# A few more pendants



## AlanZ (Apr 30, 2010)

Here are a couple more of our recent pendants.

Lauren has been having a good time with the beads, crystals and wirework to complement the wood.

I finally used up the last of our padauk and zebrawood... have some other interesting wood blanks to explore for our next round.

More pendant photos are on my web page.

Thanks for looking.


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## CaptG (May 1, 2010)

WOW, you have come a long way in the pendant building.  Nice job.  They all look great.


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## alphageek (May 1, 2010)

Brilliant... Nice taking them to the next level!


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## turnaround (May 1, 2010)

Very nice, I like them all.


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## PaulDoug (May 1, 2010)

What a team you guys make.  Really nice stuff.


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## Mark (May 1, 2010)

Really nice. 

Do Pendants sell well? Just a question from someone who has never made one (yet)? :biggrin::biggrin::biggrin:


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## AlanZ (May 1, 2010)

Mark,

I don't know how they would sell.  As of now, all the pendants we've made have been given as gifts to ladies in our lives.

Lauren has done a little research into possible sales, and it does look like there's a market for these in the same venues that would be good for pen, craft and other similar items.  These can be made at a reasonable price point, and might be good impulse buys.

I can tell you that the women who now own the pendants we made wear them on a regular basis... they're not just being polite, they really like them.


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## keithkarl2007 (May 1, 2010)

I really like the Buckeye Burl pendants on your site. Must get some pieces large enough for a few pendants.


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## AlanZ (May 1, 2010)

Keith,

Some of the buckeye burl pieces we've made are really fascinating to look at.  One looks like a satellite photo of a tropical storm <vbf>

I particularly like the grey buckeye, a very rich and understated look.


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## Mark (May 1, 2010)

AlanZ said:


> Mark,
> 
> I don't know how they would sell.  As of now, all the pendants we've made have been given as gifts to ladies in our lives.
> 
> ...



Thank you. My wife is interested in making them, I just didn't know who wears them. They would make great gifts too. Thanks for sharing the pix. You have some really nice ones on your site too.


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## Jim15 (May 1, 2010)

Those are outstanding, great work.


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## PenMan1 (May 5, 2010)

If you decide to do shows in the South, PLEASE PM me, then I'll leave my little dingy things at home. YOUR'S ARE WONDERFUL. Nice style, elegant and yet understated.

Please tell me that you sell these for 50 + $.


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## AlanZ (May 5, 2010)

Thanks all for the kind words.

So far, these have all be given as gifts to friends, coworkers and family (and Lauren has kept several for herself).

In the future, we may produce some for sale and see how that goes.

To this point, it's been all about experimenting with materials and techniques.  

Part of the joy of making these early pendants is figuring out how to actually produce them. Lots of successes, several failures.

For example, how and when during the process to bore the large center hole without blowing up the relatively fragile slice of wood. Here are just some of the decisions:

Drill press or lathe? 
If lathe, forstner bit or chisel?
If drill press, bore the wood slices one at a time, or do a solid block then slice later? If one at a time, bore hole while wood is still square, or after rough rounding on the bandsaw?
Bore one large hole or a series of progressively larger holes?

All of these (and other) little decisions are tweaked depending on the materials and their tendancy to break and fly off of the machinery. I've spent quality time locating and picking up pieces of 'almost' pendants from the shop floor <vbg>

We're having a lot of fun with these. The women who now wear them are delighted with the results


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## Dorno (May 7, 2010)

I would like to ask what may seem like a silly question. But what sort and where did you get your tape from ?
 I used just the normal double sided tape from the hardware shop but it didn't seem to hold and flew off ?
 I have noticed craft supplies USA have some for sale that states it is cloth backed ? is this a better tape or do I just keep going with what I already have?

Thanks   Ian


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## AlanZ (May 7, 2010)

Currently I'm using up a roll of carpet tape that I got from home depot.  I may switch over to turner's tape at some point when this roll is gone.

Carpet tape does a fine job of holding pendants to the backer plate.


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## Buzzzz4 (May 7, 2010)

They look fantastic. Thanks for sharing them and on your website. My wife and I have been working together on the same thing. It's fun to collaborate on something your LOML takes interest in.


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## Craftdiggity (May 7, 2010)

Hi, Alan.  Those are great.  Can you tell us a bit about your process?  After drilling the off center holes, how do you shape them?  I assume you use a dremel tool or something like that.

Chris


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## AlanZ (May 7, 2010)

Chris,

It's all done on the lathe.  Do a search for Pendant Backer plates.  Ed (YoYoSpin) did a nice video tutorial on the basic techniques.  I adapted the techniques for the larger offset hole.

I've made some photos of the process, but haven't done a complete set yet.  I'll post them when I get a chance.


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## Dorno (May 8, 2010)

Please do post your pics when you get a chance alan because I am always keen to learn what people do to enchance the process.

Thanks    Ian


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## hewunch (May 8, 2010)

Great work! Those are spectacular!


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