Need suggestions

[Fred in NC]

I just received Olive Wood pen blanks from Israel. A few weeks ago I bought a 5 lb. bag of ebony pieces from Woodcraft.

The idea came into my mind of making some pens with a combination of both woods. For example, using ebony for the upper barrel, and olive for the lower. Or using ebony for 1/2 of the lower barrel, the 'grip' part.

Any ideas? Thanks !!!

 

[Efletche]

I have mixed ebony for the lower and lighter woods for the top. Look in my photos for examples. Everyone seems to like them.

 

[Old Griz]

If you want another striking combination, try bloodwood with the olive wood... a great combination... there is one in my picture album

 

[wayneis]

Fred the only thing that I have against ebony for pens is that it is famous for cracking. Many times it will not happen for weeks or even a month or two but everyone that I have turned using ebony did end up cracking. I know that you already have the ebony but there are a lot of others out there that will give the same look without the cracking problems. IMHO

Wayne

 

[Fred in NC]

Wayne: You are absolutely correct about ebony cracking! Lately I have been using blackwood as a substitute for ebony.

Well, the funny thing is that last year I made a padauk pen, and I made a centerband out of ebony. This is a loose centerband, about 3/16" wide. It is in the form of two beads together, and between the beads I drilled a 1/8" hole, and set a pink cubic zirconia in it. That left very little wood around the stone. A year and a half later, that center band has not cracked! However, I am not selling that pen, just in case.

What I have found about the cracking problem with ebony is that heat seems to be the worst culprit. Heat from the chemical reaction when the glue dries, and also from sanding. Also, if the glue expands, especially at the ends of the barrel where the wood is thin, you can get cracks. And if the wood is thin, it can also crack when inserting the fittings. Heat and expansion of the glue seem to be the worst culprits.

As soon as I get a chance, I am going to prepare and turn a couple ebony barrels, and see what happens.

 

[ilikewood]

Ebony is known for cracking, but so is olive wood. Take care on the drilling and don't let it build up too many chips before clearing. If you keep the ebony fairly thick, it doesn't crack as easy as it would by taking it down very thin.

I agree with Tom though....bloodwood looks very good too.

 

[Fred in NC]

Man! I don't have any bloodwood here! Anybody know what is a good source for it? Thanks much!

 

[darbytee]

Fred, I'm not sure where in NC you are, but I live in Raleigh and have some bloodwood. I also have a local supplier who had 40-50 blanks of it last time I was at his place.

 

[its_virgil]

Try David McIntyre...He has nice blanks and the price is more than right. He has lots of choices in wood varieties.
Do a good turn daily!
Don

Originally posted by darbytee
<br />Fred, I'm not sure where in NC you are, but I live in Raleigh and have some bloodwood. I also have a local supplier who had 40-50 blanks of it last time I was at his place.

 

[its_virgil]

I purchased a couple dozen of the olive wood blanks and made about 8 or 10 pens and am having trouble with the olive wood cracking. any one else having cracking olive wood? I quite using ebony long ago for the same reason.
Do a good turn daily!
Don

Originally posted by Fred in NC
<br />I just received Olive Wood pen blanks from Israel. A few weeks ago I bought a 5 lb. bag of ebony pieces from Woodcraft.

The idea came into my mind of making some pens with a combination of both woods. For example, using ebony for the upper barrel, and olive for the lower. Or using ebony for 1/2 of the lower barrel, the 'grip' part.

Any ideas? Thanks !!!

 

[DCBluesman]

See my post http://www.penturners.org/forum/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=1533&whichpage=1#9698 and let me know if it helps. I can be lots more explicit, as I've made about 30 olive wood pens in the past 30 days.

 

[Daniel]

I am anouther one that now substitutes Blackwood for Ebony.
my trouble with Ebony is fairly long, but includes cracking problems, and finishing problems. the blackwood doesn't eliminate that finishing difficulties but it is a little easier.

 

[DCBluesman]

I can't say as I have "solved" the ebony problem, but there are a few things to help reduce the probability of problems with it.

First, drill your tube holes a bit wide...half a mm or so, and drill them VERY slowly. Use poly glue (like Gorilla Glue), as it has some movement available when the wood expands and contracts. Seems that the oil in ebony is highly heat sensitive. That means you also have to have a very light hand when sanding. Also, the movement of the grain by the oil can cause a shell-type finish to crack and not the wood itself. I use only friction finishes and waxes as they also have some play in them.

It's definitely one of the more difficult woods to use, but I find that only ebony has that real midnight look (in wood, that is). [8D]

 

[Rudy Vey]

Don,
I made well over 50 Olivewood pens and not one did crack so far. The styles I made are slimlines, flattop americans, El Grande and a Regency. When does it crack: as you drill it, during turning or does the finished pen crack.
Rudy

Originally posted by its_virgil
<br />I purchased a couple dozen of the olive wood blanks and made about 8 or 10 pens and am having trouble with the olive wood cracking. any one else having cracking olive wood? I quite using ebony long ago for the same reason.
Do a good turn daily!
Don

Originally posted by Fred in NC
<br />I just received Olive Wood pen blanks from Israel. A few weeks ago I bought a 5 lb. bag of ebony pieces from Woodcraft.

The idea came into my mind of making some pens with a combination of both woods. For example, using ebony for the upper barrel, and olive for the lower. Or using ebony for 1/2 of the lower barrel, the 'grip' part.

Any ideas? Thanks !!!

 

[its_virgil]

Rudy,
They cracked after the pen was made and finished, between 4 to eight weeks after. They were ElGrande, which has thin wood after turning. Maybe I had some blanks that were not quite dry yet. No one else seems to have had this problem. I think I'll order more blanks and try again. the wood is gorgeous and the aroma when turning is also great. There are some people in my church who want a pen from the olive wood. I think I'll try again and pick a kit with a little more thickness in the wood. Maybe some of my fatter slimlines.
Do a good turn daily!
Don

Originally posted by Rudy Vey
<br />Don,
I made well over 50 Olivewood pens and not one did crack so far. The styles I made are slimlines, flattop americans, El Grande and a Regency. When does it crack: as you drill it, during turning or does the finished pen crack.
Rudy

Originally posted by its_virgil
<br />I purchased a couple dozen of the olive wood blanks and made about 8 or 10 pens and am having trouble with the olive wood cracking. any one else having cracking olive wood? I quite using ebony long ago for the same reason.
Do a good turn daily!
Don

Originally posted by Fred in NC
<br />I just received Olive Wood pen blanks from Israel. A few weeks ago I bought a 5 lb. bag of ebony pieces from Woodcraft.

The idea came into my mind of making some pens with a combination of both woods. For example, using ebony for the upper barrel, and olive for the lower. Or using ebony for 1/2 of the lower barrel, the 'grip' part.

Any ideas? Thanks !!!

 

[Fred in NC]

This are just thoughts that come to my mind for ebony and any other wood that is prone to cracking... A blank might not be dry enough, and some woods have internal stresses.

Maybe rounding the blank (turning it between centers) and drilling a hole, and then letting the blank sit for a while. Then run the drill bit through it again. Slightly oversized hole if necessary.
This might allow the wood to dry and relieve internal stresses before it is turned to final size.

 

[jkirkb94]

Where is the best place to by the olivewood? I am aware of Bethlehem Olivewood. com but have you found a better (price, quality,etc) place?
I initially bought some a while back from PSI which I think they got from Bethlehem olivewood. Kirk [8D]

 

[Fred in NC]

As far as I know, there is only one source for olive wood from Israel. You can buy direct from them, or a reseller. The quality is excellent. I think they have some special deals if you contact them directly.

 

[DCBluesman]

As far as quality goes, all of the real Bethlehem olive wood is purchased by suppliers from a co-op type group in Bethlehem, so I don't believe that there is much of a quality issue. As for price, Bethlehem Olive Wood has very competitive pricing. You may occasionally see some blanks for less...you will ALWAYS see some for more. BTW, in comparing prices, be sure to note that if you buy in lots of 10, BOW throws in 2 blanks as a bonus! The main differentiator here is the people you buy from. Diane and Ghasan give top-drawer service. That's my key differentiator. I'm sure there are other good suppliers as well.

 

[jkirkb94]

Thanks Lou, I'll remember that. Kirk

 

[wayneis]

If you wan the best you go to the main sourse. If you go to the "Group Buy" page here BOW has one heck of a deal going on right now.

Wayne