PenTurnerJohn
Member
Has anyone here ever turned Liquid Amber [American Sweetgum] into a pen? If so, any tips? Someone just gave me some limbs of a tree that had blown down. Thanks,
Liquid amber
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Yarael
Member
Sounds interesting. If still wet can tell you to let it dry out. Other than that no clue
gerryr
Member
You could send it to me and I'll be glad to tell you what I discover.[
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kent4Him
Member
Yes, I turned a pen with a blank from Clint McCormick. I had a lot of filling to do. I used Amboyna shavings for filler. Nice pen, but it still has not sold.
redfishsc
Member
I've never heard it called "liquid amber". It's Latin name is "Liquidambar", and after a goole search, I found out (to no big suprize) that liquidambar means "liquid amber", which refers to the stuff it oozes when it's cut.
It's pretty stuff, paritcularly the heartwood.
It's also VERY prone to warp and split.
Dry this wood very carefully and slowly. I'd soak it overnight in denatured alcohol and then pack it in several layers of newspaper or paper grocery bags--- labelled and dated. Forget about them for a couple of months, and the check on them. If you feel that they have dried, remove one blank and sit it on a bookshelf and watch it for a couple of days-- if it cracks, they aren't ready for open air.
Most woods only need a month if cut into blanks and wrapped before getting open air treatment. I'd be particularly careful with this one.
It is a nice, closed grain wood. Clean it with alchohol or lacquer thinner before finishing it due to resin content, should make finishing adhere a little better. I've had lacquer develop odd textures over sweetgum, but only when I don't clean it with solvent first.
It's pretty stuff, paritcularly the heartwood.
It's also VERY prone to warp and split.
Dry this wood very carefully and slowly. I'd soak it overnight in denatured alcohol and then pack it in several layers of newspaper or paper grocery bags--- labelled and dated. Forget about them for a couple of months, and the check on them. If you feel that they have dried, remove one blank and sit it on a bookshelf and watch it for a couple of days-- if it cracks, they aren't ready for open air.
Most woods only need a month if cut into blanks and wrapped before getting open air treatment. I'd be particularly careful with this one.
It is a nice, closed grain wood. Clean it with alchohol or lacquer thinner before finishing it due to resin content, should make finishing adhere a little better. I've had lacquer develop odd textures over sweetgum, but only when I don't clean it with solvent first.
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