HAS ANYONE TURNED SAND?

[Tonyc53]

Hi Again,

Yes I’m still waiting for video; hopefully it should be on tomorrow’s flight to Nassau. So while I wait I’m still consumed with gathering information.

Here goes my question:
HAS ANYONE TURNED SAND?

From what I know of you folks it’s possible someone has or it’s jus a matter of time until someone does. As I figure it, this could possible be done by sandwiching it between 2 layers of clear poured acrylic or build it up around the tube with CA to a certain diameter then pour it in the resin.

Now you tell which is more practical or could you suggest a better way? [:I]

 

[Tangboy5000]

I don't know if anyone has, but it's going to be hell on your tools. I think you'll be at the grinder so much it will wear you out.

 

[Mudder]

Perhaps you couls wrap a tube with double sided tape and roll it in the sand and then cast it in poly?

 

[Tonyc53]

NO, NO, NO,[B)]

My fault, the title of this post seems to be misleading. I would imagine that you are right Tangboy but here is what I mean. Just like you would embed rattlesnake skin in the center of an acrylic pour, I was figuring that there should be a way to do the same with sand.

What do you think now, is there a practical way to do this?

 

[Dario]

I've seen some that use it as a inlace and do it almost as you described it. With a pen almost done he cut a grove/tenon, place some CA on the tenon and sprinkled sand in it. Afterwards he poured thick CA on top of it then sanded away. He doesnt really cut the sand...just the CA on topof it. Maybe the same thing can be done on a whole pen.

For tools, I've read some guys made their own using carbide tip used on metal lathes. Those should work welll on sand...but not as well on wood.

 

[Tangboy5000]

Hmmm, that's a tough one. I'm sure that you could, the only problem would be what size pen. This almost guarantees a cigar or larger kit. Where you may run into problems is at the tapered parts, because you're almost sure to run into the sand in those areas. Lets see what others come up with, because I'm drawing a blank right now, no pun intended.

 

[Czarcastic]

I'm no expert on acrylics, but I imagine that you would have a tough time creating a blank that would not explode. I don't think the sand would allow for adequate penetration and cohesion of the acrylic medium and you will end up with an incredibly brittle and unstable blank. And as the diameter of the pen reduced near the ends, the "sand" would be exposed.
Also, as mentioned, Sand is mostly Silica (*read: the same stuff that glass is made from), and would tear apart your tools like a grinding wheel!!!
Unless you have diamond coated turning tools, I'm not sure this is a great idea.

 

[elody21]

I think you are going to run into the problem of the tools dulling on contact. I got this great idea to use antique mother of pearl buttons as an accent in a pen like one would use guitar pick material. I could not even get a tiny bit of it to cut! The tool was dull on contact! Sand paper worked a little but I ended up cutting the ebony off of the button and pitching it! I am not sure if it was because the button was 60 years old and the MOP hardened or if MOP is just that hard?
I know you are talking about sand but if sand paper was the only thing that would handle MOP doesn't that make it harder?

 

[ctEaglesc]

Mudders on the right track.
For a proto type I would try the CA on the tube and then add more CA to cover it.
You could also add mulitple layers but keep it below the Dia of your bushings.
I think if you had enough CA you could turn a pen out of a fart.
(turn the larger diameters first just in case.[])

 

[Czarcastic]

Originally posted by cteaglesc
I think if you had enough CA you could turn a pen out of a fart.

Eagle, do you know how much it hurts to spit coffee out one's nose!?!?!

I am adding that quote to my sig line! I will credit you, of course.

 

[Doghouse]

If you mix the sand with epoxy, you get a "mud" that they use to make sand figures.

Using that concept you could over the tube in that sand mud, let it set rolled in was paper to keep the shape or any thing like that. Then cast the entire thing in resin. That is alll you would need. just a very small amount of sand.

 

[Mudder]

Originally posted by cteaglesc
<br />I think if you had enough CA you could turn a pen out of a fart.

WOW!

Instant classic.


I laughed so hard I almost fell out of my chair. [8D]

 

[ctEaglesc]

Originally posted by Mudder
<br />

Originally posted by cteaglesc
<br />I think if you had enough CA you could turn a pen out of a fart.

WOW!

Instant classic.


I laughed so hard I almost fell out of my chair. [8D]

I have been saying that ever since I made my own denim blank.
Well it was after the denim, string, rope whatever pen...
Kind of gives a whole new meaning to "blow out" though, doesn't it?

 

[wdcav1952]

Originally posted by Tonyc53
<br />
Hi Again,

Yes I’m still waiting for video; hopefully it should be on tomorrow’s flight to Nassau. So while I wait I’m still consumed with gathering information.

Here goes my question:
HAS ANYONE TURNED SAND?

From what I know of you folks it’s possible someone has or it’s jus a matter of time until someone does. As I figure it, this could possible be done by sandwiching it between 2 layers of clear poured acrylic or build it up around the tube with CA to a certain diameter then pour it in the resin.

Now you tell which is more practical or could you suggest a better way? [:I]

Lots of great suggestions. May I be permitted one question? Why on earth would you want to make a pen out of sand?

 

[Dario]

I will try a wild guess. His targetted market are tourists...in a way if he can make a pen with the local sand it will be a souvenir [].

 

[Tonyc53]

PINK SAND AT THAT DARIO!

DID YOU EVER GOT TO GO TO HABOUR ISLAND WHILE YOU WERE HERE?[]

 

[Dario]

Tony,

Can't remember the places we went to but Atlantis is nice...went there twice. The beach we went to is almost isolated but it is one of the best I've seen (and I've seen a lot of good ones).

LOML have lots of patients that live at Harbour Island and we got a few invites but had to politely decline. She said the sand there have corals that is why they are pink...is that right?

Try what I said above...make a groove and fill it with sand then CA on top...you will just work with CA not sand []. I think it will work great with darker woods. []

Good luck!!!

 

[ctEaglesc]

You got coconuts,right?
After the "harvest" dry them up gring them and cast them in resin.
turn the pen out of that.
Here in S.C. they do a simialr thing with pecan shells but cast them into christmas ornaments.

 

[Tonyc53]

HEY EAGLE,

YOU MIGHT BE ON TO SOMETHING TOO. KEEP THOSE CREATIVE JUICES FLOWING! Hmmmm ground up coconut shells, I could see my wife's face NOW when I'm done with her BLENDER!!!![B)][][}][][][)]

I have much experimenting to do once I get the hang of regular turnings. Boy, I can't wait![]

 

[Tonyc53]

HEY, WHAT ABOUT USING THAT TING-A-MA-BOB THEY ADVERTISE ON THOSE TV INFOMERCIALS. I CAN'T RECALL THE NAME. DOES ANYONE HAVE ONE? DO YOU THINK IT COULD TAKE THE CHAFFIN? THEY GROUND UP CONCRETE WITH IT!![]

 

[ctEaglesc]

I am sure if you look hard enough there is a source for ground cocnut shells somewhere.

 

[Randy_]

This idea may not be as "crazy" as everyone thinks. Turning sand is like saying turning metal..... tungsten is almost impossible to turn while copper is quite easy to turn. Same thing with sand. For most of us, sand means that nice white quartz sand that we see at the beach or in the kids playbox. There are many other kinds of "sand"! In Tahiti, there is a beach that is absolutely coal black and is composed of particles of black volcanic rock that makes up the island. Many tropical islands have coral sand beaches made up of the eroded remnants of their barrier coral reefs. Since Tony is from the Bahamas, he may very well have access to coral sand which is much softer than quartz sand and would be much easier to turn. It would still be a little harder on tool edges than wood but not the disaster that quartz sand would be.

 

[Darley]

Originally posted by Tonyc53
<br />PINK SAND AT THAT DARIO!

DID YOU EVER GOT TO GO TO HABOUR ISLAND WHILE YOU WERE HERE?[]

I should go to Rainbow Beach and start to sell coloured sand, 74 different shades of coloured sand can be found on Rainbow Beach, how that !!

look at this site http://www.rainbowbeach.info/

they did have sand mining untli 1976

 

[Tonyc53]

Good Morning Guys,

Man I sure started something, anyway like Randy said this may not be "CRAZY" after all. Now, here's some info on the composition of the sand on Harbour Island, and you folks who know about how workable this stuff could be, please give us a holler. www.harbourislandguide.com/pink-sands.htm []

 

[btboone]

This might be an application where carbide tools come in handy.

Another thought of what's possible is to make a pen out of pressed coconut shells, carve slots in them and fill them with a sand/ CA mixture and finish sand it off. Other island theme things like tiny shells could be included.

 

[Tonyc53]

Thanks Bruce,

But when you say pressed coconut shells, are you talking about coarsely ground shells and do you think that regular tools would do the trick[?] [?] [?]

 

[Tonyc53]

Hmmmmmmm, I suppose you could make a batch like how you would those rice krispies treats.

Ingredients could include: med/fine ground shells mix with CA then pressed into a mold, when hardend cut into blanks and work as normal, then the sand could be added as an inlay.
Possibly add more CA to finish as you do with the "corn cob pens"

Hey, what do you'll think, does that sound doable[?]
Do you foresee "ANY" pitfalls[?]

 

[Randy_]

...The sand is a composition of bits of coral, broken shells, minute rocks and calcium carbonate from tiny marine invertebrates....

All of the stuff listed is relatively soft and should be turnable without much trouble except for the "minute rocks." The "rock" could be very hard or it could be quite soft....depends upon exactly what it is. Also depends on whether the sand is 50% rock or 0.5% rock. You have a unique resource in that sand.....why not experiment with it and see what happens?? If it works, you will have a unique medium and if it doesn't work you will have had some fun experimenting....seems like a win, win situation to me!!

 

[Rudy Vey]

After turning do sand sand??? Outta here....

 

[btboone]

Rudy, that's why there's sandpaper. Now, the coralpaper is tougher to find.[]

 

[Tonyc53]

WHO WANT A SAMPLE OF THIS SAND TO EXPERIMENT WITH?[]