Wanted: Stone o Soft Metal Pen Blanks?

[icebiker]

Hello! I've been turning for 10 years or so but am new to this forum.

I am looking to buy 2-3 pen blanks of some sort of stone. E.g. soapstone, alabaster or something else soft. Does anyone have some to sell or know where I can get some? I don't need a lot of thickness, mostly I turn 7mm slimline pens.

Alternatively, I have never turned brass on a wood lathe (lots on a metal lathe, though), but it seems possible. Anyone have any brass stock I could use for a 7mm slimline pen?

Bonus points if you feel like drilling the 7mm hole in the middle for me!

Thanks

 

[Joebobber]

I have some soapstone blanks. Pm sent

 

[Darios]

As a potential, you might want to look to sLowes or Home Despot in the craft sheet area (usually around the screws) for brass/aluminum sheets. It's a bit hard to find online as they keep on trying to send you to patterned sheets or 4'x8' sheets.

Look for Hillman or Everbilt. That's assuming you are looking for thin sheets for segmenting.

 

[McKenzie Penworks]

Could cheat and turn M3 blanks... I mean it's totally self serving on my part but they're primarily metal and they turn like resin so they're a lot easier to mess with when it comes to hand tools and a wood lathe lol

 

[Paul-H]

For Turing brass and aluminium I follow the method a saw on a YouTube video, which annoyingly I cannot find now and it gives an excellent result, which looks like its been turned on a metal lathe.

Not sure I can explain the method but hear goes.

I don't use a normal wood turning chisel but something closer to a watchmakers graver, mine is made from a 5mm square hss bar ground to an angle at one end, looking at it end on it looks diamond shaped.

In use instead of cutting on the center line at the front of the bar, I cut on thr top of the bar and at quite a high speed.

I find it cuts quite quickly with a very smooth finish.

Just can't find the video now that shows how it's done but it was a pen maker showing it.