Something unusual turning an acrylic

[Dan Masshardt]

I was turning this purple acrylic blank today and I thought I'd try out a couple different tools to see how they work with acrylics.

So I pull out a sorby spindle master that I have. It works pretty well - kin of like carbide only not as aggressive. It doesn't leave nearly is polished of a final finish either.

Anyway, I made a pass from right to left and ended up with this. As the shavings came off, they immediately wound around the blank you can actually see the black line in the blank in the wound shavings! The color if the blank you can see in the finished picture.

I didn't expect that. I was able to replicate it too. Has anybody helper had this happen?

Interestingly, it is actually more convenient to clean the shavings than with the carbide tool that sends them out. I've pass back over slices the shavings and they all leave.

 

[lyonsacc]

I use carbides and I almost always have the shavings get wrapped around like that. Sometimes it makes a really neat looking design when they get wrapped on the blank.

dave

 

[asyler]

dan
nice pen with great colors

 

[Jim15]

Nice looking pen. I sometime use the Spindle Master also.

 

[Tom T]

Really nice pen. Great color. I will have to give it a try.

 

[TellicoTurning]

I don't own a spindle master, but when I first started acrylics I used a round nose scraper, but after watching Ed Brown do acrylics at a pen gathering some years ago, I've switched entirely to a skew for acrylics... the shavings always wrap around the blank as they peel off... a quick brush with a wire brush gets rid of them.

 

[walshjp17]

I use both a R2 carbide cutter and the spindle master (to fine tune the ends). Both create shavings that wrap around the blank. A quick flick of the finger (once the blank is round, mind you :biggrin and they're gone.

 

[carlmorrell]

When that happens to me, I think the strands are going to melt back on, and I am going to have to turn them off a second time

 

[NewLondon88]

Haven't seen that before... that fine dark line in the shavings speaks
well of the consistency of your hand.

 

[InvisibleMan]

I like when I get long strands on my collet chuck. It acts as a fan and cools me off a bit:biggrin:

 

[triw51]

When I turn acrylics I get the shavings wrapping around but they usually push to one side over the bushings and don't bother me much. I usually use a square carbide cutter to turn pens with with. Thats what I learned with so I haven't tried anything else.

 

[PeetyInMich]

That looks like normal to me with my Woodchuck® only issue is when I kiss the bushing because I cant see it.

 

[NewLondon88]

I wonder if anyone saw what Dan was referring to?
We've all seen the shavings get wrapped around the blank.
We don't all see the pattern come off of the blank and
then remain visible in the shavings like that