have about any size you want

[oltoot]

If you want a real big piece, go to a place that carves headstones and ask to look through their scrap and reject stuff. Maybe, with a cutting charge, you can get what you're looking for. I would also look for a black piece that was only about 18" square and 1/2 to 1 inch thick for a movable skiving surface. I have tooled on a headstone and skived on a piece of man-made white countertop for 40+ years.

[KandB]

I'm with oltoot - I met a very experienced leatherworker when I just started out, and he had this gorgeous huge piece of granite he was working on. I asked him where he got it from, and he told me to come take a look at it, and flip it over. I was mortified when I saw it was a headstone. He started laughing - he had gotten it from the funeral home as it was a mistake/cast off.

[Rohn]

I'm with oltoot - I met a very experienced leatherworker when I just started out, and he had this gorgeous huge piece of granite he was working on. I asked him where he got it from, and he told me to come take a look at it, and flip it over. I was mortified when I saw it was a headstone. He started laughing - he had gotten it from the funeral home as it was a mistake/cast off.

That is exactly what I tool my leather on. It works great and no give to it either.

[Ed in Tx]

I have gotten a couple of really nice pieces of granite from a local countertop shop. I just asked them if I could look at the scrap and found a couple of the sink cutouts. One was 18" wide and 16" deep and the other was an oval shape from a bathroom sink I guess. I paid a total of $20 for both. The edges weren't buffed so I just put a heavy grit sanding disk in my drill and polished them. Sure beats paying Tandy some ridiculous price.

[pstryjew]

Any leads on Poundo board? I've seen a couple suggestions for alternatives, but looking for something like Poundo.

For Youth Groups (Y-Guides, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts) I have put together a "kit". I have multiple pieces of granite - sample pieces of countertop that are about 6"x6". These work well for the kids to work on small stamping projects. The problem is that on folding cafeteria tables stamping gets LOUD.

I'd like to get Poundo and cut to size and affix to the bottom of the granite pieces. Then if we need to punch, it can be flipped over. But in general pounding, it will help "cushion the blow", so to speak.

Tandy does sell 36x36 pieces and may be the way I need to go.

[oltoot]

Tractor Supply or Murdoch's have stall mats/floor mats of different materials that would yield a piece the size of your slab or slabs and a good sized floor mat for use by your bench. For quieting under the slab pieces I would try something a little on the spongy side and then get a poly cutting board from your local variety store for punching. I had a similar experience with our County Museum and managed to quiet things enough to save the hands on experience for kids that came from a little kiosk with some pictures, info boards and pieces of sink cutout granite slab to replace the composite surface they had been working and making a lot of noise on.

[pstryjew]

I'll take a look at TS. I would think if it's too spongy it might hamper the stamping. These kids typically don't have much force on the stamps anyway - I don't want to dampen what little they generate.

I like the Poundo - except for the cost. It would be convenient to just flip the piece and be able to punch.