Ebonite Pen

[its_virgil]

Here is the one some of you have been waiting on...ebonite, or hard rubber. The color is cumberland and my source has dried. The pipe maker I purchased it from in Denmark has stopped selling the ebonite rods because of quality problems from the mfg. It was fun to turn, with ribbons of material coming off like plastic does. One ribbon shot straight up, was caught by the suction of the DC and there was one long ribbon flowing into the dust bag. It wrapped around the mandrel and I had to stop frequently to dispose of it. Did not turn well with a skew...sharpening did not help. Had to use a gouge and the turning went fine. Sanded 220, 320, 400, 600 and MM to 12000 and buffed with white diamonds. I actually applied a CA finish, but the next one will be left natural. I hear there is nothing like the natural feel of an ebonite pen. Ebonite was the material of choice before plastics. Enjoy!
Do a good turn daily!
Don

 

[PenWorks]

It was worth the wait Don, very good looking pen. So is there another source? I would like to have at least one or two in my collection. Is the color a redish brown or more on the red side. can't really tell. So, how does it feel? Great job.

Anthony

 

[its_virgil]

Thanks Anthony. The material is dark dark brown with redish streaks runing parallel to the length of the pen. It is very difficult to capture the look. The color name is cumberland...no black available because of inferior product from the mfg and now he is selling no cumberland rod. I got is from Tom Eltang in Denmark. He is going to let me know when more is available and I am looking for another source. The feel is real nice....doesn't feel as "hard and cold " as plastic...really a nice feel. I bought 3 1 meter rods and sold the other two, so look for more ebonite pens after the weekend. It drilled easily and smelled of burning rubber...tires burning on the pavement, but you probably did none of that in your younger days! My wife came to the garage and said she smelled rubber burning, but it wasn't an obnoxious odor. Sort of like a hot belt on a motor. I put a CA finish on the pen, but think I should have left it with no finis. I will probably disassemble it and sand off the CA and just polish it and use some TSW to keep it from oxidizing. More later.
Do a good turn daily!
Don

Originally posted by penworks
<br />It was worth the wait Don, very good looking pen. So is there another source? I would like to have at least one or two in my collection. Is the color a redish brown or more on the red side. can't really tell. So, how does it feel? Great job.

Anthony

 

[wayneis]

Don thats a pretty nice looking pen. What kit is it, I'm having a hard time figuring it out from your photo? Is it an El Grande Ball Point?

Wayne

 

[Tom McMillan]

Looks real nice Don!! Sounds like an interesting material to try!!

 

[DCBluesman]

I really like the looks of the pen, Don. It's your usual great job of craftsmanship and a very nice finish. I'd love to hear what it's like with TSW, because ebonite WILL oxidize. I've got a call in to borrow the equipment to test how UV protective TSW actually is, but the availability and cost have me stymied for the moment. If I get more info, I'll share it.

 

[Doghouse]

Neet looking pen. It is amazing how technology has forced us away from nice products like that and more twords cheeper plastics.

 

[jwoodwright]

That pen is great. The kit suits the material. I'd like to turn some. [8D]

 

[Fred in NC]

Beautiful pen! Great job, Don!

I was reading about some urethane material (synthetic rubber) which is commonly used to make hard rubber (ebonite) products. Found this comment about one of the materials:

<b>"will soften and revert to a liquid within 2 â€" 5 years, depending on exposure to moisture"</b>

Hehe, "this pen will self-destroy in a few years."

Don, you need to hang on to this pen for a while, and see how well it keeps the shape! [)]

 

[its_virgil]

The kit is the chrome El Grande ball point. I decided to use larger pens for this material so I don't have 75%+ of the ebonite on the floor(a 1 meter rod costs $45).
. The material is difficult to photograph. I have another photograpah in the works and will post it when it is ready.

Thanks to all who commented. I appreciate the feedback both positive and negative. This material is supposed to be actual hard rubber...it smells like rubber as it was drilled and turned...so, hopefull it will not turn into a rubbery glob on my desk.

Anyway, it was fun and the next one should be better.

Do a good turn daily!
Don




quote]Originally posted by wayneis
<br />Don thats a pretty nice looking pen. What kit is it, I'm having a hard time figuring it out from your photo? Is it an El Grande Ball Point?

Wayne


[/quote]

 

[WoodChucker]

Don, great looking pen!

Dumb question: Is that shadow real? []

R.T.

 

[its_virgil]

RT,
The shadow was added with photo editing software like photoshop or print shop pro...this one was done with the microsoft editor that came on my new computer. The feature or effect is called a "drop shadow". Thanks for noticing.
do a good turn daily
Don

Originally posted by WoodChucker
<br />Don, great looking pen!

Dumb question: Is that shadow real? []

R.T.

 

[daledut]

Nice job. Keep use posted if you find a good source.

 

[PenWorks]

I sent some e mails to some custom pipe makers, to see if they would sell any material or had a source.

That was, a nice touch on the photo Don. Boy, you can't slip nothin by these detectives we have around here. LOL I will have to look to see if MS Photo Draw has it.

Anthony

 

[bajacrazy]

Nice job, looks great[8D]