Snake Wood on an Elegant Sierra

[Indiana_Parrothead]

Here is a Elegant Sierra in Gunmetal and Chrome with a Snake Wood blank. The finish is CA. I didn't notice until I was editing the picture, (it was very late last night) that there is a small blemish that I am going to have to buff out.

I have done snake wood be for and found you need to take the drilling very slow otherwise you end up cracking the blank. This is very hard wood so I would drill about 3/4" and then let it cool while I worked on the lathe. I got through the drilling without a crack.

It turned out pretty good, but like I said I need to buff out the small blemish by the tip. I also need to get my good camera out and stop taking pictures with my phone.

Thanks for looking,
Mike

 

[Joe S.]

Hope it doesn't crack on you, snakewood is a battle even after the pen is done.

 

[bjbear76]

I hope I don't jinx myself, but I hear so much about snakewood cracking. Maybe I've just been lucky, but I haven't had one crack yet. I normally don't put a c/a finish on mine, I mostly use a friction polish. Do you think that might make a difference?

 

[Indiana_Parrothead]

I have tried friction polish before and had cracks, I think that when you use friction polish part of that process is to heat it up to get it to smoth out, and that heat causes cracks. Plus I have not had good luck with friction polish holding up, after awhile it gets that used "patina", some people like it and some don't.