Snakewood pen

[smoky10]

About 4 mos. ago I made a snakewood baron and took every precaution I could to keep the thing from cracking. When I drilled it, I drilled it on the lathe, I used three different sized bits, drilled slowly and never let the bit get hot. I turned it using very light cuts, I sanded it using very light pressure, I used sanding sealer and then lacquer for a finish. At about two months and no cracks I was bragging about it, Especially to Gary Max, at three mos. I was really rubbing it in and at four mos. I found a crack. This morning I found a crack. So much for my snakewood pen with no crack. Its like Garys snakewood pens now, cracked.

 

[pete00]

bummer.......

 

[its_virgil]

Snakewood is a really gorgeous wood. It is even better looking than most woods, even with a crack. I stopped fighting the inevitable some time back. I now turn the snakewood (not to final size) without gluing the tube in (yes, you can turn pens without the tube being glued in). Leave it on the shelf for a few weeks. I take it inside from time to time for a few days then back to the shop. After a month or so I glue in the tubes and leave it another few weeks and wait for the cracks. After the cracks appear and I'm confident they have stopped, I put the pen back on the lathe and fill the cracks with a slurry of sanding dust and thin CA and leave it sitting for another few weeks taking it inside from time to time. Repair any cracks the show up and fianlly complete the turning, finish the pen and assemble. The snake pen I posted earlier this week in the Jr. statesman trio was done this way and the cracks are facing the camera and are not visible. A nice cracked snakewood pen is better than most other pens...IMHO
Do a good turn daily!
Don

Originally posted by smoky10
<br />About 4 mos. ago I made a snakewood baron and took every precaution I could to keep the thing from cracking. When I drilled it, I drilled it on the lathe, I used three different sized bits, drilled slowly and never let the bit get hot. I turned it using very light cuts, I sanded it using very light pressure, I used sanding sealer and then lacquer for a finish. At about two months and no cracks I was bragging about it, Especially to Gary Max, at three mos. I was really rubbing it in and at four mos. I found a crack. This morning I found a crack. So much for my snakewood pen with no crack. Its like all of Garys now. []

 

[twoofakind]

I agree with Don, as usual. My snakewood pen I turned about six months ago cracked and I filled in the cracks. It is probably one of my favorite pens just because of the wood itself.
Andy

 

[kent4Him]

Great idea Don.

 

[Skye]

Do you keep the shavings to fill the cracks with?

 

[dbriski]

Has anyone tried predrilling like Don suggests and then DNA soaking?

 

[Skye]

And are you CA gluing the tubes or something a little softer?

 

[its_virgil]

If this is for me, then here is how I do the CA slurry. I catch sanding dust on the sandpaper and drizzle thin CA onto the blank and let it pick up the dust. This mix of CA and sanding dust will develop a slurry and will fill the cracks with dust colored CA which is the same color as the wood. I do this often as a sanding sealer after the first grit of sandpaper, especially for open grain wood.

I always use 5 min epoxy for gluing in tubes...
Do a good turn daily!
Don

Originally posted by Skye
<br />Do you keep the shavings to fill the cracks with?

 

[DocStram]

Do you remember where the snakewood was from? Was it the "Guaranteed Not to Crack" snakewood?

 

[huntersilver]

I have to say the snake wood I got from Darick last Summer has not
cracked. I had a few that went unsold and they were exposed to the hot desert, mountains and gulf coast states and still look fine.

Perhaps I got lucky[]

 

[smoky10]

Originally posted by DocStram
<br />Do you remember where the snakewood was from? Was it the "Guaranteed Not to Crack" snakewood?

Oh no this wasn't the guaranteed ones. I might have to try them next time. I guess I'll just keep carrying this pen because it is one of my favorites.

 

[sptfr43]

I did get some of the "guarenteed " snakewood and about a week ago I noticed a crack. Oh well, it's still nice wood and the crack doesn't make me want to redo it.

 

[Rudy Vey]

So far I have made two Barons from the "no-crack Snake/Letterwood" from Darrick.
The one I nearly use daily as well as the one in my storage pen case have both not cracked. The pens were made in April/May this year.