Compacts for gifts

[BigRob777]

I made these for my wife's parent-helpers (homeroom Moms). They only cost about $5.50 to make and the Moms love them. My mother in law got my birdseye maple compact (loaded with eyes too). She even sold one to someone from church, for me. That was pretty cool. Anyway, they are left to right ebony gaboon (not very black, but has nice grain), yellowheart, ziricote.
Comments are welcome. Sorry for the poor picture. It's hard to take good shots with so much shiny metal. They look clean "in person". I was trying something fancy for the center of the ebony one, but decided to quit while I was ahead. I was going to make it look like a target, with concentric rings.

Rob

 

[oldcaptainrusty]

Rob where did you find the compact kits?

 

[karlkuehn]

Wow, those are really nice, Rob! I agree with you on stopping while you're ahead. I always fight my natural tendency to add that last little piece of 'flair' that doesn't always improve what you've got going. With the quality of your wood, the timber speaks for itself anyways. Nice work!

 

[holmqer]

I've considered making compact kits, but don't know where one would get refills for the powder.

 

[BigRob777]

They're from PSI. They have two mirrors, one X and two X. No powder. Thanks Karl. The ebony was trash picked 3 years ago. It's the worst ebony I've ever had, but it looks good on the compact, if you aren't expecting pitch black. I guess I could have gone over it with a marker, but that just "goes against my grain".
These are quick to do, with double stick tape. I use the same piece of tape for about 5 of them, or more. I found that the secret to making them go fast, is to hit the face with a parting tool (thin one), just outside the rim of the mandrel. Watch out for flying little pieces of wood though. You can always use a band saw, to knock off the edges and keep the pieces small, but I've never been hurt by them. I just stand in front, before the tool goes through. The hardest part is to knock off the nib at the center, without leaving a divot, like I did with the ebony.
Rob

 

[karlkuehn]

Originally posted by BigRob777

They're from PSI. They have two mirrors, one X and two X. No powder. Thanks Karl. The ebony was trash picked 3 years ago. It's the worst ebony I've ever had, but it looks good on the compact, if you aren't expecting pitch black. I guess I could have gone over it with a marker, but that just "goes against my grain".
These are quick to do, with double stick tape. I use the same piece of tape for about 5 of them, or more. I found that the secret to making them go fast, is to hit the face with a parting tool (thin one), just outside the rim of the mandrel. Watch out for flying little pieces of wood though. You can always use a band saw, to knock off the edges and keep the pieces small, but I've never been hurt by them. I just stand in front, before the tool goes through. The hardest part is to knock off the nib at the center, without leaving a divot, like I did with the ebony.
Rob

In my opinion, the ebony looks better without the marker, even though I'm the first person to condone spraying, spreading, painting or dying stuff. You gotta love the trash barrel treasures! heh

 

[desertyellow]

nice work on all three.

 

[BigRob777]

Thanks Tony,

I looked at your pics in the photo album and .... man, you do nice work. I expected to find a lot of desert ironwood pens (guessing from your handle "desertyellow". I've been wanting to get into more detailed segmentations, but I'm kind of sloppy with the CA and don't want to glue my fingers together. Making pens has allowed me to become a more well-rounded (not a fat joke) woodworker. I want to make coffee tables and turn my own table legs. I'll also keep turning pens, to have something to sell, under $300.00. I'm hoping that my tables go for over $500.00. Time will tell. It may take a while to get my skill to that level, as well as my clientelle.
Rob