OK I have been reading about these blanks for some time here in IAP so I decided to give some a try. I got onto Georges site and ordered a few. Shipping was remarkably fast from Australia. These may be the toughest to turn I have done in a long time. I had to sharpen my skew several times to keep the pressure down and just shave them slowly. I was able to turn them but it was not easy. They are well worth what George charges for them that is for sure. I didn't back paint and I am not sure if I would back paint the next ones either as the brass looks pretty good coming through the hairy part, maybe a brown would look good but not white or black I don't think? Well here is the end result.
You see...! it didn't hurt that much, din't it...???:wink::biggrin:
I'm glad that you felt confident to tackle these blanks, they are a challenge, regardless of what language you speak but, I see that you done a terrific job with it, congrats...!
As for the brass showing, I do prefer to see a good matching dark brown, on that tube surface however, is not the end of the world if the tube is not painted, it depends a lot of what type of kit was used, and the thickness possible on the final barrels.
There is also the fact that, not all pods are the same what I mean is, the size of the pod core and the amount of red velvet and hairs, can change slightly from pod to pod so, the amount of pod materials that will stay attached to the tube, can vary slightly, making transparency a little more obvious from blank to blank, and that is just the nature of the "beast".
I'reckon, you done a great job with it...!
Cheers
George