Mango on Euro

[KDM]

I've just realised I didn't photograph the assembled pen. OKay, hopefully the buyer hasn't Christmas wrapped it yet, and I'll get a photo for you.

This is a piece of spalted mango, kindly sent to me by discdogs from Hawaii. The wood chipped like mad at first, but I made a solution of acrylic in acetone and soaked it in that for a few days to stabilise it.

In the meantime, guess which Euro kit we decided looked best on it?

Chrome:


Gunmetal:


Gold:


(Click for enlagrements.)

The polished (CA finish) piece was much darker and with many more colours on show than the stabilised blank, see here against my other project:



OKay, photo of the assembled pen to follow...

 

[hilltopper46]

Hey, I know discdogs (she's my niece).

I would probably put the black titanium on it if it were me, but the gold looks pretty good as well.

 

[KDM]

Hey, I know discdogs (she's my niece).

Well, give her a shout and get her to turn the PR blanks I sent her so I can see how they came out!!

I would probably put the black titanium on it if it were me, but the gold looks pretty good as well.

Funny you should say that, I agree!



As usual, click for the biggies.

 

[discdogs]

I turned a spalted mango blank after you wrote me last time...4-6 weeks ago. Mine is pretty cool too. I turned it w/o doing the soaking process you did. It's very lite-weight. I liked the color of it before I put the CA finish on it...it still looks nice tho. Pic is on my other computer (the one I dropped on the floor & messed the screen up on)....but I will try to post it later this week.

Yes--I have lots more spalted mango. I will be seeing my uncle (hilltopper46) this coming weekend (11/26-28) and I am taking him some phesantwood (a huge chunk). If I can get him to cut it up while i'm there, I'll send you some of that and the mango & some Koa too. I have the mango in Hawaii, so you'll have to wait until I get home on 11/29 or later to have that shipped.

 

[discdogs]

Here are pics of my spalted mango pen with a silver cigar kit.
http://www5.snapfish.com/snapfish/s...otsc=SHR/otsi=SPIClink/COBRAND_NAME=snapfish/
http://www5.snapfish.com/snapfish/s...otsc=SHR/otsi=SPIClink/COBRAND_NAME=snapfish/
http://www5.snapfish.com/snapfish/s...otsc=SHR/otsi=SPIClink/COBRAND_NAME=snapfish/

 

[KDM]

If I can get him to cut it up while i'm there, I'll send you some of that and the mango & some Koa too.

That would be amazing.

Here are pics of my spalted mango pen with a silver cigar kit.

That IS amazing. Yours seems o be a lot more pale than mine and your light/dark contrast is a lot more pronounced. It's a beauty. How much CA did you use? I found the wood very absorbent, even after stabilising.

 

[hilltopper46]

I probably only put about 4-6 coats of CA on it. I found I was sanding off what I was putting on and I quit sanding between coats unless it got rough. Sometimes that's hard to feel w/ the hands both gloved up...but I'm sick of getting my fingers glued together or having (wanting) to pick off CA glue from my fingers all week.

I'll get you something in the mail from Hawaii after I get back on island.

Heading to my uncle's basement in a few minutes to drill one of your blanks. cross your fingers, say a prayer & believe!

whooops!!! this post was from Discdogs, but Tony was logged in...my bad.

 

[discdogs]

SUCCESS!!!! at drilling both your blank and the super small blanks I got from the CorianKing! whoo hoo! Okay, KDM, I'll be turning your blank after I get home.

 

[KDM]

Did you do them on a pillar drill? I thought you would have done mine on the lathe, since I went to the trouble of roughing them round!

Yeah, I use tissue for CA finishes and I once went to bit e CA glued piece of tissue off my finger tip with my teech and teh glue wasn't quite cured yet. Guess what? saliva makes CA glue cure bloody nearly instantly.