Thread: 11 pen blanks in excange for a finished pen!

Originally Posted by ElizaLeahy

I put a pen made of this stuff up here...

https://www.woodworkforums.com/showth...784#post941784

Sorry Eliza, not quite...!
The one you got on that thread, as you rightly pointed out, is #22 Old Olive root, which is a burl look alike, but the Majestic A1++, is something quite different. You may have some off-cuts of it on your lot, but if I remember right, I thing I only had 2 or maybe 3 blanks that were A1++ on all of those olive blanks that I've cut initially and still have a fair few of them left. I know that those blanks were some of the first ones I send away for the blanks for pen offer, but I wouldn't have a clue who end-up getting them. I will post a A1++ blank sample soon.

Cheers
RBTCO

Hi RBTCO..... and everyone .....sorry for the long reply..... have been really busy the past 1 month...... will be posting the pens out to you today......

Thousand apologies.......

Hi Gary,
Been busy, huh? I know the feeling...!

Just keep an eye on the majestic olive in higher grades, if you need some, don't leave till the last minute! I've got plenty more of the "Colonial" ex-Ancient red gum dry blanks.

Lets us know what you are up to, thanks

Regards
RBTCO

Hi RBTCO......... thanks for the understanding....... im working on a deal that will either make or break...... hahaha

Anyway...... do you have any sort of burl??

Gry

Gary,

Good luck mate, good luck!

The only thing that I've got that look like a burl, in lots of ways is the old olive root. This has got some beautiful "stuff" in it.
There are some pens and stuff made with it already in the forum.
Anyway, you should have a couple of pen blanks of it from the packs I've sent you!

It looks like this;

Cheers
RBTCO

It's really lovely, and lovely to work as well.

these are really cool!!!!! I only wished shipping wasnt that expensive....!!! I know you paid a bomb on the shipping the last time ....... and you were very generous with your timber!!!

Thanks peoples,

Yes, you're right, the bloody freight costs nearly make transactions like ours unpracticle to complete. Is a no benefit to me that costs so much to get my timbers to certain locations mainly overseas, and the only thing (compromise) from my side is to either reduce sightly the prices or add a few extra pieces into the deal. I was just thing Gary, and I realize that your parcel freight costs were about $1 per pen blank. In reality, even tough is a lot higher then it should be but realistically speaking, if a special blank, either because being rare, unique or extremely beautiful, is going to cost you 1 extra dollar just to access it, but that blank brings the pen category price, for example from $50 to double or near enough, the extra couple of dollars paid more for that blank and the 1 dollar invested in have it imported (sent) to you, really, turns out to be a very good investment, regardless of what angle you see it from! seriously...!

Keep an eye also for some of my incoming shortly, unusually cut pen blanks from less common timber varieties.

Cheers
RBTCO

Maybe you could send them by ship... Then they would be dry by the time they got there!!!

Originally Posted by ElizaLeahy

Maybe you could send them by ship... Then they would be dry by the time they got there!!!

Eliza,

No sea-freight to Singapore, so I was told...!, nor I think would be a recommended procedure to dry blanks! Is quite amazing how quickly small pieces of timber such as pen blanks, dry after they are cut and stack in square pyramid type. I cut 1 log of the new #30 Bottle brush only cut last week or so, it was green and soaked, water was pouring out as the blade was cutting, and in 3 days the timber is amazingly less wet, about 22% moisture. This is going to be a very interesting timber to work with and from the "rays" I can see running through from the outer edge right to the eye of the heartwood, changing to a red(ish) colour in the center, will see...!

Now in regards to my old olive root, "pretending the be a burl" according to some, and directing this response to Gary's inquire about if I had anything "burly", well I have already gave the answer, but today I cut another piece of this "stuff" and the smell of olive is a lot more concentrated and slicing the small slab, I've got this...! (pics bellow)

Cheers
RBTCO

Knife scales?

Originally Posted by ElizaLeahy

Knife scales?

Looking at the pails in the background those "scales" would fit a knife big enough to dice small cars.

Well, I didn't say they were small knives!

Got our package in the mail today George.
Thanks
Pete