Thanks all!
Amazing work! How did you do the finish?
320 Finkat sanding paper to level everything out and round off the ends, then MM (through the seventh pad), Novus Three (use a good amount and really burn it in; makes the last two Micromesh pads superfluous) Novus Two, Ultragloss and Ren wax.
However, I have a regimen that many might not have the patience for. I used to do the polishing very fast, but after it was all put together, I found imperfections that I didn't notice when it was wet. So now, every MM pad (especially the first) gets at least two minutes. Then I clean the blank, dry it and check it. Lather, rinse, repeat all the way through the Ren wax.
In the case of this one, the pen end was very straightforward, but cap was more complicated. You have to respect that sand paper and even the first three MM pads, can actually remove quite a bit of stock, so first I get it all smoothed out through the first three MM pads. Also, I had a join that I had to be careful not to round off, so the best way was simply do the cap body with the finial lightly glued in. I started with the coupler end, and polished it, then did the cap body, and then I debonded the glue, separated the finial and did it.
Eric, great looking pen, I've heard that the Arizona Jade is about the hardest of the Pliable Tru Stone blanks there is to turn ...
It is very hard, but I haven't every tried to turn it on a wood lathe so I can't say if it's harder than the others. AZ Sil recommends AZ Jade be turned only with a metal lathe, so maybe it is.
Thanks for the pointers. I'm doing pretty much all of that now. It's very accurate pen.
Capped piccie soon.
