My First Ebonite Pen

[t001xa22]

I had a customer request for an ebonite pen. It is my first shot at working with this material. I had just finished a Trustone for him, so he decided to hand me a new first. The blank is Forest & Yellow Ebonite from Exotic Blanks. I have to say that, as usual, Ed and Dawn really do carry a quality line of products, and I appreciate that. Thanks to Ken's special cutter, Pen Pro, this material cut very smoothly with no overheating. I finished it with MM through 12.000. My customer wanted the more natural look of the ebonite, so additional shine was not added. My biggest hurdle was masking the odor; so I had to look like a bank robber with my bandana and cologne + a strong exhaust fan. I love making pens, but I hope it will be a while before I do another ebonite.

 

[crabcreekind]

sweet pen, i am hoping to do a ebonite pen soon

 

[76winger]

Nice, I too have ebonite on my to-do list. What does it smell like hot rubber?

 

[t001xa22]

Dave, I swear I have never smelled anything so revolting. Basically a mix of hot rubber and sulfur. Even though the blank did not get too hot for safe cutting, it still creates the smell and that combined with the high sulfur content in the rubber composition. I love the way ebonite cuts and shapes using the Pen Pro, but I am not looking forward to the next one because of the smell. I told my customer I had to tack on a "haz-mat" surcharge onto the pen price to cover the aroma issues; he got a good laugh out of it, because he knew I was joking.