Sharpening stone glued to box????

[Bill White]

I have a nice stone in an obviously shop made box. The stone is "glued/stuck" in the box, and won't release.
I was hoping to remove the stone to check the other side in the chance that the side had never been used.
Any idea as to how stones may have been secured in the boxes?
Bill

[Tim Brosnan]

Good question. As it's a shop made box my guess would be some form of epoxy. I assume you want to retain the box (or otherwise you could take a saw or cold chisel to it).

[Glen Canaday]

Careful if you use the chisel method. I shattered a translucent ark that way.

[Jim Ritter]

I had one glued in a box with something like pitch, a was very black. I was able to get the stone out when it was very cold, translation no heat in the shop during the winter. You might try the freezer. Don't think it would hurt an oil stone, but don't freeze a water stone till it gives off its moisture.
Jim

[Stewie Simpson]

I would try working a utility knife down the sides of the stone to see if that helps release the stone. Its possible that pitch was used, or it could just be that the stones slurry has worked itself into the gaps over an extended period of use and locked that stone in place. The sharp corner of a card scraper could also be trialled.

[Rick Whitehead]

It could also be that the wood has shrunk, and has locked the stone in place. That happened to me, with an oak box for my India stone that I had recently made.
I'd try Stewie's advice to try to get it free.
Rick

[Mike Henderson]

The box can't be so valuable that you wouldn't want to take it apart. I'd take the sides off and then see how the stone is stuck to the bottom. If it's glued with something like epoxy, I'd sand the wood off with a belt sander and make a new box.

Mike

[Stew Denton]

Hi Bill,

I am with Mike on this. I have a stone inherited from my dad that he had bought from someone else, that had the stone glued in. It must have been epoxy or some other stout glue, because seasonal wood movement or something similar eventually caused the bottom 1/16" to 1/8" or so of the stone to separate from the rest of the stone, leaving the bottom of the stone a jagged mess.

The stone was a very nice good big Arkansas, and I intend to restore it someday with a diamond stone. At any rate you will never see me glue a stone into a box.

I would try Mike's approach or worry away the wood of the box a little at a time with a sharp paring chisel. For me it wouldn't be worth the risk of damaging the stone if it would not come out of the box easily or the box couldn't be taken apart. Sacrifice the box to save the stone undamaged.

Stew

[Derek Cohen]

I have a nice stone in an obviously shop made box. The stone is "glued/stuck" in the box, and won't release.
I was hoping to remove the stone to check the other side in the chance that the side had never been used.
Any idea as to how stones may have been secured in the boxes?
Bill

Hi Bill

The glue could be anything, but my money is on hide glue if the box/stone is older than 50 years.

So, I'd pour some boiling water around the edge, and then fan the wood with a hair dryer to heat it further. That will soften hide glue. It would probably soften all glues, including epoxy. The water will not affect the stone, and the box will dry later.

Regards from Perth

Derek

[Graham Haydon]

If it's a old stone it's not unusual for the hidden face to be rough and unfinished, often they could be bedded in plaster of paris. Go steady with removing it, perhaps if the face of the stone needs to be dressed just flatten it and leave it be.

[Stewie Simpson]

So why would you wreck a perfectly good box when there is likely 2 or 3 obvious reasons to explore. (1) the box has tightened around the outer stone due to moisture change; (2) the stones slurry has filled the gaps within the boxes mortise rendering the stone a locked fit; or (3) if the box has some age to it, a pitch fill may have been used to prevent moisture and slurry building up on the underside of the stones fit. As to the likelihood that a glue was used on the underside of the stone, that would be highly unusual given the fact its likely were talking about an enclosed box. More information by the OP, including a photo of the stone and box would help answer some obvious unknowns at this stage.

[Stewie Simpson]

If it's a old stone it's not unusual for the hidden face to be rough and unfinished, often they could be bedded in plaster of paris. Go steady with removing it, perhaps if the face of the stone needs to be dressed just flatten it and leave it be.

Excellent thought Graham. I have a number of earlier mined natural uk stones where plaster of paris was used to stop the stone from rocking within its mortise housing.

[Stewie Simpson]

The following photo is an early boxed honing stone within my collection, purchased from the uk, possibly an imported washita, where a pitch fill was used to seal the stone within its lower housing.

http://i1009.photobucket.com/albums/af219/swagman001/new%20stropping%20block/natural%20honing%20stones%20purchased%20from%20the %20uk/_DSC0215_zps07ybaron.jpg (http://s1009.photobucket.com/user/swagman001/media/new%20stropping%20block/natural%20honing%20stones%20purchased%20from%20the %20uk/_DSC0215_zps07ybaron.jpg.html)

[Robert Engel]

If the box is not valuable to you, I would just band saw the bottom it off close to the stone, then a belt sander to remove whats left.

If you want to keep the box, you can joint the bottom and glue the sides back on.

[Bill White]

Thanks guys. I appreciate the responses.
After all is said and done, I'll just leave the old boy in the box rather than destroy the box.
I've tried the water, gentle prying, etc. to no avail. I guess that whoever made the box used a magic potion. :)
Bill