Kenny Durrant
Member
This was double cast and double turned. I picked up the inlay material from Woodcraft. It says that the Opal is cultured. I played with some crushed turquoise and this is just as hard. I cast a pearl white blank for another project that didn't work out so I thought I'd try this. I painted the tube white and cast with Alumilite Clear Slow using a white pearl powder. I turned the blank close to the bushings and cut out the center of the blank. I then painted the bare tube black. I used epoxy to glue the opal then put it back in the mold and cast with the same resin only keeping it clear. When turning it the second time I started hitting the opal. That's when I noticed it was pretty hard. I put the tools aside and started using 80 grit sandpaper. I was able to sand to the bushings and shape it with ease. I have enough of this color to make another one but want to think about some changes. Although I'm pleased with this first go round there's a few things I don't like. There's too much black showing under the opal. When gluing it up I made a point to cover it all. I guess the stone was coarse enough that when I turned it down to size it opened up the tube. I also don't like the black ring the paint left. I have some white opal that I'll cast a black blank and paint the base for the opal white. Maybe the ring and tube won't be so noticeable. Also casting the opal made it super easy to finish. With the turquoise I used CA. When finishing it there were several voids I had to fill to get a smooth finish. Since I cast the opal there were no bubbles or voids to fill. I'm not sure what plating I want so this is just a finished barrel. Questions and Comments Welcome.
