Foot warmer is carried by means of a wire bale handle; soapstone is a bluish gray soft rock with a smooth, greasy feel like that of soap, from which its name is derived; it is easily worked and resists heat, and it can hold and cast off heat of hours; simple rectangles of soapstone with a sturdy handle attached to them were heated in the fireplace or oven and used to warm beds as well as wagons and sleighs.