Thread: Aaay!! My first slimline (or the first one that hasn't blown up in my face)

Nice looking pen! Wow, those knife grooves are extreme. I don't have the patience for that myself. I've never had any problems with tubes slipping out after they've been glued. All I do is the standard sandpaper roughing.

Good job, though!

Very nice Matt, great fit and finish

According to a book I read recently...

not snakes, but a parasite which lived under the skin of people's legs, and had to be slowly removed.

If the patient survived, the practicioner displayed the worms wrapped around the removal stick as proof of his ability.

http://www.woodworkforums.ubeaut.com...60&postcount=9

Cheers,
Andrew

Originally Posted by arose62

According to a book I read recently...

not snakes, but a parasite which lived under the skin of people's legs, and had to be slowly removed.

If the patient survived, the practicioner displayed the worms wrapped around the removal stick as proof of his ability.

http://www.woodworkforums.ubeaut.com...60&postcount=9

Cheers,
Andrew

I've heard of that version too. The parasite you are referring to is the guinea worm, Dracunculus medinesis, a nasty parasite indeed. It is still a problem in some countries. You get it from drinking water containing infected water fleas. The larva go to the small intestine then inter the body cavity from there. A female will copulate with a male, the male will then die. The female will continue to mature reaching 60-100cm in length. Usually the female then migrates to one of the lower extremities, and burrows to the surface where an extremely painful blister will appear and within a day or two, burst allowing the end of the worm to be exposed. Many people immerse the blister in water as it hurts and water seems to sooth it to a degree. It is during this the female will release her larva vie a white milky colored fluid into the water where water fleas will consume them and they in turn will be consumed by more humans. (smart ehh?)

One treatment for this, (and an old treatment) is to wrap the head of the guinea worm around a stick once it appears, then slowly over a period of time, centimeters at a time, withdraw the work like this. You want to do this very slowly, I've heard from a matter of days to up to a month, probably depending on the size of the worm, but its important not to break the worm off and have it die and decay inside of you.



Here is the star of life featuring the rod of Asclepius. You can easily imagine that being a worm wrapped around a stick.


If you are squimish STOP SCROLLING NOW!!


If not there here is what we are talking about. In this pic you can clearly see the blister that appears then breaks and is so painful it leads the person to the water source the worm needs to release its larva into.





Pretty amazing huh?

Nice looking pen there Matt, you did a great job, the medical symbol used is the serpent on a pole, When the children of of Israel disobeyed God in the wilderness, God sent serpents into the camp that killed whoever was bitten, however, God told Moses to put a serpent up on a pole and that whosoever was bitten, all they needed to do was to "Look and Live". Amos

Originally Posted by Woodenink

Nice looking pen there Matt, you did a great job, the medical symbol used is the serpent on a pole, When the children of of Israel disobeyed God in the wilderness, God sent serpents into the camp that killed whoever was bitten, however, God told Moses to put a serpent up on a pole and that whosoever was bitten, all they needed to do was to "Look and Live". Amos

I've head that version too and I like it best.

Well, I was going to have some spaghetti for dinner, but I think I'll just go throw up instead.

How big do those worms get? I wonder if we could stabilize one...tapeworm cigar, anyone?

*gags*

Originally Posted by karlkuehn

Well, I was going to have some spaghetti for dinner, but I think I'll just go throw up instead.

How big do those worms get? I wonder if we could stabilize one...tapeworm cigar, anyone?

*gags*

It would be interesting, you could put it in resin like they do paper weights with bugs in them and whatnot, maybe spiral it around the pen, that would be cool.

As for as size 60-100cm would be (roughly) 20-40 inches long. Just think, the tail would just be leaving the intestines as its head arrived in your foot.

Here's one that crawled out of my arm while I was taking my shower tonight.





Here's me eating a bowl of his friends.



Oh I'm sad aren't' I?

Originally Posted by Matt88s

I can't say I'm all that impressed with the Lignum Vitae, it has some nice cats eye type strips running through it and the grain is almost hairy looking in places, but other than that its a bit dull.

It's not the prettiest wood when freshly turned, but as it darkens up, which doesn't really take that long, I reckon it looks more attractive. But you're right: if you want a "pretty" pen, LV isn't the best choice.

Still, 'tis good symbology for a medical practitioner's pen.

Lignum cut on the cross can be exciting but like all timber somes more interesting,I have some flame Aussie Cedar I cant wait to prepare but plain Cedar just does not move me.
Found the Conkerberry piece,gave it a hurry up on the sander,a spray of matte and sent it on its merry way today. Tried several times to ring you on the mobile listing but did see your comment just now so.

Hi Peter

Ps that Lignum Pen is neat and slim with very subtle colouring,that is skinny making the chrome? kit set it off very well the joints are sound and about perfect as I see it. Peter

Originally Posted by Penpal

Lignum cut on the cross can be exciting but like all timber somes more interesting,I have some flame Aussie Cedar I cant wait to prepare but plain Cedar just does not move me.

Don't get me wrong, LV is one of my "most lusted after" woods; I may not find it particularly pretty, but that's not why I love it. Ditto for Huon Pine: plain Huon is just way too bland for me as the "major" wood in a project... but line inside a jewellery box with it and YUM! (Figured Huon's a different thing, but I'm talking about the plain stuff here. )

Found the Conkerberry piece,gave it a hurry up on the sander,a spray of matte and sent it on its merry way today. Tried several times to ring you on the mobile listing but did see your comment just now so.