Stabilizing/corncob/vacuum

[Guest]

I posted yesterday that I was stabilizing some corncobs using a hand pump vacuum from Harbor freight and would turn some today.
The material I used was a wood hardener intended to be brushed on made by Bondo.
I can fit 3 sets of blanks in a tall pickle jar which is then filled to the top with the solution.
THis jar goes into a Ball canning jar that I Rube Goldberged up a fitting on the lid to go to the vacuum pump.
The cobs were under the vacuum for about an hour last night and then hung to dry.
I had predilled the holes for 7 mm tubes so the soaking action worked from inside and out.
The pen I turned was meant to be entirely experimental.I tried to treat it as I would any blank but all the time I knew that it might blow out.
It is because of this that there are maybe a few shapes in the pen that I normally would not include in one pen.
It turned as well as a corn cob could be expected except it went a lot faster because I did not have to stop and stabilize with CA and no drying time beyond the initial time out of the pump.
About 18 hrs.
The solution for hardening is actone based si I would imagine I could brew my own using acetone and plexi as mentioned in this forum.
I'd like to say it came out "well" but as you can see in the picture that the cob is not green as I had colored it with a magic marker.
Once a coat of thin CA hit it the color scheme went out of whack.
That's okay I figure that there is no correct color for a corn cob pen.At least not this one!







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[Doghouse]

Hey, I like the colors. We have a lot of military around here and it would go like hot-cakes. Thanks for posting the results of your work.

 

[Efletche]

What style pen kit did you use? I was going to try this out this weekend using a Cigar Pen kit.

 

[Guest]

Slimline,NO CENTER RING,made my own from an acrylic blank

 

[Efletche]

Nice pen. I didn't think the kernal's pattern would still be seen if you turned it to a slimline. Will have to try it..soon!

 

[William Young]

That was also my concern about corn cobs. Does the kernel pattern continue right to the centre of the cobs?
I will be harvesting a few hundred corn cobs out of my garden in the next week or so and scraping the corn off and freezing it. I will hang up some (cornless) cobs to dry. How long from the garden stage to turning will it take until they are dry enough . Maybe by next spring ? ? Or maybe nuke them to accellerate drying , or ... ... ... ??
W.Y,

 

[Richard Tillis]

Where can you pick up the hardener made by Bondo?

Rick

 

[Guest]

1.The kernel pattern does not go all the way through,it stops at the center core(pith)
2.for most pens long skinny ears(the kind that you don't grab out of the pot first) are best.
3.Try to find cobs where the pith is about the size of teh 7mm bit.
4.The cobs I am using were shelled 3 years ago and have been drying since.
5.I don't think a cooked cob would work well but you never know.
6.Ratio of pens to blow out has been as many as 3 per and I don't like to use oops rings on these pens,for me that takes away the novelty.
7.the bondo product I use came from Lowes.$7.00 per 16 oz and can be reused.
I intend to experiment with dissolved plexiglass and acetone.

The impetus of using a vacuum for stabilizing these blanks came from this forum in the articles section,http://www.penturners.org/content/polyurethane1.pdf
Thanks Lee for the info and the incentive for me to experiment!

Some really good information about making these pens also came from this forum right here:
http://www.penturners.org/content/CornCobPen.pdf
thanks Patricia!

Lastly the finish.I almsot exclusively use a CA finish on my pens.
About 90% of the method I use came from the articles and posts from this forum.Many are complete disasters,some come out good enough for retail.I doubt if I am making money on any of them(Well maybe a couple)[)]
I started turning this past june(2 months ago)One of my first of ten pens was the spiral checkerboard also listed in teh articles(I really ought to make a matching pencil)
THe info is here,this forum is great!
You guys and gals are great!

 

[Old Griz]

Cooked cobs will not work well at all.. the cooking makes the core spongy and trying to dry them by hanging them outside just gives the flies something else to feed on..
If you don't live in farm country like I do, your best bet is to find a place that sells pet and wild bird food.. they usually have dried ears of corn for squirrel and bird feed.. the kernals are easy to take off.. just don't throw them in the yard unless you want a corn field there next spring.. LOL

 

[Efletche]

That's how I got my cobs. Went to Walmart and purchased the squirrel feed. I wanted to used cobs from the grocery store, but when they begin drying, they start to bend and twist.

 

[Guest]

The twists are a pain to some extent,like I said earlier these had been shelled 3 years ago and been drying since.
If the cobs do have a curve tit isn't noticeable on most once they are cut in 2+" lengths