filling voids with gemstone

[sbwertz]

I like to fill voids (cracks, wormholes, knots, etc.) in pens with gemstone. I buy my gemstones in chips that can be up to a quarter inch across. To fill small voids I need very fine chips...even powder to fill small cracks. The best way I have found to crush the stone into fine chips and powder is to cut off the finger of a nitrile glove, put a half teaspoon or so of chips in it and pound on it with a small sledgehammer on an anvil. Works great.

In small cracks I rub the powdered rock into the crack and drip on a little thin CA. For larger voids, I drip in some medium CA, add larger chips, then fill in around the bigger chips with fines and drip on a little thin CA. After I sand the void down if there are any voids in the fill I either add a little of the powdered rock, or just a drop of med. CA to bring it up flush with the surface and resand.

 

[wood-of-1kind]

Sharon,

thank you for sharing this nice little "tip".

 

[moke]

Sharon,
What Gemstone are you using? What supplier?
Thanks

 

[fernhills]

Very nice. That looks very different. Carl

 

[sbwertz]

Sharon,
What Gemstone are you using? What supplier?
Thanks

I have turquoise, hematite, peridot, rose quartz, amythest, and jasper. I get them from a trader named "doublelift" on ebay. I pay about $2.50 for a two ounce bag.

I am going to a local supplier next week here in Phoenix. I'll let you know if he has better prices.

 

[Rangertrek]

Thanks Sharon for the info. I sometimes use stone chips also. I crush mine in a metal pipe with a cap on one end. I use a smaller pipe as the plunger (crusher).

 

[moke]

Thanks Sharon---That is a great suggestion...I am starting to do bowls and would like to incorporate gemstones in them too...

 

[bitshird]

Thanks Sharon for the info. I sometimes use stone chips also. I crush mine in a metal pipe with a cap on one end. I use a smaller pipe as the plunger (crusher).

I've been wanting to make one of those since I saw it on Woodturning Workshop.

Nice job Sharon, how do you grind or sand the Peridot, and other Quartz based stones, I saw some amazing work done inlaying stone into platters and on the curved surfaces of bowls at a Symposium in Georgia, I know alot of gem stones like Turquoise, Malachite,Chrysicola, and shell and Azurite can be sanded easily, or you just lay the pieces as flat as you can get them and fill to the top with CA??

 

[renowb]

Nice looking pen and process!