Couldn't decide which to turn

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Texatdurango

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Apr 23, 2007
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I turned a couple truestone emperor pens for a customer yesterday and really liked the way they looked and got back in the mood of turning some more truestone. I wondered if they would look good on an Imperial so decided to make one. But then couldn't decide which color would look best so just turned a few to satisfy my curiosity!

Actually I have no favorite but am leaning towards the red and gold. I'd have a hard time picking one and I hope this weekend some customer will have the same problem! :biggrin:
 

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burgerman

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May 3, 2009
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Austin TX
Those are absolutely beautiful! I lean toward the black/gold -- very classy looking.
I noticed you have a really high gloss on that TruStone. I've never been able to get it that glossy. I sand up through 12,000 mm, then do plastic polish. Any tip you'd care to share? Thanks.
 

Texatdurango

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Those are absolutely beautiful! I lean toward the black/gold -- very classy looking.
I noticed you have a really high gloss on that TruStone. I've never been able to get it that glossy. I sand up through 12,000 mm, then do plastic polish. Any tip you'd care to share? Thanks.

Well I wasn't going to share my secret but since you asked.... here is how I get that extra shine.

I finish turning with a skew (not that it matters much), dry sand with 400 to smooth out the blank then wet sand with 600 and 1000 about 15 seconds each, remove from the lathe and buff with white diamond for about 1 minute. After pen assembly I wipe on a bit of Renissanse wax and wipe with a clean towel....That's it!

I did these three pens together, turned them round, drilled and glued them all at once then turned all three and set aside. I sanded all three together then buffed all at once and the sanding/buffing part probably took probably 20 minutes tops!

If there is a secret, I guess it's the type of buff I use, amount of pressure I put on the blanks and the amount of compound I use.

Toss the micro mesh if you want a nice shine!:eek:
 

burgerman

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May 3, 2009
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Austin TX
dry sand with 400 to smooth out the blank then wet sand with 600 and 1000 about 15 seconds each, remove from the lathe and buff with white diamond for about 1 minute. After pen assembly I wipe on a bit of Renissanse wax and wipe with a clean towel....That's it!

Wow! That sounds super simple, and very quick! Thanks for sharing. Will have to try that on the next one I do. The black and red ones look as shiny as PR.
 

broitblat

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Feb 9, 2006
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Bellevue, WA, USA.
That's a great looking line up! If I were forced to choose, I think I lean toward the white one, but they're all classy looking.

WOW Those are sweet. I know I would have a hard time deciding. Does any of our members sell Truestone?

I know that Ed and Dawn (www.exoticblanks.com) and Richard DeArment (http://www.randbcrafts.com/) are at least 2 of our members that sell TruStone.

-Barry
 

mbroberg

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Mar 9, 2009
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Columbus, OH
Actually I have no favorite but am leaning towards the red and gold. I'd have a hard time picking one and I hope this weekend some customer will have the same problem! :biggrin:

Judging by the comments so far I'd say you won't have many problems selling all three. I like the black the best, but I'd take any one of them. Nice work!:good:
 

Rollerbob

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Apr 26, 2009
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Athens, Texas
George, I cast my vote on the Red, yea I mean the white one, ok, the black one for sure..........maybe?!?! Good luck @ the show!!
 

dgscott

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Aug 17, 2008
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Portland, Oregon
They all look great, but to my eye, the white exudes elegance. Great work. BTW, white diamond buff is my favorite stuff in the world. Works great on jewelry, too, but if you buff silver, you have to have a dedicated buffing wheel as it blackens deep.
Doug
 
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