Lignum Vitae help.

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theturningcircle

theturningcircle

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Apr 26, 2006
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Winchester, Hampshire. SO22 5LB, United Kingdom.
I've been asked about the suitability of Lignum Vitae for pen making. My immediate thought is that as the wood is so dense and oily it probably would take a long time to season sufficiently if at all. As the turned barrel is comparatively thin I suspect that further shrinkage would occur resulting in splitting. I know of another turner who has tried it and the barrels split because of this problem.
Has anyone any advice, experience or thoughts on this.
Thanks in advance
Ian
 
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I have made a few Lignum Vitae pens, both Sierras and Barons and they came out great with no splitting. On some I did a wipe down with Acetone before a CA/BLO finish which worked great, but they never turned back to green looking, and on some I left them natural which allowed the wax to return to the surface and they no look very green.
 
Maybe it is the individual cut of wood. I did a Statesman Jr with an Enduro finish and it is as green as you could wish. I also did a Sierra and left it natural. It also greened back up nicely. I had no problem with cracking at all.
 
It is a hard wood and will clog your sandpaper very quickly. It is also very oily. However, you can make pens with it. I have make a couple and managed to use CA for a finish.
 
Others have spoken wisely. I would allow to dry/age a few months. But, after that proceed and enjoy. You might also consider not putting any finish on the wood at all. LV has a nice appearance all it's own.
 
I have found lignum vitae to be very easy to turn, a bit of a bit of a pain to sand (clogs the paper as mentioned), and very strong. The wood is hard and the grain is highly interlocked. It has a very high resin content, which can give it a waxy feel. It takes a polish all by itself or it can be finished (a wipedown with acetone or ca accelerator will help the finish adhere). Setting the finished pen in a sunny window for a day will make it green-up.

I've used LV in many pens. The grain pattern and color are beautiful and distinctive.

Regards,
Eric
 
I picked up some LV about a year ago on sale. I put it away and forgot about it until a couple of weeks ago. I cut one of the boards into pen blanks. I turned one of the blanks into a gold cigar pen. It turned very easily. No splitting and I didn't use anything other than Micro Mesh to finish it. It's one of the nicest pens I've ever made. It's going to be given away this weekend as a 50th birthday gift. By the way, just out of curiosity does anyone know what LV pen blanks are worth? I think I got about 20 blanks out of the one board and I have 2 boards left. Am I sitting on a valuable stash? Would anyone be interested in trading LV blanks for something else that I might not have?
 
If you do work with it, use proper DC and a mask...the dust causes dermatitis (like most other cool looking woods!).
 
I've only turned 6 pens and am justed this addiction. It was my 2nd pen and it looked great until the boss got his hands on it. It's very hard and it's one of the only woods that does not float. Give it a try. :)
 
You can wet sand the bare wood to keep it cool. The oil/wax content is so high it isn't bothered by the water, but the water will keep the blank cool while sanding.
 
LEAP said:
One note, don't get the blank hot while sanding (very easy to do when it clogs the paper) The damn blank will split right on the lathe. DAMHIKT
Click to expand...

Odd, I haven't experienced that problem. For a while, I was intentionally burnishing LV hot enough that the resin would boil up out of the wood. I would then smooth it as it cooled, making a finish (like friction polish). I never had a blank split from the heat. I thought it was neat to finish LV with its own resin, but found that it didn't hold up very well and went back to CA.

Regards,
Eric
 
I guess I'll go through and read all of the responses, but Lig. Vit. is my favorite non-figured wood. The grain alternates with feather-like frills and it smells amazing. I wish I could get ahold of some lignum vitae (Argentinian, aka verawood) cologne. A friend of mine, from this forum introduced me to it 4 years ago and I've been hooked since then. I use DNA to clean it off, before I finish it. I'll try to find a pic, but it's on my price list too, if I can't find it. Here's a bottle stopper I did with it though.

LignumVitaeStopper.jpg

2006820221251_DSCN1777-3.jpg


I don't know if this will paste right. I copied it from my price list. I couldn't find the original. Anyway, the pen really shows the grain well and why it's my favorite. Of course, I love figured woods even more. I believe that's a CA finish. It turns greener with exposure to light. That's photosomethingorother.:biggrin:
Rob
 
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