Trying out Dark Lapis Tru-Stone

[NewLondon88]

Had some trouble with assembly, the harder TruStone blanks
need a gentle hand when press fitting the parts or they can
get stress marks. But they cut nice with sharp tools and polish
up like a dream.

Nothing special about the pen, simple lines and inexpensive kit.
But I couldn't wait to try out the blanks. I immediately ordered
ten more.

Kudos to Richard (randbcrafts) for great blanks, fast turnaround,
excellent communication and great prices.

Yeah, this was a shameless plug, but I was treated right.

 

[thewishman]

Looks good. Richard is great - fast, great prices and a huge variety.

 

[toolcrazy]

That is a nice pen. I love tru-stone.

 

[randyrls]

Charlie; Excellent work; I have made a few of these in a Sierra. Very hard!

With hard / brittle material I sometimes "expand" the blank ends so they are a slip fit for the fittings and then CA or Epoxy the fittings in. Use a Transfer Punch set and put the end of the punch just inside the tube. Twist sideways (gently) until the fittings just slide in. Check bushings and make up any difference with thin shim stock. I just hate that "pop" sound when pressing in the fittings.

 

[randbcrafts]

Great looking pen Charlie. This last batch had some nice looking veins in it.

Thanks for the plug.:wink:

 

[NewLondon88]

Thanks guys .. I think I will try expanding the ends to accept the fittings.
I tried out the black w/ gold and had a slight crack at one end.. nothing I
couldn't glue back and resand. Can't see it.

Not having turned this stuff before, I'm still learning. Each material seems
to have it's own quirks and things to call attention to. I just haven't learned
them all yet, whether wood, acrylics or Tru-Stone.

I just tried the tortoise shell .. wow, that looks nice, too!
Amber colored resin with dark brown veins, but all translucent.
I have to find some way to hide the insides, though. You can not only see
the glue through the blank, but you can see the sanding marks on the tubes!

I have to either think of a way to sell this as a 'feature' .. or I have to get
a bit more artistic with the glue. :tongue:

 

[VisExp]

That looks stunning. I've been wanting to try Tru Stone for a long time.

 

[papaturner]

Very nice.

 

[NewLondon88]

That looks stunning. I've been wanting to try Tru Stone for a long time.

I think the turquoise is a good one to start with, it turns smooth and easy
and I've got a few. Send me a PM with a mailing address and I'll pop one
in the mail on Tues.

So far, most of them turned like Corian .. sort of like an acrylic except that
they powder instead of wrapping threads around the mandrel. But I've only
turned the red jasper, black with gold, dark lapis, turquoise, malachite and
tortoise shell.

I'm finding quirks in some of them, but that's no different that woods. I just
have to learn them.

 

[chriselle]

I love that colour. Beautiful pen. My lady customers would love that one. Tru-stone is on the shortlist of blanks to try.

 

[NewLondon88]

Here's a couple more I've tried today. Just realized how dusty the
cubelite was .. the pens need some Cling Free :biggrin:
Both are Tru-Stone

The tortoise needs some work. I'm not sure if I should color the tubes
white or black. White might ruin the look, and black might make them
too dark to see. I'm not sure yet.
You can see the glue behind the gold areas, and you can see the
sanding scratches on the tubes.
The other one is black with gold matrix.

 

[desertyellow]

beautifully done.