Spalted Mango and Azurite Ultra Cigar

[feron]

I made this one today.. got a shipment of various blanks the other day from AS.
The woman spotted a spalted mango and claimed it as hers, so it became the latest pen.

The cap blank exploded during drilling, the barrel blank cracked near the tip when finishing the turning.
The cap blank was reassembled with generous amounts of CA and left to cure over night.
In the delivery I also got some medium azurite chips, figured it was time to try my third forray into 'inlays' (I like to think of it as saving the wood!).

Dremeled out a few spots and inlayed some chips/crushed azurite.
There is actually a v of stone all the way around the clip area where the corner of the blank exploded off.

Finished with butcher block conditioner (heh), 6 coats of CA (pardon the finish, it's my third attempt at a CA finish too) and HUT plastic polish.
Since I didn't get my JohnnyCNC bushings for CA until today, the edges are a little crappy as I had to use a razorblade to get the pieces off the bushings.

Not a great picture, still researching how to use this blasted dslr.

Tips/tricks/criticisms welcome!

 

[Jgrden]

The blue adds an interesting look. I like it. It seems, and it might be the photograph, that the top could be a little fatter. It seems, however, to be proportioned and looks very good. My .02 cents.

 

[feron]

The center decorative ring is definately wider then the blank, but the ring that goes next to the blank is just about spot on.. not sure if I have an odd kit or what.
Everything feels/looks in line with other cigars I've made, dunno what the deal is..matched up to the bushings, altho that said I didn't buy 'ultra cigar bushings' I just used the ones I had for other cigar pens, maybe that's it?

Heck, I was just happy to salvage the wood...it's just going to end up in the 'her' pile of pens that she hordes over like a squirrel with a shiny.

 

[Jgrden]

The center decorative ring is definately wider then the blank, but the ring that goes next to the blank is just about spot on.. not sure if I have an odd kit or what.
Everything feels/looks in line with other cigars I've made, dunno what the deal is..matched up to the bushings, altho that said I didn't buy 'ultra cigar bushings' I just used the ones I had for other cigar pens, maybe that's it?

Heck, I was just happy to salvage the wood...it's just going to end up in the 'her' pile of pens that she hordes over like a squirrel with a shiny.

You are right. It is the ring that I failed to see. You are right on. Good work and thanks for not taking offense to my remarks. :wink:

 

[feron]

hah if anything I need better pictures, out in sunlight it really looks pretty good.. need to work on my finishing tech.
After I posted I went and read around in the finishing forum and realized a big part of my problem is how I am applying the ca, I was using wax paper to roll CA on to the pen.
Seems like I should be using it almost like a friction polish at low speeds.. at least that's what the CA/BLO vid seems to lend to.
Off to make another, I'll give that theory a shot and see how it works (beats sanding out the ridges my fingers make on the slow approach I suppose).