Jarra burl experience?

[Gregrunningbird]

HI, my first post! Thanks for years of help and advice to all who post here, it means so much to a novice.
Here is my challenge. I invited a complete novice to a pen turning session to see what it is all about. He found a jarra burl blank and I am quite intimidated! I have only turned a couple dozen pens myself, self taught, and I have never seen this kind of blank with all its interesting holes.
I am finding scant advice online on turning this species into a pen.
Does anyone out there have a little time to share advice here on how to tackle this challenge?
Thanks, g

 

[magpens]

Welcome to IAP, Greg !!!!

If you write a short bit about yourself on the Introductions forum, as a newbie you will be entered for a prize draw.

I have been turning pens for 7+ years and I still avoid Jarrah because of the holes.
You need patience and skill. . Filling holes (with CA ?) is never fun for me.

 

[switt]

Hi. I've turned quite a few burl pens. Jarrah is one of the more challenging, as it often has rather large voids, and like most burls, is quite brittle. I would suggest he put this one aside until he has a bit more experience. If you decide to go ahead, I recommend the following:
1) Be very careful drilling the blank as overheating can cause cracking.
2) Recommend using a good epoxy rather than CA to glue in the tubes.
3) Fill any voids and cracks with a mixture of CA and coffee grounds. Be prepared to stop turning and refill voids / cracks as you get deeper.
4) Use very sharp tools and a light shearing cut. I use carbide tools exclusively for pen turning.
5) Always best practice to work from the ends toward the centre, but especially so with a burl.

Good luck with it.

 

[OZturner]

Another Possibility, Depending How Porous the Jarrah Burl Blank is, you might consider having it filled with a Casting Solution of your choice or one that is available to you.
If it is real porous, you might like to Colour the Solution rather than have large Globs of Clear Resin.
If you are not confident to tackle it at this stage or if you do not have a Pressure Pot, Compressor etc. then you may find someone close by who could do it for you.

 

[PenPal]

Try Brown Mallee Burl it is magnificent to cut ,drill and turn takes a magic finish consistently, avoid Red Mallee for a while.

Peter.

 

[mark james]

Although the final pen came out nice, it certainly was not a beginner's effort for me. I believe my process is in this thread: http://www.penturners.org/forum/f13/jarrah-burl-turquoise-inlay-143023/

 

[Gregrunningbird]

thank you for advice

thanks all for your words of wisdom. I will take your advice and work on a few other pens first with my friend to show him what he is in for. We may not get to the jarra burl quickly, but we will get to it one day as our confidence grows and we learn about filling the voids,
g