robutacion
Member
Hi everyone,
About a couple of years ago, I have put some blanks here for sale from a large Curly Gum tree that I had cut then. Some of the blanks made from that tree were there ones. I sold a few but, particularly the all dead/soft wood, did scare people off as I bombarded the add with "caution" signs about the handle of this soft stuff.
Reading through the Add, you can see what I mean and also what other though of it when they tried. At the add closing time, I stressed the fact that, no one had made a pen from them and show it to all of us, of which I was extremely excited to see a nice pen done. Two years later, and I'm yet to see a pen made with any of those blanks, soft or mixed...!:frown:
I knew that, they would be excellent candidates for stabilisation but, I didn't have the tools and solution to do it, attempts to use diluted PR resin, didn't do it for me so I stop processing them and those being process, were put a side, to a better day...!
That day has come, with the introduction of the stabilisation system and the Juice from Curtis (Cactus Juice). I have done some others first, and with so many to try stabilising, I got to these Curly Gum root blanks, a few days ago. Filled the vacuum chamber half full with them and, there it went a full gallon of juice to cover them up by 1" or so...!
I had no doubt that, if I had blanks that would drink this juice like is no tomorrow, these would to the bunch, I was correct, after they were done, wasn't much juice in the bottom of the chamber...!
Got them "cooked" and yesterday I decided to take one for a spin in the lathe and see how they come out.
I couldn't see much from the dry juice crust all over so, sanded both ends and put it in between centres and gave it a good "shave". Well, soft they were once, no more, they are as tough as nuts and cut like butter so after some 240grit sandpaper, I gave it my normal CA finish and the colour and grain popped out quick smart.
The very first though I had when I turned it down, and even before I touched it with the sandpaper was, "CIGAR" it looked like a damn cigar, closest thing ever so, gave it the gloss finish and admired the result outside in the sunshine, stunning stuff that was...!
Keep thinking of a cigar, I though that, the CA gloss finish may be not so suitable to make it look like a cigar, even tough it had the toughest coating/protection so, I put it back in the lathe and decided to remove the CA at one end and expose the raw wood. The only thing I done after was to, soak that end with some drops of very thin CA and wipe it out before the CA dried, this is the result...!
I don't know about you but, anyone that makes cigar pens not pens with cigar kits, I'm yet to see anything better that resembles the true cigar tabaco look...!
What do you're reckon...???
Cheers
George
About a couple of years ago, I have put some blanks here for sale from a large Curly Gum tree that I had cut then. Some of the blanks made from that tree were there ones. I sold a few but, particularly the all dead/soft wood, did scare people off as I bombarded the add with "caution" signs about the handle of this soft stuff.
Reading through the Add, you can see what I mean and also what other though of it when they tried. At the add closing time, I stressed the fact that, no one had made a pen from them and show it to all of us, of which I was extremely excited to see a nice pen done. Two years later, and I'm yet to see a pen made with any of those blanks, soft or mixed...!:frown:
I knew that, they would be excellent candidates for stabilisation but, I didn't have the tools and solution to do it, attempts to use diluted PR resin, didn't do it for me so I stop processing them and those being process, were put a side, to a better day...!
That day has come, with the introduction of the stabilisation system and the Juice from Curtis (Cactus Juice). I have done some others first, and with so many to try stabilising, I got to these Curly Gum root blanks, a few days ago. Filled the vacuum chamber half full with them and, there it went a full gallon of juice to cover them up by 1" or so...!
I had no doubt that, if I had blanks that would drink this juice like is no tomorrow, these would to the bunch, I was correct, after they were done, wasn't much juice in the bottom of the chamber...!
Got them "cooked" and yesterday I decided to take one for a spin in the lathe and see how they come out.
I couldn't see much from the dry juice crust all over so, sanded both ends and put it in between centres and gave it a good "shave". Well, soft they were once, no more, they are as tough as nuts and cut like butter so after some 240grit sandpaper, I gave it my normal CA finish and the colour and grain popped out quick smart.
The very first though I had when I turned it down, and even before I touched it with the sandpaper was, "CIGAR" it looked like a damn cigar, closest thing ever so, gave it the gloss finish and admired the result outside in the sunshine, stunning stuff that was...!
Keep thinking of a cigar, I though that, the CA gloss finish may be not so suitable to make it look like a cigar, even tough it had the toughest coating/protection so, I put it back in the lathe and decided to remove the CA at one end and expose the raw wood. The only thing I done after was to, soak that end with some drops of very thin CA and wipe it out before the CA dried, this is the result...!
I don't know about you but, anyone that makes cigar pens not pens with cigar kits, I'm yet to see anything better that resembles the true cigar tabaco look...!
What do you're reckon...???
Cheers
George