A question for those who tool on stone slabs

[Capt Quirk]

I heard early on, that to do the best tooling, you should work on a slab of granite... or other similar stone. So, wanting to do better work, I got a slab of granite, quite some time ago. What I haven't figured out yet, is how to keep your leather from sliding around?

[1961MJS]

Hi

My leather doesn't slide on the slab, but I put Horse stall pad under my sink countertop marble oval so the marble doesn't slide and scar the real counter top.

Later

[Mogorilla]

2nd to 1961.   I have my slab on a horse stall pad, I think I got that tip from Chuck Burrows.   I have not had leather move around.  Is it possible it is still pretty wet?

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[Capt Quirk]

Actually, it is the opposite. The water it is, the less it moves. This leads me to getting the stone down, to avoid chasing the leather as I edge bevel or walk a tool.

[Marshal Will Wingam]

I made a bench with a fairly solid wooden top for general work. I put a replaceable plywood work surface on that to cut on. I only use stone for tooling. Then I have a small piece of marble for small work and a large piece of thick slate for bigger projects.

[Capt Quirk]

I really hate the auto correct. The wetter the leather, the less it slides on the stone. I'm always adding water to the stone, just to help keep it steady.

My bench is a solid 4'x6' structure, 2"x4" legs, 2"x8" top. I have a 1'x4' piece of plywood for big cutting, cutting board for smaller stuff. My slab for tooling, is 2" thick, 18"x24", and resting on cardboard... Not that it would make any difference to my leather, which happily skates around like Peggy Fleming.

[Marshal Will Wingam]

I really hate the auto correct. The wetter the leather, the less it slides on the stone. I'm always adding water to the stone, just to help keep it steady.

Yeah. We knew what you meant, though.

My bench is a solid 4'x6' structure, 2"x4" legs, 2"x8" top. I have a 1'x4' piece of plywood for big cutting, cutting board for smaller stuff. My slab for tooling, is 2" thick, 18"x24", and resting on cardboard... Not that it would make any difference to my leather, which happily skates around like Peggy Fleming.

Sounds like a stout work bench. Do you work on the bench or the stone for steps other than tooling? I learned to use plywood when I worked at the saddle shop. You may want to think about a 4' x 6' piece of 1/2" plywood screwed down to the top of the bench for most things. Leather seldom slides around on that for normal working. When it gets too chewed up, replace it. Setting rivets and such I do on a small anvil. A friend of mine made a 4"x16"x24" end grain block for me to use for punching but I usually put a synthetic cutting board on top of that to keep from trashing the work surface.

[Capt Quirk]

I do a lot of stuff on that slab. Tooling, edging, using the compass to mark borders and stitch lines, and drawing. Anything else, and I put down a cutting board, or move it to the plywood.

The only issue I have, is tooling on small pieces. A small 9mm holster, tongue and buckle ends, stuff like that. Trying to walk the bevel along a border, for example, I have to keep moving the piece back into place. I'm tempted to lay down some flypaper!

[Marshal Will Wingam]

The only issue I have, is tooling on small pieces. A small 9mm holster, tongue and buckle ends, stuff like that. Trying to walk the bevel along a border, for example, I have to keep moving the piece back into place. I'm tempted to lay down some flypaper!

I think we all battle that. I can often (not always) manage to keep the piece stationary with my little finger while moving the stamp along with my other fingers and thumb.

[Capt Quirk]

Thanks Will, I'll give that a try... But I'm still looking for some flypaper

[Marshal Will Wingam]

OK, I have been thinking about this. You might find that blue masking tape could help. Lay it sticky side up on the stone and tape the ends down. Set your piece on that and see if it will keep it in place. Hopefully it won't stick too much to the flesh side of the wet leather. Bear in mind I have not tried this myself but may do so next time I have a small project to tool.

[Capt Quirk]

I have a roll of duct tape out there, but I'm afraid it might be too strong, as you say. Are you talking about painter's tape? Something double sided would be good. All those decades living in Flordidia, you would think that I'd have a little surfboard wax.

[Buck Stinson]

I have two granite slabs in the shop and when I built my work benches, I mounted the slabs flush with the bench tops.  I found a small canvas bag of Winchester #7 lead shot in my reloading room and sewed up a roughout leather pouch, turned the pouch right side out, slid the shot bag inside and sewed up the open end.  I place that on my leather as I'm tooling and it will hold it to my slabs just fine.  The shot bag is a 5 pounder and the finished product is about 4"X6".  I sewed the roughout cover small enough so the shot bag is packed fairly tight in the cover.

[Capt Quirk]

Awesome idea Buck! Thank you sir

[Marshal Will Wingam]

I have two granite slabs in the shop and when I built my work benches, I mounted the slabs flush with the bench tops.  I found a small canvas bag of Winchester #7 lead shot in my reloading room and sewed up a roughout leather pouch, turned the pouch right side out, slid the shot bag inside and sewed up the open end.  I place that on my leather as I'm tooling and it will hold it to my slabs just fine.  The shot bag is a 5 pounder and the finished product is about 4"X6".  I sewed the roughout cover small enough so the shot bag is packed fairly tight in the cover.

This sounds like a great idea. I have several rough out shot-filled blueprint weights I use for various things. I'll try one of those next time. Thanks for that.

[Ten Wolves Fiveshooter]

I took the ends of a pair of 15  dumbbells( chrome) and glued some 8 to 9 ounce veg tan leather to their bottoms and use these weights for everything where an extra pair of hands might be needed to help keep my work in place, while cutting my leather top making templets for my patterns, or just adding a little more pressure to a glued piece of work, the shot covered in leather is a great idea and should work just as well, some times we can come up with useful ideas just by looking around our shops and thinking outside the box...


tEN wOLVES

[Graveyard Jack]

I've never had issues with the leather walking around on the slab while I'm tooling. If it's cased, it shouldn't be doing that.

One thing I have decided to do is make some suede bean bags filled with lead shot as a "paper" weight.

[greyhawk]

I use the back side of a marble slab came off an old hallstand - its about 1  foot x 15 inches - never had a problem with leather moving on it - the slab is smoth but not shiny like a granite bench top would be .

[Marshal Will Wingam]

I use the back side of a marble slab came off an old hallstand - its about 1  foot x 15 inches - never had a problem with leather moving on it - the slab is smoth but not shiny like a granite bench top would be .

This brings up an idea. One could run a DA sander over a stone slab just enough to roughen the polished surface.

[1961MJS]

This brings up an idea. One could run a DA sander over a stone slab just enough to roughen the polished surface.

HI Marshall, I bet I'd manage to drag the leather over it and somehow sand it.  On the other hand, if you have a totally separate tooling area (I don't right now), you only tool one side, and THEN glue so it should be a great idea.

OK, obviously I'm on the fence here.  My oval countertop (the hole where the since goes) is under a truly nasty cutting board that currently has a pair of 1911 grips being tung oiled.

Later