Thread: "Shed" Snake Skin Pens

Looking good, sounds like a lot of work. She should be happy with these "recycled" snake skin pens.

Top effort Neil, I am sure your friend will be very happy with those.

Great stuff Neil

She should be happy with that are you going into production?

Originally Posted by dai sensei

Well they are finally done. I have a friend that breeds snakes and I wanted to give her a snake skin pen. I bought some of the really good blanks from Froggie's, only to find she hated them , because they were real skins meaning the snake was dead.

So more fool me, I decided to make some using the shed skins from her own snakes (this one is a Python). I have described the process before in other posts, but basically I used the following:

1. coat the sleeve with white epoxy
2. turn round & remove any lumps by sanding on lathe
3. glue the skin on with clear epoxy
4. turn 12mm square timber into small cones at one end to fit into sleeves
5. glue the cones in the ends of the sleeves with a little CA
6. place cones/sleeves in 12mm plastic U channel with ends sealed with gaffa tape
7. cast using Diggers clear casting resin
8. cut off cones and trim ends of blanks

All I can say is it was a messy painful process. A few bubbles stuck to the skins and of course the photos are of the good sides , but they turned out Ok I think. The kits are black titanium slimeline/streamlines and both finished to 1200 then EEE/Glow.

She better be happy with these ones.

Great work

can you post other pics of the process.
what sort of resin you use?
your pens look great

^^^Like he said. A few more picts would be cool !!

Pens have come up very nicely.

A number of the American cuemakers use snake/lizard etc etc skins on their high end cues. (See pict).

I must admit, sometimes when I drive past some fresh roadkill (lizards, snakes etc) I think it is a bit of a shame to let all that nice skin go to waste.

Haven't gone there though.........(yet !!)

Cheers - Ph.

Look ok from here Neil, Amos

The good side looks very good Neil your friend should be with rapt

those look really good Neil and very well worth buying, especially in a fountain pen and roller ball set.


Mischief zone:

Your sales slogan could be:

You don't have to kill 'em to thrill 'em

Originally Posted by Simomatra

.. are you going into production?

Nup, too much like hard work. I'll just keep buying the good ones from Froggie.

Originally Posted by kruger

can you post other pics of the process.
what sort of resin you use?

I knew I should have taken more photos . I use Diggers casting resin.

Originally Posted by Purpleheart

A number of the American cuemakers use snake/lizard etc etc skins on their high end cues. (See pict).

Originally Posted by tashammer

...a fountain pen and roller ball set.

Yes, I was thinking of doing a Baron set, then I could sell for a decent price.

G'day Neil,
I am impressed. When you said you were doing sheds, I wasn't sure how they would turn out. Well done.


Cheers,

Rick