Fish and Cherries...

[jmbaker79]

That sounds terrible, fish and cherries, but here goes. Two from the week. First up with have this cherry pit pen. Picked up the blank at the MAPG, and I probably should have just left it there! It hated me, but we worked through it, and are now friends. I did make the mistake of using a triton(i think) tube for the body opposed to the atrax, so it is .25" longer than it normally would be. Filled this and that with ca and dyed epoxy, Ca finish. Guess it gave me trouble bcz the atrax doesn't leave much on the bone, and with its straight design, the tube is very close to the surface. I made up another body to match the cap made from black acrylic with a cherry pit mid section, but have yet to finish that. The best combo will go up for sale.

Second up we have this Koi Segment Design. I love these mineral blanks courtesy of EB and Jeff Powell. I paired it up with some Alt. Bone from WC, which has a lot of ivory grain in it. This combo to me reminds me of a koi fish, Kin Kikokuryu, to be exact. This is a new species of Koi that was long sought after, and just hit the market in 2000. This pen sorta designed itself from a blowout, sometimes those are the best ones. Complete with a Bock 5mm Medium nib.

C&C Welcome as always, thanks for your time!

 

[RichB]

Fantastic pens. The Cherry pits are a challenge but the rewards are outstanding. I really like the other pen too. A great job on both. Thanks for showing. I was at the MAPG also and what a great fun time.

 

[walshjp17]

Nice looking pens, Justin. I like the Koi pen blank a lot.

I picked up two of the cherry pit blanks at MAPG. Any tips you'd care to share -- other than fast and sharp?

 

[mikespenturningz]

Wow great looking pens. Love that segmented one.

 

[jmbaker79]

John I used a carbide r4 to cut this guy. Its a sorby tool so it rides the rest at a 45°. I turned it a little more vertical, with my cutting edge almost perpendicular to the blank. After that i had no troubles. But i recommend stopping as much as possible, nice coat of ca, etc...I kept some epoxy and red spray paint handy, and used it. Ed put together a little video on EB.com regarding the turning. Other than that, slow and light cuts. Also if any of the pit centers fly out, save them if you see them, and glue them in wherever you may need. I found that when i lost one, I had quite the gully in the pit. i either glued one in that i saved, or filled it with epoxy. Good Luck :biggrin:

 

[walshjp17]

Thanks, Justin. I just may try to do one this afternoon.

Good Luck :biggrin:

 

[jmbaker79]

Thanks Mike, The last photo was shot with my DSLR, while the first two were shot with an iphone 5 on a whim. The Iphone shows the colors so much better, but the DSLR is much sharper. The iphone washes out almost all of the grain from the alt bone....Still looking for a happy balance

 

[Dalecamino]

Both are nice pens Justin. BUT, no match for my Earnhardt pen you sent me :biggrin: