Turning down a snake casting - question

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leehljp

leehljp

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I purchased a snake Sierra blank a year ago and just had the time to get to it. And I am having a problem with it.

It is for a Sierra. Before I was able to get even close to the bushing size, I ran/turned into the scales. Is this normal? It is still proud of the pen quite visibly. I covered it with CA to smooth it out but it is so quite proud of the bottom.

Did I just get a bum blank or is this something to watch for in snake casts
 
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The wall thickness on the sierra where it meets the hardware is quite thin and it makes it difficult to use snakeskin blanks on it. I thnk this very problem is why they came out with the Sierra Vista, which uses the same tubes, but has a larger outside diameter to allow for the thickness of the snakeskins and other items cast around the tubes. You might be able to part off the ends of the blank and add some wood or acrylic bands to allow you to keep more resin over the skin and only make the wood thin to meet the hardware.
 
I had the same thing happen to me and now the blank just sits next to the lathe. Good luck trying to add bands and let us know how it turned out.
 
The addition of about 0.05 inch in the diameter on the Sierra Vista makes a difference. a small bead and a steep drop to the fittings also helps keep thickess. I used my failures to make needle cases (expensive ones at that) because over time, the CA fills turned white -- ugly for a pen but acceptable for a needle case. Since using the Vistas, including the abalone versions, not a single needle case has resulted.
 
I sanded and sanded (lightly of course) until it was rounded over, and put about 5 coats of thin CA, then MM'ed it. Came out ok. Looks a little more like design than just being proud. I can tell the scales were sanded, but it's not bad looking. I probably wouldn't sell it for much if I were to sell it. It is for my son in law and he is not as particular about the fine finishes as some persnickity people are (like me). He will be proud to just have a snakeskin pen to show off to his buddies.
 
Adding wooden bands on each end of the blanks is not difficult. It works great. Just use a parting tool, part off equal widths and square the new ends. Slice off two slices of wood a little wider than needed, drill and square one surface. Glue the squared surface of each slice to the squared ends of the blank and turn. I do it all of the time for slimlines. I just don't like a slimline with snake on top and bottom.
200742823123_mail%20slim%20snake.jpg

Do a good turn daily!
Don

Originally posted by Mikey
<br />I had the same thing happen to me and now the blank just sits next to the lathe. Good luck trying to add bands and let us know how it turned out.
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