Granite, Marble, Onyx, Stainless, Titanium etc.

[VulcanR&D]

A little background here...

I own a granite countertop fabrication company as well as a CNC machine shop.

Up until a few days ago I didn't know there was a large group of people that made pens as a hobby. I have always liked fancy pens but have next to no knowledge about how they are made.

The materials that I have on hand and cut everyday, it doesn't seem like are being made into pens and I don't understand why. I was hoping that someone could enlighten me as I think they would make some pretty sweet pens.

I have palettes and palettes of exotic natural stone remnants, some with lots of mica and quartz in them that would look really cool. I was thinking that I could drill them first and sleeve them with a carbon fiber or stainless tube so that when they are turned they will be a bit stronger in that regard. Also we have developed a method that we used on some other projects that infuses a water clear resin into the stone which makes it a lot more resilient to damage.

Additionally I have billets of stainless, inconel, copper and titanium that are too small to use for anything else...I have seen some pens that are made from stainless tube etc but not from billets.

Why isnt anyone else doing this? I thought I could make some up and send them out for Christmas presents or something.

Thanks for your help!

 

[Russianwolf]

Why isn't it being done? Mainly the tools.

The stones you mentioned and the metals don't play nice with the tools most of us have. So it makes it difficult. You will see some stone being worked now (soapstone is one I can think of off the top of my head) but they tend to be softer stones that don't need lapidary equipment.

We'd love to here your idea on how to work with it and if we can get there, I sure we can help reduce that scrap pile. :wink:

 

[Chasper]

I've tried hard to do what you suggest, but I don't have the tools needed. Drilling has always been the first problem for me, but if I ever get beyond that I don't know how I'll be able to turn them. True lapidary lathes are expensive and messy. Wouldn't it take a powered grinder and some system to circulate water to turn granite?

I have a collection of granite scraps that I begged from the company that put new counter tops in for us. The materials are truely beautiful, it would make outstanding pens if it could be tooled with home workshop equipment.

 

[terryf]

I'll trade you some 3" x 1" billets for a pen

 

[BRobbins629]

Some of the materials you mention are indeed used in pens. As for the stones, there is a penturners product called Trustone that is stone embedded in a more turning friendly resin. It comes in many colors and variations. They tend to be on the heavy side which is fine for some and not so for others. Look at this website for the variety offered:
http://www.randbcrafts.com/tru_stone.html


One member uses stainless bolts as a feed stock. I've seen a couple others use stainless rod, but why use billet when there is a material already round. Is there an advantage we are missing?

Another member does make pens and rings from titanium but with higher end equipment than in most hobby shops.

Copper is probably too soft for pens unless embedded in resin but again why buy in billet form?

Inconel - not sure I've seen that in a pen.

Best way to see if there is any interest, is to put an ad in the classified section. It will either sell or it won't. One thing about the classifieds on this forum - they don't cost anything.

 

[VulcanR&D]

I have all the material laying around as 'scrap' so it has already been paid for by the job we did.

I can drill the stone with no problem and I can infuse it with resin to make it stronger along with sleeving it.

So apparently there is inherently no problem, since I have the diamond and carbide tooling etc. to cut this stuff all day long.

I hadn't thought about selling them, I was more thinking of gifting them and having a fun, challenging project but I suppose if there was demand then it wouldn't be an issue.

If someone else wants to play around with some granite/marble/onyx scrap and are in the Little Rock area you are more than welcome to some.

Hopefully I should have some made that I can show off soon. What is the best source for the rest of the pen, like in kit form? What is the best bang for the buck out there for the other components?

Thanks!

 

[VulcanR&D]

In regards to the lathe, our Haas lathe has cut some decorative marble columns without any problem with diamond tooling and a lot of water. Of course cutting something so small leads to some problems, but I think we can do it!

 

[Andrew_K99]

I think you should first look around the site, specifically 'show off your pens' and see what's available. The are hundreds of kit variations out there.

Being so new to making pens (it seems like you've never made one) you might try finding a local pen maker and have them over to consult with. They'd be able to give you a good understanding of what it'll take to make a pen.

You mention carbon fiber or ss tubes which aren't the normal, all kits come with one or two brass tubes which are a specific diameter and length for the kit.

I've thought it would be cool to see s stone pen and hope you succeed!

AK

 

[thewishman]

Nathan, are there any styles you are interested in - ballpoint, rollerball or fountain pens? There are LOTS of choices available. There are three primary suppliers with many resellers, and a few independent suppliers.

I don't want to hurt any supplier's feelings by leaving them out of a list, but here are the big three:

Berea Hardwoods http://www.bereahardwoods.com/

Craft Supplies USA http://www.woodturnerscatalog.com/store/Pen_Making?Args=

Penn State Industries http://www.pennstateind.com/store/pen-kits.html

Take a look at those sites and get an idea of what kind of pen you'd like to make. That may be a bit overwhelming, but you should find a few that appeal to you. Since you'll be using very durable materials, I would recommend using a very durable plating - chrome at least, platinum, rhodium, or, best of all, titanium (gold or black).

Once you find some styles you like, post them in a thread and you'll get LOTS of advice, including best places to buy them. Some of the advice may even be helpful. :wink:



I would LOVE to have a stone pen! You will find some customers here for stone parts if you are able to make your ideas work.


The resin infusing sounds very interesting. There is resin-infusing process used with wood, called stabilizing, that makes fragile wood more durable.

Best wishes in your experiments!