Hole in Amboyna blank... how to?

[Quality Pen]

So I just tried my first hand on an amboyna burl. I drilled the hole and see that there is actually a hole in it... I've never had to deal with such a glaringly large hole. It's nice wood and I'd rather use it if I could rather than just say, "next"...:frown:

With that being said, if this could be saved then how would one go about doing it?

Thanks.

 

[Edward Cypher]

It can be saved. You can fill with coffee and ca, sawdust and ca, colored epoxy, metal dust and ca, I think malecite and turquease(sp) would look awesome.

 

[Quality Pen]

It can be saved. You can fill with coffee and ca, sawdust and ca, colored epoxy, metal dust and ca, I think malecite and turquease(sp) would look awesome.

Great, that's reassuring to hear.

Would thick thin or medium CA be optimal?

 

[low_48]

I'd suggest thin CA to stabilize that entire area, then epoxy and coffee grounds to fill the split. With these simple techniques, it will likely need some more work as you turn it. If you want to invest in the equipment, most turners now would put that in a little form, mix up the colored resin of choice, then cast it all in one shot.

 

[sbwertz]

That's not a hole...that's a FEATURE!!! Fill it with a contrasting colored fill (I'm partial to crushed turquoise). Embossing powder from the craft store works, too. It comes in lots of colors. Glue in the tube, stabilize the whole area with thin CA, then turn until almost to size. Stabilize again with thin CA, then dribble in a little fill, add a little thin CA...repeat until filled and finish turning. Here is one with turquoise filling voids in a big knot.

 

[eranox]

I use thin CA for this. Pack a little powdered (coffee, sawdust, turquoise, whatever) in the hole, then apply a few drops of thin CA. The CA will wick through the powder and adhere to the wood. Then a tiny shot of accelerator (optional) and repeat until the void is filled. You can do this before turning, or once the barrel has been shaped. Filling before turning uses more material of course, but you reduce the chance of pieces of the blank breaking off during turning.

 

[LarryDNJR]

Go to your local Home Depot or Lowes and ask them for the grindings from their key machines. Take a baggy or container with you. Mix that with epoxy and fill the hole.

 

[Dan Masshardt]

Go to your local Home Depot or Lowes and ask them for the grindings from their key machines. Take a baggy or container with you. Mix that with epoxy and fill the hole.

Do you have a pic of a pen you did this with?

 

[Ogg]

Go to your local Home Depot or Lowes and ask them for the grindings from their key machines. Take a baggy or container with you. Mix that with epoxy and fill the hole.

Wow what a fantastic idea. I've seen places selling brass and copper powder (some fine and some course) for fills like this, but never thought about just asking for the brass grindings for this from a key shop. I have a locksmith friend and think I need to have him start saving the brass grindings for me.

 

[stonepecker]

Listen to Sharon.
Not only has she been making wonderful looking pen......she knows what she is talking about.

 

[Hendu3270]

Like Sharon said. That's a feature. I would glue the tube in with medium CA and flood that area with thin CA to sort of "stabilize" what's there. Then either use coffee grounds mixed with CA or add a little color to it using PearlEX powders and CA.

 

[plano_harry]

You received lots of good ideas to turn it into a feature. I just finished turning 13 amboyna pens. It is not unusual to have black voids in this wood. If you want to play it down, the coffee would look pretty natural. I always stabilize this wood, because it blows up pretty easily otherwise.

 

[LarryDNJR]

Go to your local Home Depot or Lowes and ask them for the grindings from their key machines. Take a baggy or container with you. Mix that with epoxy and fill the hole.

Do you have a pic of a pen you did this with?

Unfortunately I don't have any pics of the pens I did a few of these with the brass.

 

[LarryDNJR]

Go to your local Home Depot or Lowes and ask them for the grindings from their key machines. Take a baggy or container with you. Mix that with epoxy and fill the hole.

Wow what a fantastic idea. I've seen places selling brass and copper powder (some fine and some course) for fills like this, but never thought about just asking for the brass grindings for this from a key shop. I have a locksmith friend and think I need to have him start saving the brass grindings for me.

Glad I could give out helpful advice. I almost feel like I've contributed around here finally

 

[eranox]

Didya fill it and turn it yet? I wanna see the finished product!