weird materials question...

[RiverWalker]

not precisely turning-specific, but figured the turning-focal people might have an idea, since I've seen some pretty neat materials in pen turning stuff.

this is probably going to sound strange, but I am wondering if there is a material, natural(really really not freaking likely) or artificial(maybe), that would have a blue(preferably a morpho butterfly sort of blue tone) and gold(as is seen in some finished woodworking) marbley/woodgrainy, Opal-like/mother of pearl-like pattern/texture. not sure if thats too vague or not.

I was reminded by this by that box in another thread in the other forum.

I have absolutely no idea if its even possible for modern 100% artificial materials to have this sort of thing in the pattern I am looking for.

ideas I'd have for something of this sort of material would be best from say, 3/4"-1"x1"-2"x3"-5" for one thing, or 2"x2"x4"-6", that sorta range for other things. or even small bits that could be inlaid, I could find uses for.

I mean working with it if it could exist is certainly beyond my current skill, but if it exists, then I'd have something to work towards in that direction.

does such a material exist, and if so, how expensive and hard to work with is it?

[Beamer]

How bout something like this?



Found here: www.woodturningz.com/Acrylic_Acetate_Pen_Blanks.aspx

The proportion of blue to gold will vary some between blanks, too.

[Beamer]

There's also this:



Found here: www.woodturningz.com/Inlace_Acrylester_Pen_Blanks.aspx

[RiverWalker]

hmm, well the first one is way too artificial (plastic looking) looking for what I have in mind.

the second is much much closer, I think. its hard to tell the depth/opalescence from that.

and I'm not as keen on the green-y part of the second.

from the second link


is closer, but not quite what I had in mind. I think I was imagining more mixed together and woodgrainish, like... ok, looked up grain patterns and I think an example would be like, an intricately gnarly sorta spalted maple (like this picture is awesome texture wise: boutiqueguitarresource.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/09/nik_huber_dolphin_spalted_maple.jpg ) but where instead of the pallet of colors ranging from white and very light brown, to dark brown and black, if it was shades of gold and blue, and all deep and opal-like.

yeah.. like I said/meant, I'm probably crazy and I'm not at all sure that its even possible with any fully artificial materials....

edit:
the more I look at spalted patterns the more I like the crack-ish looking aspect of that, like if the darkest parts were the most fully and radiantly blue, with the lightest parts being the most fully gold, and sorta tangled together intermediately for some of the lighter middle parts....

/sigh.
SO probably not even possible.


on this page:
designsbycarl.com/Exotic%20Custom%20Grips.htm

the mesquite burls, the desert ironwoods(except the personalized one), and the "large spalted maple" are awesome.

[maxwellsmart007]

Mother of pearl or abalone? No idea what you're planning on doing with it, so it's tough to think of an appropriate material...

[RiverWalker]

May 18, 2010 8:13:03 GMT -6 maxwellsmart007 said:

Mother of pearl or abalone? No idea what you're planning on doing with it, so it's tough to think of an appropriate material...

well the most specific thing I have in mind would be a Mezuzah, I don't exactly have other ideas nailed down specifically, just imagine if I could have a material like that that would be able to be worked with more or less like it was wood, that would be versatile for a variety of carved-ish trinkets and such.

what I am imagining is a pretty surreal and unnatural coloring, with a very natural-like patterning. the only way I can conceive of making something like that would be like... using some of the plastics like the pen turning blanks in the above links or something like that, and dipping like some of those weird carved candles... maybe that could make the woodgrainy pattern I have in mind.