Thread: "Real Stone"

They look fabulous John.

It may well take a soaking in thin CA and then the coating/buffing procedure to get a high shine.

Nice pen and well executed... you made it hard going cross cut rather than with the grain

Originally Posted by corbs

Nice pen and well executed... you made it hard going cross cut rather than with the grain

Little choice in that hehe,and I was thinking if it seperated on the join lines might be able to glue it together again , luckily it stayed together ,but interestingly the red bits were much harder than the rest , a geologist would love this one hehe,looks like a core drill sample .

amazing, great job there mate

MIK

Definately different, I never would have though of trying to turn rock into pen.... Very Nice Work

Now you just need to find a Geologist

Very nice it is different so it is a stand out well done

Nice pen

I love seeing new materials used for pens - adds a lot of interest.

Is it heavy?

Cheers,
Dave

Well done John, looks great. Must have been very challenging but worth the effort.

After seeing your most recent "new ideas" I am eager to see what you come up with next.

Originally Posted by Fireguard

Definately different, I never would have though of trying to turn rock into pen.... Very Nice Work

I like them

11/10 for originality and sheer I'm gunna do this


I have a friend who does granite kitchen tops and he gave me some offcuts to try , been trying to figure out how on a normal Wood lathe , one day

Originally Posted by munruben

After seeing your most recent "new ideas" I am eager to see what you come up with next.

I bet it is only a stones throw away

Looking at your pen from stone twigged something in my memory. I have a block of soapstone in the workshop from many years ago. It's the material natives in Northern Canada use for carving, so I thought, why not use it for turning a pen. Has anyone out there used this material for turning? I've thought about using Corian but thought it would be too hard on the tools - your thoughts? The soapstone can be worked with ordinary woodworking tools, so that should be OK.

All the very best for the Christmas season. We are having an 15 - 20 cm snow fall tonight. Doesn't that make you feel envious!

Originally Posted by canuk

Looking at your pen from stone twigged something in my memory. I have a block of soapstone in the workshop from many years ago. It's the material natives in Northern Canada use for carving, so I thought, why not use it for turning a pen. Has anyone out there used this material for turning? I've thought about using Corian but thought it would be too hard on the tools - your thoughts? The soapstone can be worked with ordinary woodworking tools, so that should be OK.

All the very best for the Christmas season. We are having an 15 - 20 cm snow fall tonight. Doesn't that make you feel envious!

I think soapstone would work well, I tried to get some from a canadian supplier ,but got no answer Corian is not a material I have tried ,but from all accounts its just like acrylic to work ,and finishes nicely. Snow eh ! its 32c in my office as I type this ,and the "air" is on hehe, Is soapstone porous, may need some hardening such as thin CA once you have it drilled and glued should be ok though . cheers ~ John

Great pen there John, you certainly seem to have embarked on a journey of discovery.

Look forward to your next "brainwave".

Another material in the "stone" family worth a try would be the lava stone that I saw when I visited Seattle some time after the big Mt St Helens volcano eruption. I bought some birds carved from that that I still have and looking at them I reckon that material would make an interesting pen as well. I think if it is suitable for carving it should be suitable for turning.