Thread: can i make a pen out of this stuff??

an update. sorry its been so long.

the little peice we made wasn't strong enough, so i dont think it is going to work very well. it may make a pen but i dont know how it will stand up to the heat while turning, so it may have to be stabilised or something before turning.

cheers

Originally Posted by ss_11000

an update. sorry its been so long.

the little peice we made wasn't strong enough, so i dont think it is going to work very well. it may make a pen but i dont know how it will stand up to the heat while turning, so it may have to be stabilised or something before turning.

cheers

I've thought about doing something similar myself, but haven't found the time to locate a recipe yet. I guess it is a matter of chaining myself to the computer and making friends with search engines.

From what I've been able to read so far, this problem was overcome with the addition of formaldehyde to the casein, making it casein formaldehyde. I'm not sure fo the formula or the process. But this made the material strong enough to hold up to normal use. (knives, buttons, sewing & knitting tools)

And if you don't have a shop that sells formaldehyde near you, I believe they still use it in dry cleaners as a stabilizing agent, photo labs as a film hardener, and in funeral parlors as an embalming agent. Might be able to beg an ounce or two

I've got this image of a pen in my head involving casein with ebony segments imbedded in it. It needs to come out of my head and onto a mandrel, but I'd need to find a good recipe first. I'll share it here if I find it.