Is this a crazy idea?

[Ulises Victoria]

Hey all.
I have had this idea in my head for several weeks. Not sure if it has been done or if it's even possible.
I'm thinking about making a pen out of amber! I mean REAL amber, not some "amber-like" acrylic

Is it possible? Not asking if it's going to be expensive... just possible. Or maybe someone has had some experience with this?

Thanks for your comments.

 

[Wildman]

I now know you can drill the stuff from watching this video, so guess you have to find a way to turn it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bWbiUqGumTM

Good luck with it please let us know how it works out.

 

[Ed McDonnell]

Check the entries in last years advanced pen making contest. I think I remember a pen with amber parts. I seem to think Bruce might have done it, but I could be wrong.

Ed

 

[Ed McDonnell]

Here it is:

http://www.penturners.org/forum/f13/amber-room-108176/

Ed

 

[Joe S.]

Do it! I've wondered about it before. The rule is: "if it is a relatively hard solid, it can be made into a pen!"

 

[Ulises Victoria]

Of course!.
Now the problem is where to get amber in the appropriate size.
Anyone has any ideas? Google has not helped so far.

 

[robutacion]

Of course!.
Now the problem is where to get amber in the appropriate size.
Anyone has any ideas? Google has not helped so far.

Well, I never though in make a pen out of this stuff, as I never come across any on it but, if I decided to have a go, this would be the guy I would be talking to to get me some and get some info on getting that finish...!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?NR=1&v=wdlnMoWrGhY&feature=endscreen

Cheers
George

 

[BRobbins629]

You can usually find amber on ebay but usually the pieces are quite small. When I made my amber pen, rather than trying to find a large piece, I was able to slice smaller pieces with a thin kerf diamond saw and build a mosaic. Over the course of several years, I tried to glue these pieces to many different types of brass, painted brass and plastic tubes and none ever looked good enough for me to put into a pen. I finally decided to go tubeless but still had to make cylinder. Again, after many trials I was able to use a piece of sacrificial wood as the core to build the cylinder slicing and filing to fit each piece and holding together with thin CA. It was very time consuming but in the end I did show it was possible.

Here's a link to a commercial version:
Sailor Kuji Kohaku Amber Fountain Pen

 

[PTsideshow]

Ok, here is a dirty little secret from the jewelry world. A lot of the amber with insects in it are man made and of recent vintage. Amber is just real, real old tree resin. amber of a recent vintage is called copal. The price has gone up in the last couple of years.

here is some I have left from mixing up some chasing pitch. They are good size rocks 2" and larger in the longest side.
The cheapest place in less than 50 pound bags is buying Bull riders rosin
Rodeo Rosin - Amber Rosin rocks - Sticky Rope and Riggin Rosin
They will sell in larger lots, great to deal with too
Melt it outside in a pan of boiling water. I haven't tried to cast it in anything other than a slab type casting. I used wax paper over a wood strip frame as a release agent.
Technically it is amber just not fossilized amber, and is called copal. But as long as you aren't calling it fossil amber you aren't lying
:clown:

 

[PTsideshow]

To clarify you melt it like wax in a double boiler type pots. DO NOT USE THE KITCHEN POTS. I use a large can in a pot of boiling water. You want it to melt and not scorch or burn.
:clown: