Black Palm Sierra - Weekend Pen

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Bree

Bree

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Joined
Jun 19, 2009
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1,736
Location
Buffalo, NY
Another weekend pen... this one is black palm finished with Australian Timber Oil, Hut Crystal, and Ren wax.

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:biggrin::biggrin::biggrin:
 
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Nice pen. I have made a few with black palm and boy is it tricky. I have found that my 1/8 inch cutoff tool usually works best, working my way across the blank. What tools did you use?

DJ
 
Hmm, I have a piece of black palm turning stock, wondering what to (try to) make from it. Not sure why I never considered a pen! I'll have to give it a try.

Did you do any stabilizing before/during turning?
 
CharlestonPenWorks said:
Nice pen. I have made a few with black palm and boy is it tricky. I have found that my 1/8 inch cutoff tool usually works best, working my way across the blank. What tools did you use?
DJ
Click to expand...

You are right! It wasn't easy to turn this pen. I used an old Frog Tool Co long and strong deep gouge to break it down to cylinder. Then I switched to a Lacer skew. That worked well until I was down to about 1/16th above the bushings and I popped a divot near the edge that went all the way down to the bushing. The skew was extremely sharp and cutting well but that black palm is weak wood. It just popped out... no dig... no catch

So I gathered some dust and started drizzling the blank with thin CA. I tamped the dust into the hole and CA'ed it again. I hit the whole thing with some activator and switched to a Spindlemaster. I turned the rest very slowly and in very fine cuts. I got it down to just proud of the bushings. I brought it down with 120 grit sandpaper and finished the sanding sequence with 180-240-320-400-600-1000 grit paper.

The Australian Timber Oil gave the light parts than nice light brown color and reduced the contrast which was very high with the black Sierra parts coupled with the chrome. I wanted the wood section to pick up on the black but not to be a stark black and white. So the oil treatment worked out well as far as color goes.

I turned it a little slimmer than some of the fat cigars that I have been turning lately. Indeed I had just done an Eastern Red Apple wood cigar turned real fat. I didn't post it because I screwed it up.

I somehow got the two center bushings cross wired. So the big bushing was on the long tube and the 2nd largest on the short tube. I don't know how the heck I did that. I thought I was careful to gauge each bushing and get them set up next to the proper tubes. Well I THOUGHT I did that... turns out I really didn't and messed up the Fat Apple pen. Oh hell... here it is... don't laugh!!

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:eek::eek::eek:

I was going to give it to a colleague at work. But now I am keeping it as a reminder not to make STUPID mistakes of inattention while at the lathe! It sure is a fatty though. The Sierra is nicer to write with. I will say that the apple wood gave off a nice apple smell as I drilled it and worked the wood. I didn't really expect that but wasn't all that surprised. There was some curl in the blank but it doesn't jump out at you in the pen. So it is kind of boring really in addition to being messed up.
:redface::redface::redface:
 
Nice job on the Sierra, Bree. Black palm is tricky.
And don't feel bad about the bushing mixup on the Cigar, I think
most of us have pulled that trick a time or two!
 
rjwolfe3 said:
Very nice. I blew up the only black palm that I have tried.
Click to expand...

I hear ya on that! The next time I turn it, I am bandsawing off the edges and making sure that all the tools are razor sharp. And I am going to treat it like a punky spalted wood and have a bottle of thin CA on hand especially as I get close to the bushings. It needs a little stabilization and a CA bath can't possibly hurt it.

I do like the way it looks and I plan to make more of them. I am going to give this one away to a friend.
:wink::wink::wink:
 
Bree said:
I somehow got the two center bushings cross wired. So the big bushing was on the long tube and the 2nd largest on the short tube. I don't know how the heck I did that.
Click to expand...

Yeah, the bushings for the cigar pen are REALLY easy to get turned around. To avoid that, I "number" my bushings.

First, I use calipers and measure the bushings and fittings. Then I line them up in the proper order, working from left to right, with the clip end on the left. I also check these against the given measurements from the kit instructions. Then, on the first bushing, I take a Sharpie and put a black mark on the end of the bushing. I put it on the end that slides into the brass tube as this will not be rubbing against any other bushing or will be effected by sanding. On the second bushing, I put two marks, and so forth.

When finished, I can turn with the pen facing in either direction; I just have to order the bushings accordingly. ALL of my bushings start with the first bushing at the clip. Consistency is key.

I have been using this system for a while, and have not had any problems. :rolleyes: YMMV
 
pianomanpj said:
Yeah, the bushings for the cigar pen are REALLY easy to get turned around. To avoid that, I "number" my bushings.

First, I use calipers and measure the bushings and fittings. Then I line them up in the proper order, working from left to right, with the clip end on the left. I also check these against the given measurements from the kit instructions. Then, on the first bushing, I take a Sharpie and put a black mark on the end of the bushing. I put it on the end that slides into the brass tube as this will not be rubbing against any other bushing or will be effected by sanding. On the second bushing, I put two marks, and so forth.

When finished, I can turn with the pen facing in either direction; I just have to order the bushings accordingly. ALL of my bushings start with the first bushing at the clip. Consistency is key.

I have been using this system for a while, and have not had any problems. :rolleyes: YMMV
Click to expand...

That's a great idea and I will be doing that or something similar today!!

Thanks!
:biggrin::biggrin::biggrin:
 
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