# What is this?



## ZanderPommo (May 4, 2011)

Found these pod like things while on a walk with the beagle, and liked the look of them. Glued six of them together after stabilizing slightly with CA then glued em drilled em and tried to turn em. This was a tough one, overall I invested at least 4 hours into making this, to a stunning result. I just wish I put it on a statesman or gent.

Filled some holes with crushed turquoise and then the others with a slurry of CA and gold mica powder.
Comments welcome!


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## Rfturner (May 5, 2011)

That looks really good it is too bad though that it is not on a nicer kit. I see those seed pods quite often around where I live too. I almost glued some together for the ugly pen contest without filling them :biggrin:


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## desertrat (May 5, 2011)

Seed pods from the sweet gum tree


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## low_48 (May 5, 2011)

I did a quick Google on tree seed pods and it looks like that is a Sweet Gum seed pod. Really nice pen!
Oops, desertrat beat me to it. At least we agreed.

Rich


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## jskeen (May 5, 2011)

Those are sweet gum balls.  They are indeed seed pods and were the bane of my existence as a barefoot kid growing up.  They do make a cool pen though.  Nice work on that one.  I never thought to fill mine with turquoise, I just cast them with tinted PR, then drilled and turned.

http://www.penturners.org/forum/showthread.php?t=36786
http://www.penturners.org/forum/showthread.php?t=37856


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## Rick P (May 5, 2011)

Very cool!


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## ZanderPommo (May 5, 2011)

thanks! I would have asted but dont have a working pressure pot


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## robutacion (May 5, 2011)

Very nicely done, indeed...!:wink:

Is the turquoise you crashed, the real thing (stone) or a synthetic one...???

Some of our local Casuarinas have identical pods, only the female trees produce them and they become a bit of a pest as these pods grow into trees very fast and with little difficulty so, a trouble tree species.:frown:

The way you put it all together is very effective, and I see no reason now that you know what to do and how it looks, to make another one and put it in a better kit as you hinted...!:wink::biggrin:

Spend a bit of time making a few extra blanks and you will have no problems in selling them here..!

Cheers
George


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## nava1uni (May 5, 2011)

Nice looking and interesting pen.  Good job.


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## ZanderPommo (May 5, 2011)

Ugh I'm  sure I will eventually make another, but i need a break first:biggrin:


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## ZanderPommo (May 5, 2011)

seems to be real but I cannot be sure, it was advertised as turquois "real stone"



robutacion said:


> Very nicely done, indeed...!:wink:
> 
> Is the turquoise you crashed, the real thing (stone) or a synthetic one...???
> 
> ...


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## wiset1 (May 5, 2011)

WOW...!  Really great work on this one, I wonder how this would look on a larger kit.  I bet you could ask for a couple hundred from one of those.  Really dynamic


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## ZanderPommo (May 5, 2011)

wiset1 said:


> WOW...!  Really great work on this one, I wonder how this would look on a larger kit.  I bet you could ask for a couple hundred from one of those.  Really dynamic




Yes I would like to and I dont care if they like it or not I'd price it (on a decent fountain kit) at at least 175-225
theres simply too much work to ask for less


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## Dai Sensei (May 5, 2011)

Looks like a great result to me 

I have made a few from the Sheoak pods we have here in Aus the George mentioned.  You soon find out the hard way if it is real turquoise, it will grind away your chisel, instead of the chisel cutting the turquoise


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## Old Lar (May 5, 2011)

You have much more patience than me.  That is a very different look and I like it.  We don't have any sweetgum trees in our area, but after seeing this one, I'd say if pen turners are in the area, there will be fewer trees reseeded this next year.
Great job!


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## David Keller (May 5, 2011)

Cool looking pen...  I hated these as a kid since they would jam up the wheels on the lawnmower at times and launch out from under the mower like missiles at others!


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## Pioneerpens (May 5, 2011)

looks great!! Very nicely done!


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## BKelley (May 5, 2011)

First time I ever saw any use for a sweet gum ball.  Nice work.

Ben


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## PaulDoug (May 5, 2011)

I've seen those pods or similar around my area but have never heard anyone talk of a Sweet Gum tree.  I almost picked some up once to try making a pen out of but didn't.  Now I will probably never find any more.   If I do, I have a pressure pot and I know what will happen to them.  I like your pen.  Nice work.  I do think someone on this site did cast them once before.  I kinda sorta remember...


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## BSea (May 5, 2011)

I had 1 of those trees in my yard.  I absolutely hated it.  In fact I had it cut down.  I'm glad somebody found something useful for those things.  In a bad year (or good year if you harvest sweet gum balls) they'd totally cover the ground beneath them maybe 2 deep.

But you found a really interesting use for them.  I saw someone else post a pen he made from them.  Maybe I shouldn't have cut that tree down.


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## Ruby pen turning (May 5, 2011)

We have those pods by the mega ton, I do believe it is sweet gum and I do believe the pods fall in the spring and I do believe I missed the opportunity to pic some up and try casting them :O(.
But yah That pen is awesome but sure would have been more awesomer if it was on a nicer kit. I love the turqouise in there.


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## GoodTurns (May 5, 2011)

BKelley said:


> First time I ever saw any use for a sweet gum ball.  Nice work.
> 
> Ben



oh, they make great projectiles...slingshot or just thrown...if you have a little brother....so I have heard.

The pen is a much better use for them!


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## edavisj316 (May 5, 2011)

Man you beat me to it.  I picked up a bunch of them this spring but do not have the stuff to start casting yet.  Another that I want to try are Crape Myrtle seed pods.

The pen looks great!  I would like to see what it would look like on a larger pen.  I guess I have another incintive to get started with my own casting.


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## Ruby pen turning (May 5, 2011)

Seed pods on ETSY
http://www.etsy.com/listing/5374052...pod&ga_search_type=supplies&ga_facet=supplies


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## jskeen (May 5, 2011)

Ruby pen turning said:


> Seed pods on ETSY
> http://www.etsy.com/listing/5374052...pod&ga_search_type=supplies&ga_facet=supplies



Leave it up to a Cajun to try to sell somebody sweetgum balls:biggrin:  Do you sell cockleburrs as porcupine eggs too?  

Just kidding, I'm sure there is some poor deprived yankee out there that really needs those and can't find any. 

What's next, exporting red ants, or mosquitoes?  You know, if you could ship Louisiana mosquitoes live, you could sell them to shooting clubs as live targets.  They are about the same size as doves, and not nearly as cute and cuddly, so the PETA crowd might not harass you about it.  Then again, those folks probably would object to shotgunning mosquitoes on the wing.  Oh well.

Then of course there is the liability issue, if one of them got away and bit some poor yankee, he would probably end up in the hospital.


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## Ruby pen turning (May 5, 2011)

haha I am a yankee living amongst cajuns. I come from Illinois. 45 Min out of Chicago, and this is a different part of the world let me tell you. Anyhoo I am not selling these, I just happen to see them on ETSy. If anyone is interested though I could send some for the cost of postage maybe $5.00 for the cost of a small flat rate box? No profit for me, just the shipping. I don`t have tons of these, if it was earlier spring I might but the lawn has been mowed 2 times and crushing is occuring. The ones I have are whole round ones.


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## angboy (May 5, 2011)

Very cool!!!


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## MorganGrafixx (May 5, 2011)

Yep! Those are the seed pods from a sweet gum tree. Down here in Jaw-jah, they are so abundant, you might make a case for them to be our state flower!

Sent from my iPhone using Forum Runner


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## ZanderPommo (May 5, 2011)

thank you all for your comments and compliments, it means alot considering the hell I went through making it  
nice to see it is liked


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## ZanderPommo (May 5, 2011)

GoodTurns said:


> BKelley said:
> 
> 
> > First time I ever saw any use for a sweet gum ball.  Nice work.
> ...



got an older brother, he's 22 lol
hmmmmmmmmmm......
i got a wrist rocket around here somewhere i think...


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