Thread: Camphor Laurel for a pen?

Hi Mack! love the smell of camphor laurel when turning it hehe, but your finish will seal it nicely, it turns very well, the bits I have done at least about a medium hardness,cross grain I am not sure of ,but I am sure some of our more experienced turners can fill in that info,cheers my friend,

G'day Mac, yes the cross cut shows some great color and will make a very nice pen. The smell will disappear even if it is not sealed.

Terry

Yup,

I've X-cut & turned some of my own CL for pens. Works beautifully, smells great (but the smell goes when it's sealed) and looks a treat.

Camphor Laurel is a slightly oily wood, so just remember with your finish, that things like friction polish may not seal it that well, so a more "artificial" finish such as CA is safer if you really want to lock in all the nature Camphor properties.

I wish the smell didn't leave so much, as then we could market our pens "in the raw" as the Codral of pens

Russell.

Never made or seen a CL pen so I can't wait till you post some pics.
Every bowl that I have made from CL has always lost its smell as soon as you seal it.

I wish everyone could have seen an entry in the Royal Canberra Show recently of a semi high stool in Camphor the slightly oversize seat had the wildest, exciting grain I have ever seen and trust me I have seen more grain than most. Made by a schoolboy to craftsman ie beyond tradesman level. It had no smell cause it was sealed. Fantastic for pens in fact I will make it my task to source the auther and photograph his stool for all to see on a separate thread soon.

Regarding smell and quality of grain, smell is masked and grain pops out.

Regards Peter.

I too love the smell of Camphor Laurel.

Makes very nice pens. I have a fountain pen I've been using for about a year in Camphor Laurel, and while its got a few more marks than a harder wood would not have picked up, it's still a very attractive pen.

Originally Posted by BoomerangInfo

Camphor Laurel is a slightly oily wood, so just remember with your finish, that things like friction polish may not seal it that well, so a more "artificial" finish such as CA is safer if you really want to lock in all the nature Camphor properties.

Also, to get the finish to key properly to the timber (ie, so it doesn't "delaminate" further down the line) it's a good idea to wipe down the raw pen with a solvent - turps, acetone or similar - before giving it a final sand to remove any nap that may be raised.

It's best to apply the finish ASAP after wiping down, as it only removes the surface oil and given enough time more oil will rise to the surface, making your efforts pointless.

This is true for any oily timber, of course!

I've had a 1" x 1" x 2" block of cl sitting in my office for over 10 years
there is no hint of any cl smell to it - the air conditioning dried it out years ago

I have already told Mack on another forum how good his pen is.

Skew do want a fresh piece?

Originally Posted by Simomatra

Skew do want a fresh piece?

I think I'll be right, what with all the slabs I have laying around... it's Nick who needs the fresh piece.

Originally Posted by Sawdust Maker

I've had a 1" x 1" x 2" block of cl sitting in my office for over 10 years
there is no hint of any cl smell to it - the air conditioning dried it out years ago

Cut it in half and I bet it'll still smell.

[quote=Skew ChiDAMN!!;908463]I think I'll be right, what with all the slabs I have laying around... it's Nick who needs the fresh piece. /quote]

actually I've some MIL cut down about a year ago

Originally Posted by Skew ChiDAMN!!

Cut it in half and I bet it'll still smell.

I was thinking I might do that just to see - I'd marked it out for a pen but didn't think the grain was that brilliant

In fact the original bit was from MIL when a tree fell over and took out her back fence. I wasn't into turning then

Originally Posted by Sawdust Maker

actually I've some MIL cut down about a year ago

LOL, I couldn't understand that for a while. I thought you were saying you'd cut doiwn your mother-in-law!!

Russell.

now that would be something knotty and tough to turn