Stone Holder

Hi guys, after many months I have my new stone holder for my Nakayama.
I've also included some pics of my Shobu holder , made from Meranti Hardwood. Its quite basic.
This time around I wanted a special holder for my pride and joy, my Nakayama.

Firstly I found a Gunstock maker who uses UK Walnut, grown where he lives, not too far from me.
I met up with him and I picked out a nice piece of Walnut.

Then I found a bespoke wood turned.
I explained to him what I wanted. Basically a scroll type shape.
He did a great job and added some Ebony inserts.

Then I went through the wet n dry sanding process, finishing on 1500 grit.
Next I submerged the wood in linseed oil for a month . It took about a month to dry fully.
Some more sanding and then I began adding finishing oil layers.

Finally its completed . I was thinking I may just use my Shapton holder and save the Walnut holder because it is prone to dings. However I tried it out today and its awesome.
There is a distinct noise that is carried from the blade to the stone and through the Walnut holder.
Very nice and solid. I will use it regularly.

Wow!

A beautiful stick of walnut, and the ebony sets it off perfectly. Very nice presentation!

Very nice. Love that Walnut!

Very classy !!

I also had to build a flat underside to the Nakayama.

Very nice work indeed

Amazing. You really are very talented. As others have commented above, that walnut wood does look wonderful!

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Originally Posted by Attila

Amazing. You really are very talented. As others have commented above, that walnut wood does look wonderful!

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Many thanks .
I would agree I have certain talents but the stone holders were carved by people who work with wood for a living.
Any one could have done the parts I did.
I am good at coming up with ideas, like how to give the stones an even solid underside.

It almost shocks me to see such amazing stones wacked onto a piece of unattractive wood .
I know they have a purpose as a tool but they look so much better when place onto/into some thing special.

Very classy. Definitely the right choice.

Thanks for sharing.

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.

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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.

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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

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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.

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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

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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?

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Yes, this helps,,,,,:tu

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.

Good info, can you suggest some that don't require air?

Cheers, Steve

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Originally Posted by eKretz

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.

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One company that I know of for sure is InstaPak. I've only used it at work for packing, not sure if there are other makers also or where it might be available for purchase.