black trustone cambridge

[eisbaer]

Hi everyone!

First pen I've turned this year:oo:, owing to the fact that I've been building a coffee table for a friend who lost everything in the floods. Coffee tables take so much more time than I thought!

Anyway, this trustone was the hardest I've ever turned. I used 3 tools and sharpened a LOT just to get it done. Took 2 hours to turn down and polish, and because it was a last minute commission the pressure to get it done that day was enough to ensure I very nearly ruined it several times. I'm very glad it turned out ok, and especially because it is going to be used to sign the registry at a wedding next week.

Let me know what you think - and as ever, thanks for looking! :)

[gawdelpus]

Stunning pen ,well executed ,I have nothing but respect for people who do these on a wood lathe :) . These particular blanks are not for the faint hearted at all . The thinking and motivation while executing this must have guided your hands to perform at their very best . Well done indeed !! cheers ~ John :2tsup::2tsup::2tsup:

[mkypenturner]

nice pen eisbaer:2tsup::2tsup: hey is that the new look roman harvest kit from timberbits ????

[eisbaer]

Thanks John. It is hard stuff to turn but I'm confident anyone can do it with the right tools. I normally pride myself on being skew exclusive on turning these things but I couldn't rough it down quickly enough with the skew, so I started out with a spindle gouge.

Because I had 3 hours TOTAL (drilling, gluing, turning, polishing) to complete it, I had to rush through the rounding and therefore had to abandon my trusty skew for a gouge. Then I moved onto the skew, and finally a woodcut pro for finishing cuts (first time I've used it. Very impressed). I think I sharpened the gouge and skew about 8 times each though, so it is a very abrasive material even for trustone.

For anyone who struggles to turn this stuff, believe me I get where you're coming from, but I just treat it like the most brittle acrylic and I usually do just fine. Also, when doing a cambridge I'd suggest a 13.3mm bit instead of the recommended 33/64" bit for the drilling. I found with the imperial sized one I had to ream the hole, and this caused a bit of a problem with heat and ultimately some failures with certain materials.

[eisbaer]

Hi Troy,

This blank is black trustone with gold webbing provided by R and B crafts in the USA. I've never tried imperial stone.... yet. Sorry just realised you meant the kit not the blank. It is a cambridge kit, berea made I think.

[mkypenturner]

Hi Troy,

This blank is black trustone with gold webbing provided by R and B crafts in the USA. I've never tried imperial stone.... yet. Sorry just realised you meant the kit not the blank. It is a cambridge kit, berea made I think.

did you get that kit from timberbits just recently ??? if so thats the new cambridge with a different name
he has gotten ridden of the nasty black parts

[eisbaer]

I buy my cambridges from another supplier, and also bought them about 6 months ago. I like the idea of a metal coupler but I'd be concerned that the threads would be too slippery and the cap would come off all the time. Metal on metal can be finicky.

[artme]

Superb pen mate!!!:clap::clap::clap:

[Whaler1]

Beautifully done.
That is one of my favorite Tru-Stone blanks. I bought a Hunter carbide tool and that is the answer for turning the stone blanks.