Some more closed end pens

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VisExp

VisExp

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Palm Coast, FL, USA.
Still been practicing, getting ready for the demo I'm giving :redface:

From left to right:
Sedona - Pink Ivory
Baron - Hala (thanks very much to Greg (gketell) for turning me on to this wood - it's very cool :smile: )
Sedona - Tambotie
Baron - Wild Olive
Baron - Quar/Black Alder

Any comments are appreciated. Thanks for looking.


 

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I am with Butch, what is it, and who sells it! Nice pens all around. Maybe a smidge too long for my taste, but as I have not done any closed end ... yet, maybe not.
 
Keith,
I also like the Hala, but my question is about the Tambotie. Did you take any special precautions in turning this wood? I've turned it once but what I read about it was that the oil is extremely toxic and was used to dip arrows in. Just curious if you had any adverse reactions.
 
Hey Keith, They are all beautiful. It looks like you've got the technique down. Of course, I am with the others, that Hala is Awesome! I have to say that I am just not crazy about the round ends. They don't seem to lend anything to the pen. The flared square edge brings character. Have you tried any of the Sedonas with a different style of closed end?
 
The Hala and Black Olive get my vote...Seems that the only non posting pens I ever sell are the Emperor and Imperial....
 
The olive baron is my favorite and the only decent pen in the lot! I'd trash the rest of them and keep practicing if I were you, especially since you will be doing a demo! :wink:

Seriously, they are all nice but like a few others, I'm not knocked out by the 'thermometer" rounded ends.
 
Thanks very much for all the comments!

ldb2000 said:
They all look superb Keith . Ok so what is Hala and where can I get some? , real interesting grain to that wood , I like it .
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I got the Hala from Chris (Kalai) in Hawaii. It is really cool. The end grain looks like a bunch of straws. The wood looks similar to palm but is very easy to work with. Cuts and sands like regular wood.

td said:
Keith,
I also like the Hala, but my question is about the Tambotie. Did you take any special precautions in turning this wood? I've turned it once but what I read about it was that the oil is extremely toxic and was used to dip arrows in. Just curious if you had any adverse reactions.
Click to expand...

Terry, the Tambotie is very oily wood. It really clogs the sandpaper while sanding. This is the first I've heard about the oil being toxic. I certainly did not have any adverse reactions to it, and I've turned it fairly often. It is a beautiful looking wood. I will make some inquiries and get back if I find out any more.

Texatdurango said:
The olive baron is my favorite and the only decent pen in the lot! I'd trash the rest of them and keep practicing if I were you, especially since you will be doing a demo! :wink:

Seriously, they are all nice but like a few others, I'm not knocked out by the 'thermometer" rounded ends.
Click to expand...

LOL. Thanks George, I'm glad you like one out of the batch. You didn't like any from my last batch :biggrin: I'll keep on praticing.

Seriously though, trying to nail a nice shape and then repeat it is harder than it looks. The shape also seems to change when it take it from the lathe and put it on the pen, funny how that happens. I think when I get a shape that I really like I'll make a template from it. :smile: From a turning point of view the closed end pens certainly are a lot of fun.
 
Great job on all of those. I like the Hala & Wild Olive the best. The Hala is very cool indeed. If you don't mind me asking, where do you get the Hala wood?
 
These look really nice. I like the squared ends better as well. I've started doing some closed ends as well and have to say I really do like turning them. Have you tried adding a custom finial to the pens? I added one on my last closed end, and it really ties everything together and makes the pen stand out from the rest.

Ben
 
I really like the one made of Hala. The shape of the barrel and the sharp transition to a lightly curved dome are really cool. I find myself wondering if you got rid of the clip and the cap finial, what the result might look like. Or, at least make a custom cap finial that replaces the kit one if you want to keep the clip. Either way, I really like that shape!
 
arjudy said:
Great job on all of those. I like the Hala & Wild Olive the best. The Hala is very cool indeed. If you don't mind me asking, where do you get the Hala wood?
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Hi Alan, I got the Hala from Chris (Kalai) in Hawaii.

pipecrafter said:
I really like the one made of Hala. The shape of the barrel and the sharp transition to a lightly curved dome are really cool. I find myself wondering if you got rid of the clip and the cap finial, what the result might look like. Or, at least make a custom cap finial that replaces the kit one if you want to keep the clip. Either way, I really like that shape!
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Kurt, I guess I walked right into that with my "wonderings" on your Yin/Yang pens :biggrin: You're right, I was planning on making some custom finials for some of the closed end pens but wimped out. Not sure why as I've done it once before and it wasn't to bad.
 
td said:
Keith,
I also like the Hala, but my question is about the Tambotie. Did you take any special precautions in turning this wood? I've turned it once but what I read about it was that the oil is extremely toxic and was used to dip arrows in. Just curious if you had any adverse reactions.
Click to expand...

Terry, I wrote to my friend in South Africa and received the following back:

Your friend is right. Tamboti is toxic and should not be used for any food-related applications (do you chew your pens? :smile:). It is part of the Euphorbiaceae family and the milky latex from all Euphorbias is poisonous. A friend of mine who is a doctor was cutting a Euphorbia down in his garden. Knowing it was poisonous, he wore gloves and a mask, but didn't realise that he had the sap in his hair. When he was showering, the sap washed into his eyes and he had seriously puffy eyes for a few days. If you braai on Tamboti, you are likely to have the serious runs the next day. The general guideline would be that you should avoid breathing in the dust and try not to get dust in your mucous membranes – eyes, etc.

I think that what you need to do with your site is to explain to people that any hardwoods are potentially toxic and only a small number of them have been researched and documented. They all have various chemical components in them that give them a characteristic smell or working properties. People should work with ALL wood on the assumption that it is poisonous in the long-term. Sawdust in general is now an acknowledged carcinogen. I will try to send you some more detailed information when I have a chance.


As I said before I did not have any reaction to the wood. I wore my standard goggles and dust mask, but did not wear gloves. I hope this answers your question and helps you.

(Braai is the Afrikaans word for barbecue)
 
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