Bakelite Comparison

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beck3906

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I just received a few bakelite blanks from mrburls and looking forward to turning them. I see that Penn State offers bakelite blanks in various colors and wondered if anyone has used the PSI offerings. Anyone have experience with them? If so, what is your impression?

I like some of the PSI colors but just not sure about the quality, etc. If I get into this bakelite thing deeply, I'm looking for any sources I can use.

Thanks for any info.
 
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i just got some bakelite from exotic blanks. I painted the tubes (not finished with pen yet) and I was surprised at how easily it turned. I thought it was going to be brittle by the way that it looked. I hate turning ebonite because it is so messy. The bakelite was not.
 
Bakelite can be very different------some are very hard to turn or bring up a nice shine. I had a bunch of black that made a nice pen but you really had to work at getting a good finish.
There is going to be a big difference between the old pre 1950's stuff and the new Bakelite.
 
Do you have an item number for the Bakelite from PSI? My new catalog doesn't show any Bakelite.

I have found several sources for Bakelite, but with the minimums and fees, it's just too costly for one person to invest. Then there is the 3-6 month wait.
 
Why not run a group buy then? The $25.00 a blank is a little steep for me to experiment, but if I could shave some dough out of there in a group buy to have some batches made up, it might be pretty tempting.
 
With Bakelite, if I can drill it, I can certainly turn it (IMHO, it is MUCH easier to turn than to drill) . I have found that a squirt of PAM on my drill bit, both when making my pilot hole and my "sized" hole takes a bit of the drama out of making Bakelite pens.

Also, just out of habit, before I do any machine work on Bakelite, I do the 409 test. I have bought Bakelite on E-Bay that wasn't "Bakelite"
 
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Cindy:
Without trying to sound like a buckethead, I simply spritz 409 cleaner on a small spot on the blank. The 409 will change the color of real Bakelite.

If you google "409 Bakelite test" you will find volumes on how to perform and interpret this simple test of authenticity.

Respectfully submitted.
 
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