Thread: Sharpening stone box.

Originally Posted by StewieS

Bront; Huon Pine was chosen as its a naturally oily timber, highly resistant to moisture decay. Its traditionally a rare practice to stain the inside of an enclosed box. Had the outer box remained a light coloured timber, its surface would have been susceptible to later unsightly staining from the combination of lubricant and stone slurry. The use of a caulking seal to prevent moisture entering the lower housing of the box is self explanatory. Traditionally, tar/pitch was used. As a reference to historic practice you may find the following informative. https://www.google.com.au/search?q=i...il+stone+boxes

Appreciate your questions.

StewieS;

Thank you for the explanation and the link. At one point I made a couple of boxes for storing stones out of cedar, thinking this would be resistant to decay. They were completely unfinished, both on the inside and the outside. I left town for a few months and when I returned and removed the lids, some sort of gassing from the oils in the wood had lead to discoloration on the stones' surfaces.

Great job StewieS, thank you for sharing. Just curious, what kind of caulk did you use looks like RTV silicone? Do you plan on ever having to remove the stone?
Mike

Modine; I used Max Seal Acrylic Caulking; Caulk in Colours | H.B. Fuller Australia

There is the option to use a silicone base. I don't envisage having to remove the stone in my lifetime. The Li that's fitted is a very hard stone, and not prone to high wear. If there was a need to remove the stone, I would run a utility knife around the outside of the stone to break that seal. At its deepest level, the caulking I worked down the sides of the stone would not exceed 1/4 inch.

StewieS.

Good thinking and well thought out sir. Definitely a nice piece of furniture for your stone.
Mike