Thanks Mark!Very unique. I like it a lot.
I recently turned an unstabilized hempwood pen and it was very touchy to turn. It reminded me of black palm where it kind of wants to come apart if you give it any reason to do so. Sharp tools and very light cuts were what got it done for me, and once I got somewhat close to the bushings I used sandpaper to get it the rest of the way.Very nice! I'm seeing a lot of these hempwood pens lately... It is one of the few types of blanks I don't have in my inventory, and I think I'll have to add some soon here. How well does it turn? Is the finish on this due to stabilization resin, or did you add another finish?
Thanks! The finish is just CA. I use a thin coat to seal the surface, then medium CA to fill in the voids, then a couple more coats of thin to polish. The HempWood had more voids/gaps than regular wood. I use micromesh with water.What is the amazing finish on it? The pen looks great and the finish just looks so deep!
Thanks. I had heard how finnicky HempWood was to turn, so I went very slowly. I ran the lathe at 3500rpm and took very shallow cuts with my carbide tool. I ended up with a pile of powder instead of sawdust or chips. I stopped several times to rotate the cutter to a fresh edge. It took me about a half hour to turn, There was one point early on that a big chunk blew out, but I had enough meat left on the blank, so I kept turning and it ended up ok,Very nice! I'm seeing a lot of these hempwood pens lately... It is one of the few types of blanks I don't have in my inventory, and I think I'll have to add some soon here. How well does it turn? Is the finish on this due to stabilization resin, or did you add another finish?
I think one of your earlier posts on this topic is what made me so cautious. Thanks for leading the way!I haven't had good luck turning either unstabilized or stabilized hempwood. I refuse to turn it anymore. I use a carbide chisel with a shearing cut.
Sounds a lot like trustone and its variants. Those also "powderize"...you can get these little flakes, but if you touch them then instantly crumble into powder.Thanks. I had heard how finnicky HempWood was to turn, so I went very slowly. I ran the lathe at 3500rpm and took very shallow cuts with my carbide tool. I ended up with a pile of powder instead of sawdust or chips. I stopped several times to rotate the cutter to a fresh edge. It took me about a half hour to turn, There was one point early on that a big chunk blew out, but I had enough meat left on the blank, so I kept turning and it ended up ok,
PS - Your file naming convention says it all.I haven't had good luck turning either unstabilized or stabilized hempwood. I refuse to turn it anymore. I use a carbide chisel with a shearing cut.
I haven't had good luck turning either unstabilized or stabilized hempwood. I refuse to turn it anymore. I use a carbide chisel with a shearing cut.
I like the look too. But at least one supplier offers stabilized hempwood. The green blank in my photos was supposed to be stabilized, but it blew out too. I hold my chisel at about 30 degrees, which has worked for me on everything else, even inlace acrylester.About the only thing that I can offer is that when I cut the unstabilized blank, I went with about a 45 degree sheer on my square carbide tool...maybe even more than 45 now that I think about it. It was a slow, painstaking process and like @KMCloonan I also had a chunk or two fly out but they were relatively small and I was able to recover.
All in all, I think that I will stabilize any future hempwood that I turn, and I expect that there will be a bit as I like the look of the wood.