Pen 135 Sierra EB Black TI Gold TI Tru-Stone Red Gold

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EarlD

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May 5, 2011
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Albany, GA
Here's my first Tru-Stone from Exotic Blanks. It's on a Sierra Elegant Beauty from Smitty in Black TI and Gold TI. I painted the tube and hole with black and finished with the Beall Buffing system.

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Bobalu

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Sep 17, 2009
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Social Circle, GA
Earl, very nice looking pen. My one and only try at Tru-Stone wasn't bad, but I never got the shine you got on that one. Any tips to pass along?
 

EarlD

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Earl, very nice looking pen. My one and only try at Tru-Stone wasn't bad, but I never got the shine you got on that one. Any tips to pass along?

Bob, I tried something different this time. Sanded to 3600 MM then used Beall's red Tripoli on a ball buffer mounted in a drill. Turned the lathe on medium speed and ran the ball over it a few times and it shined right up. Then used the Beall's white on the buffing wheel and it turned out pretty good.

Earl
 

RogerH

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Jul 28, 2011
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Illinois
Earl:

I got a Beall buffing system for my birthday so I am about to try it out. Did you buff just the blank with the Beall buffer, or the whole pen?

Thx

Rog
 

moke

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Dec 30, 2009
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Cedar Rapids, Iowa
Earl--
I use that same blank a lot for razors...when I used it on my beal buff system it turned the wheels a darker color. I assumed that is the gold thread in the blank, but I have stopped buffing them and only use MM and Plastix now...did you have a similar thing happen? Does that hurt your wheels?
 

BSea

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Little Rock, Arkansas
you said you painted the tube & hole black. I thought tru-stone was completely opaque. Did you notice any color change from painting?
 

EarlD

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May 5, 2011
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Earl--
I use that same blank a lot for razors...when I used it on my beal buff system it turned the wheels a darker color. I assumed that is the gold thread in the blank, but I have stopped buffing them and only use MM and Plastix now...did you have a similar thing happen? Does that hurt your wheels?

Now that you mention it, the ball buffer I used with the Tripoli did show a little darkening. I thought it must have been from touching the bushings. I have used it since then though and don't think it's hurt anything.
 

EarlD

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May 5, 2011
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Albany, GA
you said you painted the tube & hole black. I thought tru-stone was completely opaque. Did you notice any color change from painting?

I actually considered not painting this one. Two reasons I did:

1. I had skipped the painting on a piece of spalted Japanese Plum the weekend before and had a couple of small blowouts that exposed the brass. Had I painted that there would have been no problem. I ended up turning all of it off the tube for reuse.

2. I was painting 3 other blanks/tubes and thought, what the heck, I'll just do it to be sure the brass doesn't show.

I do not plan to paint my next tru-stone...at least not the red.
 

ghostrider

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Feb 3, 2011
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Grand Rapids, Michigan
Very nice, and thanks for sharing. I lost count on how many I've made. I do remember doing my first 23 on the drill press, but by the time I got that far, keeping count was fruitless. :eek:
 
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