Thanks very much for all the comments!
They all look superb Keith . Ok so what is Hala and where can I get some? , real interesting grain to that wood , I like it .
I got the Hala from Chris (
Kalai) in Hawaii. It is really cool. The end grain looks like a bunch of straws. The wood looks similar to palm but is very easy to work with. Cuts and sands like regular wood.
Keith,
I also like the Hala, but my question is about the Tambotie. Did you take any special precautions in turning this wood? I've turned it once but what I read about it was that the oil is extremely toxic and was used to dip arrows in. Just curious if you had any adverse reactions.
Terry, the Tambotie is very oily wood. It really clogs the sandpaper while sanding. This is the first I've heard about the oil being toxic. I certainly did not have any adverse reactions to it, and I've turned it fairly often. It is a beautiful looking wood. I will make some inquiries and get back if I find out any more.
The olive baron is my favorite and the only decent pen in the lot! I'd trash the rest of them and keep practicing if I were you, especially since you will be doing a demo! :wink:
Seriously, they are all nice but like a few others, I'm not knocked out by the 'thermometer" rounded ends.
LOL. Thanks George, I'm glad you like one out of the batch. You didn't like any from my last batch :biggrin: I'll keep on praticing.
Seriously though, trying to nail a nice shape and then repeat it is harder than it looks. The shape also seems to change when it take it from the lathe and put it on the pen, funny how that happens. I think when I get a shape that I really like I'll make a template from it.
From a turning point of view the closed end pens certainly are a lot of fun.