Looking for Just White

[emtmike]

I am looking for a solid white pen blank. I have tried to use that “alternative ivory†and have ended up with small hair line cracks at the ends after putting the pens together. Anybody have any suggestions as to what I could try and if so where do I get it?

 

[GoodTurns]

corian. lots on Ebay, some in my shop, what size are you looking for?

 

[wdcav1952]

Mike, you might consider Glacier White Corian.

http://www.coriansamples.com

I have never tried to glue corian into a larger blank, but Alice (elody21) is the absolute master of corian and could likely give excellent tips on how to do that.

 

[workinforwood]

Look in the phone book for corian or counter top manufacturers. Call them up and see if they have some scraps you can have...that's what I do. They never throw that stuff away, just pile it up in the corner for people like you and I. Every so often, I toss a few corian pens their way.

 

[Narwhale]

Easiest might be to post a request in the classified section on this forum for white blanks.
Lots of us cast our own blanks here and can do whatever is desired. Casting white is as easy as anything else.
If you do post, be specific. What color, solid, swirls, fancy, or plain Jane white? Size? How many? When?
Might even offer a trade of some kind of real nice wood blanks you happen to have for some white castings.
That would get my attention right away.
Rich S.

 

[Firefyter-emt]

Just a heads up.. I have not been able to achieve a glue line with white corian, the glue always seems to show. If you had a "Corian glue" you may be able to do it. I would go with a cast blank unless you are trying to squeeze the 1/2" Corian onto a slimline. It can be done, but you are pushing it with the drilling.

 

[LanceD]

Ed Brown on this forum has some of the best pearlized white that I've ever used.

 

[smoky10]

Someone on here sells PVC rods and I know they come in plain white.

 

[wdcav1952]

Squeezing the half inch blank to make a slimline is easy. Check out some of Alice's posts to see her results with gluing for larger blanks.

 

[emtmike]

Corian! If I would have thought of that I could have checked my shop in particular the box of about 500 pieces of corian I got from some guy on ebay. After doing so I would have realized that there was about 50 glacier white corian blanks in the box and could have been making pens instead of surfing the web looking for the very thing I already have……Thanks [!]

 

[broitblat]

A good holly blank will give you "just white" in wood.

Here's an example I did for a friends wedding:



Although slightly over exposed, the pen is pretty uniform white.

-Barry

 

[Rifleman1776]

If you write to Ken Dolph kidoloph@broadview.net he might be willing to send you a box of Corian for the cost of shipping only. He has many tons of the stuff. He also sells Cyberbond CA, which, he claims, is the best to use for Corian. He also says that when heated then clamped, after cooling, CA can wick into seams and will hold. This failed for me. Another reason why I turn only wood 99.999% of the time.

 

[fstepanski]

If you want wood I agree with Barry - Holly is great. I just picked up several blanks from BigRob777

http://www.penturners.org/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=15047

They are about as white as you can get...

 

[ed4copies]

The alternative ivory did NOT crack on its own.

Check your assembly methods, as any material will crack if you insert the components with much force and little finesse! Including corian. DAMHIKT![}][}][}]

 

[ashaw]

Mike
I have to agree with Ed on this. I have done about 30 pens with alternative ivory. Only one piece cracked and that was because I forced the assembly. I had the same thing happen with corian as well. Now I always deburr the brass tube and cut a slight bevel in the tube. Make installation a lot easier. BTW the kit that causes the most problems are the statesman. Do not give up on alternative ivory. When using Glacier White Corian. Make sure you use medium CA for the glue up of the blank, clamps and wait 24hrs. Otherwise you will see the seam in the material. I tried to get the epoxy that with the color match but at $75.00 a tube way to expensive.

 

[fstepanski]

An option for reasonably priced Corian glue is e-bay. Checy out item number 180162080118. Color choices vary as they get in excess packages, have used this and it works great, glue outside as the off gas is not so plesant...

 

[emtmike]

The other think I am getting used to is my new 1 tone press.......I am seeing a trend here.