pine cone pens

[owlelope]

I have been admiring the pine cone pens that have been posted and would like to try some. The only problem is that the pine cones in Northwest Ohio aren't big enough to make the pens. I would appreciate any information where I could get some.

 

[PaulDoug]

Don't have to be very big. Could you glue a couple together?

 

[owlelope]

I hadn't thought about gluing two bigger ends together. I guess you would drill them first and then glue each piece on a tube making sure you pressed them together to try to keep from having a seam. I wouldn't think you had to worry about trying to match up a pattern.

 

[wb7whi]

Try Michaels or other hobby stores as they simetimes have some large cones bundled up for xmas decorations.

 

[ctubbs]

How big do they need to be? I have some loblolly pine in the back yard. If they are big enough, I'll send you some. Ypu can PM me if large enough.
Charles

 

[bobjackson]

I get mine from a member of another woodworking forum. His are big enough for cigar pens. I can PM you with his email address. He's from Indiana.
Bob

 

[gmreeves]

I'd like to know what size as is ideal also. I've been wanting to try this for a while. Do the pine cones need to be closed, open, does it matter?

 

[workinforwood]

Size does matter, as the woman say. :wink:

The un-cast pine cones you see people make have a large core. The size of the outside of the pine cone is not relevant. It's the core that will matter. If you take a typical Ohio/Michigan pine cone and try and drill through the center..first off..good luck finding the center, second off, the core is going to be smaller in diameter than the pen. I'd be surprised if you found one as big as a slim tube. So if you drill it down the center, the core is going to be completely gone, and then what is holding all the leaves in place???

There are people around that sell the large core cones, think they grow out there in California, Oregon and probably lots of other places like that. This does not mean the Ohio cones are not good, or you can't make pens out of them, you just can't do it that way. you need to dry your cones, then trim them square to fit in a mold and then cast them with Alumilite. Probably easier and cheaper if you want your style of cone, to just purchase them already cast.

 

[papaturner]

Owlelope, I don`t cast my pine cones. I use the long leaf pine cones.
The photos will give you an idea of their size.

 

[Vince_Hoffmann]

Hi guys
I collect, dry and prepare Knobby and Sugar pine cones for pen blanks. They are NOT beginner projects, but with patience and care, will result in beautiful pens. At this time, the only method I have found of preserving the cone with the leaves closed is with CA, but I am experimenting with vacuum casting with various materials that I'm hoping will result in fully impregnated and stabilized pine cone cores. The biggest problem with closed cones is that they are practically impervious to everything, and once the cones are cut, they start to expand immediately (within a few minutes) making the cone loose and full of voids. I have developed a method of CA stabilization that prevents the expansion after cutting and currently have a small handfull of partially stabilized cores available for sale. Shoot me a PM and I'll send some pictures.