Black Palm KA-Pow

[ryjonesacct]

Hey so I am very new to pen turning and I have been trying different types of wood to try and the other day I tried out some Black Palm. I cut it is half and then the first one drilling it out popped and split. So I was more careful on the second half and drilled it out ok, but then as I started to rough it round it popped and split on one side as well. Any tips on working with this? I saw on bad dog burl source he has some stabilized black palm blanks and thought maybe those would work better.

Also has anyone ever tried gluing something like that back together and try turning it again? What do you think?

 

[Scotty]

Try soaking it with CA as you turn it. Black Palm gives me a rash when I turn it. Wear protection.

 

[InvisibleMan]

you've picked the most difficult wood in the world in my opinion. I would seriously consider turning a different wood - any wood - to start. Then, once you're happy with the process and results, get more palm and blow it up again:biggrin:

Palm is evil. It has to do with the grain structure I think. It is like compressed grass or something. My first peppermill attempt was palm. Half of the mill flew off the lathe and hit me square in the forehead/eye. Luckily, I was wearing safety goggles, and had no real damage, but it did have me considering my long term viability for a few seconds. I wear a full face shield whenever I'm turning now

 

[jcm71]

Black Palm and Red Palm can be tricky. First, make sure your tube is 100% covered in glue before inserting it in the blank. I use a small piece of craft foam to do this on all my pens. 2nd: After you square the blank, seal the ends with thin CA. It will soak down into the blank and strengthen it. Be careful to keep glue out of the inside of the tube. 3rd: Sharp chisels and turn at as high a speed as you are comfortable. I turn at 4000 RPM. 4th: Light touch. Don't be in a hurry. Hope this helps.

 

[ryjonesacct]

I only bought one piece of it to try out, I have turned several others, I just though it would look really cool. Has anyone ever tried stabilized black palm? does that make it any better?

And it is worth trying to glue it back together? or give up and buy some of the stabilized?

 

[Bean_Counter]

Ive turned it twice and never had a problem. I use epoxy to glue my tubes in. Are you using carbide on them? That's what I use and works like a charm. The look of black palm when finished in CA is well worth the effort. If you want you can PM me and I will give you a cheap source for it. Cheers

 

[SDB777]

If I ever 'bother' with any more Black Palm, it will be stabilized before I think about looking at it!



Scott (I've blown a lot of them up too) B

 

[1080Wayne]

Sure , worth trying to glue with thin CA . I have done it with cross-cut black palm , which is more difficult to turn than straight grain .

 

[ryjonesacct]

Sorry carbide meaning the chisels or the drill bits? I know my chisels are HSS but I don't know what my bits are, they are the cheapest ones, so probably not. What is the advantage of epoxy for the tubes vs just CA glue? I like the CA glue with the accelerator so I can square them up nearly right after gluing them. How long would you have to wait for epoxy to dry? Bad Dog Burl has some stabilized cross cut black palm that I think would look really cool. It is Photo #10 under their pen blanks

Bad Dogs Burl Source - Pen Blanks

Stabilized for $6 each is your source better than that?

 

[Bean_Counter]

Sorry yeah I meant carbide turning tools, I love mine. I started out using ca to glue the tubes but had lots of failures such as the tube coming loose from the blank, blow ups, etc. I have used epoxy as fast as 4 hours after gluing but typically I like to wait overnight. I know it seems like a long wait but I glue up multiple blanks at a time. I think the epoxy just holds better, I still get blow ups but rarely and usually my fault by taking to large of cuts. Photo 10 is a cross cut blank and will likely blow up faster than a straight cut blank like photo 11... If these are stabbed that's not a bad price but I pay 99 cents for the unstabbed ones. Much cheaper to practice with