Strangest material you ever made a pen with?

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THarvey

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Oct 4, 2007
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Anniston, AL, USA
An actual pheasant head for he ugly pen contest in 2010 Birthday Bash. Won 1st place for most disgusting pen.

You can find it by searching "Phlustered Pheasant"
 
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1080Wayne

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I guess the heat from turning causes the kernel to pop?

Don`t think a customer could be sure it`s popcorn unless it was pre-popped . A very difficult turn , with lots of thin CA required , and spare popcorn to fill in holes as the poster mentioned . Suspect stabilizing the popped corn before casting it would help a lot , but have not tried it .
 

1080Wayne

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Poison Ivy

I didn't get to finish my poison ivy pen! :eek: :rolleyes: BTW. the doc didn't wait to ask me what was wrong either. I got to go to the head of the class so to speak, without uttering a word!

Beyond that: Tree Fungus!

Any idea which fungus you used Hank ? I have done tinder fungus , which has a very fine grained structure . Rough Turnable without CA with care , but CA required once thickness gets down to about 3/16 inch , then abandon turning and switch to sandpaper at 1/8 inch . That was in my pre-stabilization days . Should be easier stabilized .
 

leehljp

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Tunica, Mississippi,
Poison Ivy

I didn't get to finish my poison ivy pen! :eek: :rolleyes: BTW. the doc didn't wait to ask me what was wrong either. I got to go to the head of the class so to speak, without uttering a word!

Beyond that: Tree Fungus!

Any idea which fungus you used Hank ? I have done tinder fungus , which has a very fine grained structure . Rough Turnable without CA with care , but CA required once thickness gets down to about 3/16 inch , then abandon turning and switch to sandpaper at 1/8 inch . That was in my pre-stabilization days . Should be easier stabilized .

I'll take a picture of it and post it.

This is a fungus growth off of an old oak tree that was hollow and fell over in a storm several years ago. The small brown portion is about half the length of a pen blank. In the sun, it is very iridescent, but when CA or other finish is put on it to stabilize-solidify it or finish it, it turns dark brown and just looks ordinary at that point.

The big fungus is about 12 x 9 by about 7 high and weights about a pound at the most. If I remember correctly, if I don't cut it in the right direction or plane, it doesn't look right or appealing - just bland.
 

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Skie_M

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Lawton, Ok
Interesting ... the chatoyance in the surface of many woods is attributed to the oils still present in the wood fibers. This is another reason I like to add a little minwax stain'n'seal or some BLO right before the CA finish. Perhaps you could try that combo on the fungus and see what it gets you?
 

chartle

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To color some glue to highlight a herringbone blank I've used really fine coffee, cinnamon and paprika. I decided craft paint was easier.
 

leehljp

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Interesting ... the chatoyance in the surface of many woods is attributed to the oils still present in the wood fibers. This is another reason I like to add a little minwax stain'n'seal or some BLO right before the CA finish. Perhaps you could try that combo on the fungus and see what it gets you?

The fungus is not wood in the sense of being "wood". BLO, wax, water, oil, wet stuff etc, darkens it. When cut a certain way, it is like bands or leaves. These glimmer in light, but because it is fungus and so light weight, it absorbs wetness which stops the glimmer.
 

LOIBLB

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Antique African spear shaft. In early 90's bought the spear from a collection in England. It was damaged in shipment and had 2 ft. of it broken off.
 

Woodchipper

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The fungus is not wood in the sense of being "wood". BLO, wax, water, oil, wet stuff etc, darkens it. When cut a certain way, it is like bands or leaves. These glimmer in light, but because it is fungus and so light weight, it absorbs wetness which stops the glimmer.
Fungi are non-vascular plants as opposed to trees, shrubs that get water and nutrients through their trunks, etc.
 

Jaydort

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Oct 10, 2019
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Carrollton, Mo
I did 2 McDonalds hash brown pens same blank 1 has a chrome tube the other has a black tube
 

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