pine cones??

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jttheclockman

jttheclockman

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Feb 22, 2005
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NJ, USA.
For those that make pine cone pens and pine cone bottle stoppers, what pine cones are best for use??? What do you need to look for??? Where do you get them??? I was looking on ebay and there are many people selling pine cones but I have no idea which ones would be good for either of those projects I mentioned. Thanks for the replys.

One other question would be advisable to cast these in resin before turning???
 
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They all make cool pens. I'll send you a whole big box for free. You'll get a wide selection in the box. You will have to pay the shipping. I think the last one I sent out was $14 maybe? They need to be cast. The big ones I trim square and put in a single mold. The little ones can go in any direction in a mold, and I also have a sandwich bag full of super tiny, 1/4" size cedar pine cones in the box that I've never tried yet myself.

Oh yea...and at the last show I did, pine cone pens outsold everything else. I sold out of them.
 
The ones I'm fond of are from (I think) northern California. They're large and they're closed, making them nice and solid. I havent gotten any yet, but that's what someone else said whenever I asked about them in the past.
 
jttheclockman said:
For those that make pine cone pens and pine cone bottle stoppers, what pine cones are best for use??? What do you need to look for??? Where do you get them??? I was looking on ebay and there are many people selling pine cones but I have no idea which ones would be good for either of those projects I mentioned. Thanks for the replys.

One other question would be advisable to cast these in resin before turning???
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I find that the best trees that produce good closed cones (around here anyway) are Knobby Pines and Sugar Pines. The knobby pines tend to have a softer inner structure with more yellow to beige highlights, while the Sugar Pines are more woody in nature (requiring at least one tool sharpening per session) and have lovely dark brown and chestnut colors.

When you go out looking for closed cones, expect the final blank to be 3"-4" shorter than the entire cone after you cut it down.

You will find sap inside cones that have not dried for more than 2 months. If you let the cone dry thuroughly, then the sap will dry inside creating lovely amber pockets.

I've got a large batch of both types of cones ready to cut, I'll post pictures in the classifieds section when they're ready to go.

Here's an example of both types of cones and their uses:
http://www.penturners.org/forum/showthread.php?t=36932
 
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jttheclockman said:
For those that make pine cone pens and pine cone bottle stoppers, what pine cones are best for use??? What do you need to look for??? Where do you get them??? I was looking on ebay and there are many people selling pine cones but I have no idea which ones would be good for either of those projects I mentioned. Thanks for the replys.

One other question would be advisable to cast these in resin before turning???
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JT,
Skye is right... if you know someone in NoCal.. Fresno or Modesto area that can get some of the big cones that come off the redwoods... they are about 10 to 15 inches long... I had some when I live in CA, we picked them up around Yosemite I think. When I moved back to Texas in 1980, I opted not to move them and that was before I ever thought about getting into wood turning.
I would think they would have a fairly solid center... probably still will need resin casting though.
 
Vince_Hoffmann said:
Actually, redwood cones are tiny, the largest are about the size of a golfball. You want Sugar Pine or Knobby Pine cones.
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You are right.. I don't know exactly what trees they came off of, but the first wife and I picked some up in Northern California.. we were up near Shaver Lake and then on up to Florence Lake on our way to a guest ranch located between the Sierra National Forest and Kings Canyon National Forest... she picked up a dozen or more and filled about half the trunk.... They ranged from 10" to about 15" and were stacked around the house as "decorations" (you spell that ' d u s t c o l l e c t o r s ').... after we separated, she either took them with her or I chucked them out when I moved out of Calif.:frown:
Just wish I had them now.. they would make great pens.(When I get back into pen making again):laugh:

BTW, We were living across the bridge from you in Foster City at the time..
 
workinforwood said:
They all make cool pens. I'll send you a whole big box for free. You'll get a wide selection in the box. You will have to pay the shipping. I think the last one I sent out was $14 maybe? They need to be cast. The big ones I trim square and put in a single mold. The little ones can go in any direction in a mold, and I also have a sandwich bag full of super tiny, 1/4" size cedar pine cones in the box that I've never tried yet myself.

Oh yea...and at the last show I did, pine cone pens outsold everything else. I sold out of them.
Click to expand...

Jeff I'd be very interested in a box if you'd extend that offer out to me as well!

Todd
 
ozmandus said:
They ranged from 10" to about 15" and were stacked around the house as "decorations"
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Ahh! Definitely Sugar Pine cones. They grow 'em big up north!

Just wish I had them now.. they would make great pens.(When I get back into pen making again):laugh:
Click to expand...

Send me your address and I'll fire off a bunch of closed cones to you if you wouldnt mind helping with the shipping cost. If you want them cut into blanks, then I generally charge between $10-$18 per blank because of all the prep work involved in stabilizing them.
 
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