Where do the acrylics come from?

[skiprat]

Hi all,
Does anyone know what the history is behind the acrylic blanks that we use? There are almost an endless variety, and like wood they seem to hide their true beauty until they are turned. I can't believe that pen turners are the primary buyers. Some of the recent posts in
' Show of your best work ' has had me rushing to use what I had not liked while in the square.

If anyone knows the story, I would love to hear it.

Mr Bruce Boone, if you read this, I am attempting to recreate a poor mans version of your fantastic Blue Flame. If I finish it tomorrow I will post it and look forward to your comments.

 

[JimGo]

A stork brings mine.

 

[btboone]

Skiprat, I got my acrylics from www.woodpenpro.com They are the only place I've found with 1" diameter blanks and in the lengths I need. The depth and clarity of the acrylics is really amazing. With some micromesh and finishing out with a buffer and polishing compound, you can truly get a glasslike surface.

Doing a freeform surface with the acrylic is really not all that tough. It helps to have a variety of sanding equipment. I had to vastly change the surface from the as machined shape to get the body to match the clip on this one because my rotary axis has moved since the last time I machined one. It takes some sanding and some micromeshing to get a correct shape back. It wouldn't be vastly harder to make the whole shape by hand, although the tough part is getting everything to flow as seen from all angles.

 

[mick]

Jim and Bruce, I think what Steven is asking is about other uses of the commercially made "plastics".
I'm like him, surely we as penturners aren't the only ones using it....I wonder what some of the other applications are?

 

[JimGo]

Some of what you see here is from http://www.pipemakers.org - they carry Lucite for use with cigars. But, if you look around, Lucite is used in a wide variety of products, including the hearing aids that I wear.

Then of course there's the PR that we all cast.

Try checking with Ed4Copies - he imported a LOT of acrylic earlier this year; perhaps he can give some insight.

 

[mick]

So Jim, we could make you some hearing aids out of .....say crimson marble from CSUSA?.......now that'd be a fashion statement!

 

[Rifleman1776]

A tree in Texas. []

 

[PenWorks]

From Italy with love []

Not that I ever get a chance to correct to many people with my limited knowledge, []
but the lucite & ebonite from pipemankers,is used for stems in pipemaking, not cigars, but I don't think Jim heard that.[]

 

[TellicoTurning]

I've seen some beautiful game calls, mostly duck calls, turned form the lucite and acrylic material.. since I make duck calls on the side, plan to make some myself.

 

[JimGo]

LOL...thanks Anthony. I gotta stop posting late at night!

Oh, and Mick, they're made from a rather dull red and and blue (red for the right ear, blue for the left). I agree, the other colors would be cool! []

 

[ed4copies]

The other common application is knife handles. This seems to be why most is under 3/4" thick.

MY impression (No real proof) is that most of the acrylic is really made in Taiwan. Although there are still penmakers in Italy, seems most of the pens are "cast", so I doubt they are using the types of "slabs" I am buying. Perhaps the "high-end" hand-made (if there really IS such a place).........let's just leave it at "I don't know"

Maybe Anthony or Lou or other big buck fountain pen guys might.

 

[RussFairfield]

Would you believe that penmaking has gotten big enough that the suppliers are having plastics made with patterns that are especially for us??

 

[Mudder]

Originally posted by JimGo
<br />A stork brings mine.

I thought it was made from garden gnome droppings [?]

 

[wdcav1952]

Originally posted by Mudder
<br />

Originally posted by JimGo
<br />A stork brings mine.

I thought it was made from garden gnome droppings [?]

Mudder, you really need to find a new source for your acrylics![]