Latest pen

[mcbryde]

I made this pen out of some really wormy persimmon wood, this is round #3 before i got it completed. It has some CA applied to keep it together while turning, then about 6 coats of CA and then micro meshed to 12000. Here is the pen, then the wood I started out with.





Please give me feedback, or comments about how to keep this wood together while working it if you have ever worked with it. It makes an absolutely beautiful pen if you can keep it together!

Hope you like it,

Emerson

[boodrow]

Beautiful pen. Couple things that mite help u out , apply minwax wood hardner to it prior to turning , apply 2 part epoxy to the tubes on the inside. Im sure others on here have a lot more info for u. I turn pens but its not my favorite thing to turn. Good luck and thanks for postin the pen.
Boodrow

[sdb777]

You are indeed correct, the wood makes for a nice piece when turned!

With that many wormholes, I'd go with multiple coats of Minwax Wood Hardener during the turning and a scary sharp skew with a light hand.
The thin CA would be my second choice, unless I was in a hurry(but I really don't get in a rush when turning anything-it's supposed to be fun). Second choice only because of the smell/fumes, as it probably would do a better job holding it together over the MWH stuff.

If I remember correctly, this was some wood you 'found'! Great find!! You still looking to trade some of it for pen stuff??




Scott (might have to go look for some stuff to trade) B

[maverick31]

very nice, ca or wood hardner may be your only option unless you want to send a bunch off to be stabilized (dougb just sent some stuff to woodturningz.com to be stabilized, he will report back once he gets the blanks in)

[sachbvn]

That's real nice looking - looks like it may have been a bugger to turn - man, I like that second picture, lots of good turning there!

Thanks for sharing, it is a sharp pen!

Zac

[Doug B]

Nice pen Emerson! I really like the wood.

In fact I'm hoping you have considered joining in the pen blank swap worldofwood.proboards.com/index.cgi?board=trading&action=display&thread=2289 and I'm hoping that your name is on the list before mine if you do participate

For wormy wood where the bug poop (that's essentially what it is) is still in the holes, I use thin CA to stabilize it just like you did. I found that sometimes soaking in something like wood hardener can cause defecation - the bug poop comes out of the bug hole ;D

Acrylic dissolved in Acetone is another method of stabilizing, but I have not tried it myself. Another penturner that I met at the Farmers Market uses that method and he stabilized some things for me - it is OK, but did not seem to work as well as the CA. I understand the reluctance to use CA because of the fumes, but it seems to work the best for me.

And Mav is right on about the stabilizing I sent to Woodturningz - I should be getting it back tomorrow (Friday 3/26) so I'm hoping to find out real soon how their stabilizing works and how much it costs.

[sawduster]

Thin CA soaks in pretty good if there is porosity as in that worm poop. Saturate it pretty good before you do anything with the blank. Once you start turning, stop ever now and then and squirt some more on.

That is some great lookin wood, and a very nice pen.

[mcbryde]

Thanks ya'll. I really enjoyed working it down, it was definately an interesting wood to work. I started off with a roughly 7/8" x 7/8" x 2.5" blank and took it down a ways before I started the CA. I am a skey guy and it was sharp, which helped me out alot I think.

Scott, as far as wood goes, I actually picked up a truck load of it today. I trap, hunt, fish, and generally just goof off alot in the woods as my wife says, LOL. I was out running coyote sets today at a guys place that has had it logged int he past, and thre is dead wood there from last year. Did I mention his place is a pecan orchard? Off to the sides of the pecan orchard, is a creek that has alot of hackberry, persimmon, oak, and some HUGE grapevines. The guy is so good, he piles up all the wood in one place after it falls, or breaks out of the top of the tree, or they log and he has the tops of the trees left.

Anyway, today I came home with another big log of that persimmon, spalted hackberry, spalted pecan, and I am really wondering about that grapevine, it looks really cool. But the back of my Nissan truck was piled as high as the cab when I left there, LOL. I really have to go buy me a band saw, this cutting on the table saw is not only dangerous, but wasting precious wood, LOL.

E

[Mark]

Yep Emerson's got the "New Turner Wood-Hording bug". And fortunately, sounds like he's got access to the best selection of stuff to horde.

Mark

[mcbryde]

Mark, it is some really pretty stuff!

I just finished my second pen with this stuff, and NOBODY is getting this pen, I'm claiming it for myself! All of my previous pens are already spoken for by family, but they can't have this one. I'll post pics of it tomorrow, I just finished it, and it is 2:00 am.

E

[Doug B]

If you are collecting your own wood stock you will definitely like having a bandsaw Emerson. With all that wood to cut up you could really use one.

Can't wait to see the new pen.

[mcbryde]

I just can't find one for a good deal, everyone wants too much for them, and I don't figure I need a table top one, just don't think it will be big enough.

E

[Doug B]

For cutting up your own material you will want a 14" BS. I have the Ridgid from Home Depot and it works fine for most stuff. Harbor Freight also has a Central Machinery one that looks decent.

Of course there are much nicer ones out there too

[sdb777]

Dang Doug!

Emerson is on a teacher salary with a new baby, and I'm on WorkersComp, with a busted up dog(she's doing okay today BTW).......so we probably make the same kind of money. That Ridgid model looks nice, but ouch $420 without a fence. Us Arkansas boys are lookin' for a deal!!!



Scott (find that about $150, and we'd be on it) B

[Doug B]

I understand. I could not believe the Ridgid was that much now so I went back and checked my receipt and they cost $350.00 back in 2004. That still seems high for what you get, but a used one might be found for quite a bit less.

The way I got my Band Saw, Sliding Compound Miter Saw, Table Saw, Jointer, and Planer was using Home Depot's interest free for a year promotions. The interest was very high if you did not pay within a year, but I just set up an automatic payment to Home Depot each month to pay an item off, then when it got paid off, I'd get the next thing on my list. It took a while to get everything, but that was how I was able to get my woodworking tools. I had very little trouble convincing LOML that budgeting $100.00 a month for woodworking equipment would be worthwhile.

I never found much in the way of used equipment locally, or I might have done that instead.

[mcbryde]

Well, I picked up a band saw today and a router! I bought them both for $75! A ryobi 9" band saw, and a black and decker router. I stopped at a local guy selling tools on the side of the road. He had a nice craftsman table saw for sale too, but I couldn't afford $250, guess my little ryobi $25 pawn shop one will have to do me! Working out of the garage though doesn't give for much space to work. The small band saw is not the best option, but it will work for now I guess.

And by the way, here is the latest pen with this stuff:




Please comment and let me know what you think!

Emerson

[Doug B]

Nice pen Emerson! I really like that wormy wood. It goes well with the copper kit too.

[maverick31]

great job e. That wood is awesome and the fit and finish look great. I agree with doug wood complements kit very nice.

[sdb777]

You cartainly get the ends matched up to the hardward looking nice, I can't see any flaws in the fit or the finish!! Excellent work.


Great score on the tool acquiring also! Where was this guy at? There in Morrilton somewhere.....




Scott (I lived there for awhile) B

[mcbryde]

Thanks for the compliments on the pen. Yeah, I worked a good while on this pen, trying to make sure that there were no spots on it that were voids. I had 3 spots on this pen that were showing to the tube that I had to fill with CA and worm hole dust. It is a challenge to work with, but it definately is worth it when you get done!

Scott, the guy was just pulling a trailer, and was sitting in the gravel parking lot there by Macdonalds. I saw he had tools, and so I stopped in there, and he had these packed in the trailer just waiting for me to come pluck them out!

E