what about teak

[hughbie]

i've not noticed anyone using teak for barrels. is it because it's fairly grainless? tough to turn, tough to finish?

a friend of mine wants a teak fountain pen. i've seen teak as a pen blank on one or two sites but it doesn't seem to be very common.

just curious

 

[wood-of-1kind]

I have many teak blanks but the figure is not visually strong, so I don't use it much. It turns well but just doesn't have that 'ooooooommmmhhh' factor IMO.

-Peter-[]

 

[ed4copies]

What Peter said!!!

No punch - but no problem, if that's what the customer orders!

 

[ahoiberg]

i used it for a pen/letter opener kit a while back. i liked it fine and i think it's a pretty wood but i had a heck of time getting the finish to stick. i guess it's one of those oily woods, so that makes CA finishing a little more difficult. i'd probably use acetone to clean the blank with next time to try and dissolve some of the surface oil before starting the sanding sealer or CA application.

 

[Sylvanite]

Teak is not particularly difficult to turn but:
1) it is very high in silicates so it dulls your tools quickly,
2) it is very oily which can mar a finish, and
3) while the grain is very pretty for flatwork, the figure doesn't often come out in small pieces like pens.

Despite that, there is still occasional demand (I recently had an order for 12 teak belaying pens). Just sharpen a little more frequently, strip the surface oil (I use acetone as described above) before finishing, and try to pick pieces with tight figure.

 

[BigDan]

Maybe it is just sentiment, but I am quite fond of the teak pen and pencil I turned from a salvaged boat rail. After all, they were the very first writing instruments that I made.

In any case, they turned well and have held up well to daily use with only a rubbed lacquer finish.

 

[hughbie]

you guys have given me a lot more to think about. thanks a lot. mmmmmmmm oiled surface huh???? hhhhmmmmmmmmm

 

[hrigg]

I didn't use any finish at all...just my usual sanding schedule, followed by buffing and waxing.

Personally I like it, but I'm a plain vanilla kinda guy.

 

[leehljp]

I am not a big teak fan in pens either because the grain generally lacks OOOMPH. However, I did get a blank recently that had some grain pattern to it. I look forward to making a pen out of it soon.

Besides being a "plain vanilla" wood as mentioned above, and liked as such, Teak can be appreciated on pens for sentimental reasons or using it in "shaped" pens. I have discovered that plain grains do well with "shaped" pens such as with rings, groves, inlays and unusual designs, and also in segments with complimentary colored woods.

 

[woodbutcher]

Teak pens sell well at yacht clubs. I use an oil/ wax finish since the wood is so oily. The woood is so bland making more than 3 or 4 at a time is difficult.

 

[toolcrazy]

I turned a teak pen for a friend for his dads b-day. It turn out gorgeous. Easy to turn, and the enduro finish brought out the wow factor. Sorry, I never got a pic of it, finished it the night before I gave it to him. The pen was to match the wood work on his boat. And his dad just loved it.

 

[Dario]

I had the pleasure of turning some (5 I think) "SPALTED TEAK" that was cross cut. It looked bland at first but whern I finished it, it is gorgeous! It was from the "customer" who ordered the pens made and the teak was salvaged from a luxury cruise liner.

Wish I had some of that still though. [B)]

 

[hughbie]

how in the world do you people come across such deals?? salvaged teak from a cruise liner? i know i've not been in this for too long, but, geeeeeesh........just sounds like ya gotta be in the right place, right time....
i guess i'll come across something in due time.....but patience is NOT one of my strong points! LOL