Hey Shane,
I have turned several Alabaster pens, I also have some blanks for sale. Here are the recommendations I usually send along with blanks when I ship them to someone. These are just my recommendations, based on what I have learned turning the blanks I sell, your blanks and turning experience may differ, but I hope this helps:
The blanks are $5.00 each + shipping. 4.60 for up to 6 blanks, or 8.95 for over 6 maybe 7 if I can squeeze them in.
They require extra cushion to keep them from breaking. Look in my photo album to see the colors of my blanks, they are pretty nice, I think.
As far as turning tips go:
1. They are softer than you think! Probably softer than anything you have ever turned. So, they require a light touch.
2. Drill them slow and carefully. Make sure to clear the flutes of the bit often. Use a spray bottle of water to cool the bit if you have to. If the Alabaster gets too hot they will crack.
3. Glue the tubes in with epoxy for a good hold. I don,t trust CA on this material because it soaks it up too much.
4. Stop turning proud of the bushings and finish bringing them down to size with sand paper. They turn sooo quick that you can zip down past the bushings in the blink of an eye.
5. Finish with CA. At least that is what I used. The first coat should be a heavy soaking coat of thin with the lathe off, to sort of stabilize it. The blank will soak that up and seal it so the next coats of medium will start to build.
6. Ream out the ends of the tubes a bit. When you press the parts into the tubes, they are so tight that they expand the tubes slightly. Wood and Acrylic can expand to make up for this, Alabaster cannot expand and will get hairline cracks that show up as white lines.
7. Wear a dust mask or use a dust collector. The dust that comes off the blanks when turning is very fine, almost like Talc. And… there is a good bit of it.
That's about it. It sounds pretty bad, but it really isn't hard. I try to list all the problems I know of, that doesn't mean you will experience every one of them. I messed up my first attempt, but nailed my second try and have made a few more since then.
Let me know if you want any. I do accept Paypal.