Stone pen

[Gary Max]

When I can get a chance I have been working on my stone pens.
This one has Alt Ivory bands---just a tad to short for the kit.
Hope you approve---I have spent a huge amount of time working on these.
This is not a manmade stone---it is 100% natural

 

[OKLAHOMAN]

Gary, Alabaster with painted tube?

 

[karlkuehn]

Wow, that's really pretty stone. Good choice on the alt Ivory, it blends really well but adds a nice sharpness to the ends of the tube.

Can you notice a significant difference in weight? I bet it feels nice and cool in the hand. Great work!

 

[Gary Max]

Roy---------Pm on the way
Karl-----I was worried about the weight---everyone seems to like the extra----I keep selling out of them. This is the last one I have in inventory.

 

[PaulDoug]

That looks really neat. What tools do you use to turn it? Hard work, but the results look to me like worth the effort.

 

[Gary Max]

Paul I really wanted this to work---so I went out and bought Diamond tools----HHS will not work---even had to buy special drill bits.
Heck I am working on getting a ultrasonic Drill ---yup it's easy to get carried away.

 

[PaulDoug]

Well now you are all set for the next one and they keep getting cheaper to make from here, that is if the tools last very long.

 

[Gary Max]

We don't want to talk about what it cost to make the first sellable one.

 

[GoodTurns]

Originally posted by Gary Max

We don't want to talk about what it cost to make the first sellable one.

Are you willing to talk about what it cost to buy the first sellable one?

 

[Gary Max]

And take a chance that SWMBO would find out---

 

[Ozzy]

I really like that.

I have been wanting to do a stone, actually a type of granite known as Lanite, pen for quiet some time now but was not sure how to do it without screwing my tools.

Would you tell me what Diamond tools exactly you use?

 

[Gary Max]

Ozzy---------email on the way

 

[Chasper]

I came to IAP because I was looking for "how tos" about turning stone pens. I've been a rockhound, flintknapper and stone carver for a lot longer than a pen turner. But I've gotten so wrapped up in pen turning that stone turning has gone on the back burner. Rock turning is still my number one interest in pen turning, but I can't seem to get around to it with all the wood and resin that I need to turn.

I have turned pens out of alabaster and various other types of gypsum, I've turned several types of soapstone, but when I get to slightly harder stone, maybe 3+ on the Mohs, I get nowhere. If you can't cut it with a wood saw without dulling the blades, you can't turn it with wood tools. I've destroyed a couple band saw blades to learn that.

There are lapidary lathes to buy (for way too much money to get just to play with). http://www.diamondpacific.net/lathe.html They remind me of a metal lathe but have a cutoff style grinding wheel instead of a static tool holder and they have a water system for dust and cooling.

At a rock show I saw a Taig that was modified with a drip system for water (a gallon jug hanging from above with a partially clamped hose). For the powered grinder there was a angle grinder strapped to the tool rest/adjustment system.

Your pen looks good, the alt ivory solves the problem of the stone crumbling at the ends. You said you used alt ivory because of the legnth, but protecting the ends is another good reason, even very hard rocks and minerals will tend to crumble on an unprotected end beause they are so totally non-pliable. Do you know what kind of stone it is?

Thanks for sharing and good luck with stone turning.

 

[Gary Max]

Casper if you look at the post I just put up about inlays---you might notice that I am turning all my pens on a Sherline 4500---I did a upgrade to a 1/2 DC VS motor that just kicks butt. Water is a very big part of working with stone--so you are going to get wet.

 

[redfishsc]

For those who are looking for easy ways to drip water onto their stone while drilling (but NOT on the motor, you get what you deserve if you try that), here is a very, very very cheap and simple valve. Stick a bucket of water above your lathe, run some aquarium airline tubing ($2) from the bucket to the point you want to drip, and plug this 99-cent valve on the end. You can adjust it to a drip per second if you want.

You can get them at Petsmart or maybe even Walmart.

 

[Gary Max]

That's got to be better than standing there with a wet sponge and a bucket.

 

[toolcrazy]

That is cool, nice work.

 

[workinforwood]

Pretty awesome pen there Gary. The alabaster too hard to scroll without upgrading to diamond blades and the dripper system?

I too have looked into this in the past and undertand the expense and amount of tools required. I was going to use my foredome with diamond bits to grind the stone and it spun real slow. I just can't get the money together for that much equipment right now, especially since it is limited in it's use. My greatest fear was spending all the money, finally achieving the pen, then dropping it and watching it break on the ground.

 

[Gary Max]

Jeff that's one of the things I was worried about also---not that I have ever spent months working on a project that ended up in the trash.