Thread: Stone Holder

Originally Posted by UKRob

I really like the idea of levelling the stone that way. I'm wondering whether the same principle could be used with expanding foam - so that the stone is not attached but still level.

I haven't got a Scooby .. never used expanding foam before . Try it

Nice walnut stone holder!

To me it just seems a bit too much work for just a stone holder. Submerging the wood for a month in linseed oil seems a bit excessive. Boiled linseed oil might have been better, I think that dries faster and harder.

I've used expanding foam before and will try to post images and a description later this morning. It works well.

Cheers, Steve

For the foam bases you can use spray insulation foam. Typically you can cut, sand, and paint this foam when dry. There's a little art to it, but not much. This method will work even if the stone is round on the back.

A word of caution, if you get the wet foam on your skin, you must remove it immediately or else it will have to wear off, you won't get set foam off your skin without taking some skin with it! So use gloves or remove any wet foam immediately.

You'll need some Glad Saran Wrap (the foam won't stick to it), a can of foam, a marker like a Sharpie, a few toothpicks, a level, and a timer helps.

Tape a piece of Saran Wrap to a flat, preferably level surface, the more level the better. Take the Sharpie and mark out an outline of your stone 1/2-3/4" larger, and spray the insulation foam to cover the outline. This is image #1.

The foam will vary in thickness depending on how uneven the back of your hone is. Let the foam dry about 15 minutes and poke it with a toothpick. The foam should be soft but not stick to the toothpick or string when the toothpick is pulled out. Kind of like baking a cake. You'll need drying more time for a thick layer.

Wrap the hone in Saran Wrap, tape it, and place it on the semi-dry foam. This is image #2.

Next, take a level and place it on the hone and adjust until it's level. Periodically check the level for the next 30 minutes or more if the foam is thick. If you've got a wad of Saran Wrap and tape where the level needs to be, open it up on top so the level is flat on the hone. Image #3.

After an overnight cure, you can trim the base. You can leave an edge or trim down to the exact size of the stone. To make a level surface for a wooden base, you may want to sand the bottom of the foam, it will undergo some shrinkage and be a little uneven. Sand before you trim so you'll have something to hang on to. Image #4.

If you trim to the hone size and sand the bottom, you should have a perfectly flat surface that will ensure the hone face is reasonably level. You may have to shim it a bit because of shrinkage during curing, but it will be fairly close.

Good luck and have fun, Steve

That looks very good There are so many handy craftsmen here on SRP. I feel like I'm way behind of you :P

Originally Posted by Piet

Nice walnut stone holder!

To me it just seems a bit too much work for just a stone holder. Submerging the wood for a month in linseed oil seems a bit excessive. Boiled linseed oil might have been better, I think that dries faster and harder.

Each to their own I suppose.
The linseed was boiled.
For me it was not too much work and I enjoyed the process.
A professional craftsman advised me to soak the wood for a month to get maximum penetration, giving it maximum waterproofing.
The end result is a special stone holder for a special stone.
Time and effort does pay

Steve, can that foam be worked like playdoo at any point, so the texture becomes more consistent?

Can the foam be molded around a handgun, to form to it's shape?

Hi Hirlau,

Short answer is yes, if the foam is not too thick or too large, as extends too far beyond the edges.

The long answer is that if the foam is thick as for an irregular stone or extends a large amount, I find it can form a "skin" that keeps the stuff in the middle from drying. So imagine trying to get your stone level on a bean bag filled with a liquid goo. You can actually poke the skin with the toothpick and it will deflate and become thin and dense. Not necessarily bad but it can cause leveling problems. But the stuff is $2.50 a can and that will make a lot of holders if you clean the nozzle out before the residual foam sets up.

For something thick and irregular like a handgun, you might want to build it up in sections. But you can in theory build up an excellent cushioning foam to any shape.

Hope this helps!

Cheers, Steve

Originally Posted by Hirlau

Steve, can that foam be worked like playdoo at any point, so the texture becomes more consistent?

Can the foam be molded around a handgun, to form to it's shape?

Yes, this helps,,,,,

There are also many different urethane foams. Some require air to cure (like the foam insulation used above) and some do not. The one that don't are much better for this application as you can bag them and they will still cure, and they won't have the problem where thick sections don't cure on the inside. If you attempt to use spray foam insulation in a sealed bag it will never cure.