Pressure cast Algarita Root

[MesquiteMan]

It has been a LONG time since I have taken out the photo tent and took any pictures. Well this evening I finally got around to it and here is the first pic I want to share with you guys.

It is piece of Algarita root that had a lot of missing wood due to dirt and such. I pressure cast the blank with magenta dyed Alumilite with a little silver metal powder to add some depth.

I have written a tutorial on the process that I use and will be sharing it here for all as soon as I have time to make the final edits.

For those who are not familiar with Algarita...it is a bush that grows in Central Texas that is in the barberry family. It only gets 3' tall or so on the largest bushes and really does not have much useful wood for even penturning. It certainly is not available commercially as pen blanks due to the very poor yield. It is a wonderful bright yellow color with a very unique grain structure.

Thanks for looking!

 

[UKpenmaker]

Stunning pen Curtis, the purple and yellow go togther really well.[8D]
You've not lost your skill in photographing them either.[]

 

[kkwall]

Wonderful colour. Fantastic finish. Great work.[]

 

[wdcav1952]

One of the most striking pens I have seen. Great big thumbs up!

 

[GaryMGg]

Three big thumbs up: one for pencraftsmanship, one for photo quality, and one for
a wonderfully color combination on the pen. [8D]

 

[Rifleman1776]

Good looking. Definately a custom look, one-of-a-kind.

 

[CaptG]

awesome job. That is one very good looking pen.

 

[MDWine]

Excellent

 

[TBone]

Curtis, that is outstanding. Of course the combo of purple and gold is always a favorite []. Great pen, photo, idea and finish.

KERCHUNK..........the sound of the bar being raised one more notch.

 

[skiprat]

Wow Curtis that is stunning. [:0][] I just wish that one day my pens and pictures and finish and fit........etc, get nearly as good as that. I'm also glad you mentioned dying the Alumilite as I wondered if it was possible.

 

[Stevej72]

Curtis, that is awesome work, both on the pen and photo.

 

[mewell]

Excellent! Tell us you're Photoshopping that finish, right? It is too perfect!

 

[Jim15]

That is a great looking pen, nice work.

 

[Penmonkey]

Very nice pen. Algarita berry's taste good too. Just don't eat the seeds!

 

[alamocdc]

Curtis, that is first rate! Beautiful... and worth exploring.

 

[Tanner]

Beautiful pen! Great idea on casting with Alumilite to fill in missing chunks of wood. The finish and pictures are top notch.

 

[rovercat]

Very nice looking pen. That wood is wild.

 

[Shane]

Great job on both the pen and photography. Love the yellow color!
I look forward to reading your tutorial.

Happy Turning,

 

[TellicoTurning]

Curtis,
Fantastic pen... I have a couple of Barberry bushes in my front yard that I transplanted this past spring, but they aren't doing well.... I keep eying that bright yellow stems.... might have to do some gardening this weekend..

 

[Glenn McCullough]

exquisite pen, excellent photography.

 

[gmcnut]

Wow! That color could put your eye out. I like it. I like it a bunch []

 

[Keithlmartin]

excellent pen. I cant wait for the tutorial. being a newbie, its nice that people such as yourself are willing to share their techniques for the greater good as opposed to using it as an opportunity to make money off fellow penmakers.

 

[workinforwood]

Beauty, thanx for sharing.

 

[johncrane]

looks fantastic Curtis another Texas gem![]

 

[papaturner]

Your craftsmanship is great and so is the uniqueness of the material.

Perry

 

[Hosspen]

Awesome Pen! We don't grow those algarita bushes @ here (in NC) as far as I know, but it is a cool looking grain. I can really appreciate taking a small piece of shrub like that and making what turned out to be a piece of art from what most would have overlooked. Pass some of that creativity along this way. That really is a fine piece of work!