Thread: Down The Wormhole I go

G'day Folks,

A bit of a follow up from a meet and greet I managed to attend a little while ago, I have gotten round to turning a couple of pens from some of the scores I made.

Amos, although I didn't meet you, I have to give you a MASSIVE thankyou as I picked up some of your blanks and I have to say that because of that, I am going to have to invest in some casting/stabilizing gear as the 'waste wood' (dunno why they're called that... they look fantastic) blanks I got hold of really have peaked my interest. I just hope I have done them justice.

Fly, a big thanks to you as well, the snakeskin blank is the first time I have turned anything from a resin saver mold. The picture doesn't do it justice, it looks amazing in the flesh!!
I also took your hint on using foam instead of paper towel for applying a CA finish to a slimline. The results weren't great. I usually apply a thin CA directly to the blank, and use the paper to push it around. This is the same method I tried with the foam, but it seemed to leave lumps and bumps along the way. Should I try applying the CA to the foam, then to the pen? I did love the fact that the one square of foam was reused for the whole pen. A heck of a lot less waste - but it means that I have to come up with some sort of counting system to keep track of coats!! (my mind tends to wander)

The Banksia nut blank (thanks again Amos) didn't quite work out as I liked. Upon fitting it all together I am unhappy with the shape of the curve I put in it. And looking at the photo, I noticed the nib doesn't quite fit right up to the nut/sleeve. I have since pulled it apart and squared that end off a lot better.

The timbers used are
sierra - snakeskin
sierra - resin filled banksia
sierra - black palm (I think that is what it was)
cigar pencil - mexican fern tree (thanks mapleman.... ripper blanks!!)
baron II - resin filled buckeye burl (my favorite by far)

C&C welcome, gotta learn somehow
I'm off to watch some youtube clips of Neil using resin to maximize my enthusiasm before I start tackling the conversion of a pressure pot.

Cheers

Gab