Modified Havana with TruStone

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nilsatcraft

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2005101816821_HavanaLJ.jpg

My favorite pen is the Havana Ballpoint- for its weight, balance and feel- but I wanted to try a different tip on it. I took the tip from a Jr. Gentlemens Ballpoint and fit the pen to it. This material is a sample that we're looking at. It's not available right now but may be in the future. It's a TruStone material (pulverized stone that is reformed through heat and pressure). I think the pen may look better with a gold or a Black TN finish, but I like it still.
I sanded through 3600 with MicroMesh then used 20/20 Plastics Polish to finish it. I was pretty surprised at how much the polish helped- good stuff! This pen will stay on my desk for personal use. Please feel free to comment.
 
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JimGo

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I'm not a big fan of that kit as a ballpoint, but with the Jr. Gent ballpoint, it looks interesting. Also not sure that I care for the material.

My glowing review aside, this is yet another example of your typical, excellent craftsmanship Nils! Have you tried the MM for acrylic/Corian on the TruStone? It really does a great job (and it's something CSUSA carries, IIRC!) - better than standard MM, IMHO. I follow up with Hut Plastic Polish, which really gives the blanks a nice shine, much like the polish you used.

Michael, Trustone isn't much harder to turn than Corian or even PR, IMHO.
 

nilsatcraft

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Like Jim said, TruStone is really pretty nice to turn. It's easier than celluloids because the shavings don't wrap around the mandrel as much. It's not bad on the tools either. We had just received these blanks in and I wanted to try one. I've probably made 15 Havana Ballpoints but I never kept one, so I was happy to make something for me.

BTW, Thanks for the kind words. [:D]
 

ed4copies

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Nils,

That "blank" pattern looks a little like the old crushed shell (except it was off-white). If CSUSA is looking for new products (YEAH!! RAH!!), perhaps they could resurrect crushed shell (it was made in Italy, imported by Woodcraft). Have pics if there is interest (in fact, I still have a stick or two in the basement if there is REAL interest.)
 

PenWorks

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Originally posted by ed4copies
<br />Nils,

perhaps they could resurrect crushed shell (it was made in Italy, imported by Woodcraft). Have pics if there is interest (in fact, I still have a stick or two in the basement if there is REAL interest.)

I would be a buyer for some of that again, and know of others that would to. So Ed, How much will you sell those sticks for [:p]
 

nilsatcraft

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Ed- Those Crushed Shell blanks are great, aren't they? A lot of people really like them. We only stopped carrying them because we had to. There was a situation in which we were no longer able to order them so were forced to discontinue them. It was too bad [V].
 

ed4copies

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Thanks for the answer!! (Not the one I wanted, but I appreciate the honesty!)

Anthony, I will count my sticks and let you know.
 
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