honeysuckle blanks

[Section10]

I've been pen turning for almost 6 weeks now. Nothing too fancy, just slimlines, a few cigars and some teacher's pens.
The other day, I found some green honeysuckle that was big enough to cut into a few blanks. It was great-looking wood! A light sapwood and a large heart with strongly striped grain with some great pattern where the branches formed. I set the blanks in a dark storage shed where I have a big stack of box elder blanks nicely drying and yesterday I looked at the honeysuckle and I wouldn't have believed how twisted and split open it had become. Totally ruined. Has anyone ever dealt with honeysuckle and turned a pen from it? I think it would have great potential if it would stay together.

 

[JimGo]

Haven't dealt with it, but next time try dipping the ends in parafin wax or, better still, a sealing agent like Anchorseal. That should help reduce the cracking (though maybe not the warping).

 

[Dario]

Almost teh same thing that happened to my stash of Agarita. I soaked them in alcohol (DNA), coated the ends with anchorseal and placed in a box...and still lost most of them. [B)]

 

[ctEaglesc]

Your description of the wood sounds like it may be worth trying regardless of the present condition.
If it isn't, try looking up microwave drying.
When you are sure it is dry enough, stabilized it with thin CA prior to drilling.
(Let it cure 24 hours before drilling and then hit with accelerant.)
If you don't have accelerant a spritz of ammonia, alcOhol or even water will do.
I only offer this as a suggestion because of the many beautiful pens I have seen posted, there is one of I can close my eyes and "see".It was made by dmadis and ins no longer vieweable but was made out of a piece of drift wood.It looked like a horned moth.It was full of occlusions and sand but I thought it was breathtaking.
(the fact that I remembered it and used it as an example of why you should try "saving" the honeyscukle you described is a testament to the fact that I try not to "prejudge" that which was made by the Supreme "Woodworker"
Go for it!

 

[mrplace]

I had trouble with my first vine too. I dried a lot of grape vine before I got some good pieces. I finally had to seal the ends and then leave it in long pieces so I could trim off the 6" or so that cracked. It was worth the work. People like bottle stoppers made from grape vine. Doesn't look good to me, but people seem to like the dyed colors.

 

[jrc]

Branches like that can make the most beautiful pens. I use a bunch of lilac each year and it can split badly. Wood has to srink and use branches large enought to cut into quarter's the wood can srink without checking. What I have done for the last three years is, I cut it and let it set in my shop for a week or two. If I cut them to fresh it gumes up my bandsaw blade. I cut them into about 18" pieces and quarter them, stack them and let them dry for around two months or so and cut them into blanks and let them dry a little longer, a few weeks. To see if there dry I drill one or two and let them set a few days and then I'll see if a tube will slide in easily. If it does it's dry enough to use. If the tube fit is tight then it needs to dry longer.

 

[woodwish]

Honeysuckle vines are more pithy than woody, just not much left when it dries. Sounds like you have some good suggestions above. Good luck with it and post some photos.

 

[Section10]

Thanks for the advice. The honeysuckle I'm referring to is a bush and not a vine. Perhaps in Florida there is some other plant called honeysuckle. I'm way up north by Lake Superior and this is a common small bush with twin red or orange watery berries that taste terrible. It is utterly useless, but the wood sure is interesting.

 

[jrc]

I've made a pen or two from a honetsuckle bush and they look great. Just let it dry slowly like I said above.

 

[woodwish]

I guess we have a different plant here in Florida with that name. Tends to be a tough grape-vine like plant, not native so it takes over like kudzu if you don't keep it cut back. We have some wild honeysuckle on our back fences. Has pale yellow to white flowers that can be pulled off and sucked on the base end to get a drop of honey tasting liquid, that's why it's called honey-suck-le. No noticable berries. Attracts lots of bees, hummingbirds, and snakes (at least the hummingbirds are fun to watch). At least the ones you have may work but the vines here rarely get more than 1/4" dia.