# My pine cone pen instructions



## BobNashvillega

Here is my attempt at giving instructions on making a pine cone pen

First start out with a cone about this size 





(all I usually find on my land) some have larger ones. 

I then cut it on a band saw to get ready for polyresin.






  Next place the cone in some aluimiun foil or what ever container you want to use. I use the foil because after pouring the resin we go back to the band saw

Here is were you need to decide if its going to be a thick pen or maybe a slim line. The examples I will use here are of a new European pen I am making so it will require me to add a colored resin to fill gaps in the cone.







the top two are filled with a colored tan resin and the bottom with clear resin
these were turned round after cutting the resin that was poured in the mold.
Once they are round like this I then will drill them for the pen tubes and square off the ends

Important to note here is as you turn them to get round you will get closer to the pine and you will need to put some CA on as you go to prevent the pine cone from breaking off






 this is one side of the two tans one turned with eurpean bushings
here is the opposite side of the same two tubes






Notice how the filled in areas are taken care of. Some say at this point it starts to look like a snake skin blank.
I usually do not turn all the way down to the final size because of fear it will break the cone.  Remember more CA between turnings soaks into the core and helps prevent the ocone from flying apart.  If you do have problems you usually can fill the gaps with shavings and CA.


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## BobNashvillega

I have all these pics clearer in a pdj file but not sure if its ok to post pdf file here.

If interested let me know or maybe Jeff may like the instructions
once again I must say part of this credit has to go to many others posting on here with thier ideas of pine cones and cactus pens. I am in no way trying to take away from what they have done. Just someone asked me to post a how too on this.


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## Dario

Thanks Bob!

Those are really striking.  I want to make some of those later too. (as well as several 1,000 others [8)][V] that I might not live long enough to try)


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## alamocdc

> _Originally posted by Dario_
> <br />I want to make some of those later too. (as well as several 1,000 others [8)][V] that I might not live long enough to try)



Tell me about it! My problem is that I have so many things that I want to try that I can't decide which one to start on.


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## emackrell

Very neat pens!

Is the aluminum foil the mold, or does it line the mold?  Just trying to visualize the process.

cheers  Eileen [8D]


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## BobNashvillega

i only use the foil as the mold, then you can take it to the band saw and square up the sides before turning it round.  Also important i forgot, when I put it on the lathe to turn round make sure you put CA on the ends so you dont put too much pressure on them and split them before you get to drill for the tubes


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## PopPop

Hi Bob,  I'm new to the pine cones.  What kind of polyresin is used and how is it applied to the pine cones?  Thanks,

Chuck


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## jeffj13

Thanks for the tutorial.

I'm curious about the resin process as well.

jeff


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## BobNashvillega

Pop and Jeff the process is the same as what Curtis O. Seebeck uses for the cactus pens,  he has instructions posted on the home page, I want to especially thank him and others that have posted. The helped me put this different idea on my lathe to turn.
here are pictures of the finished euro.


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## chigdon

Thanks Bob, I am looking forward to trying it.  Do you use a pressure pot or does it do a good enough job filling the voids without it?


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## BobNashvillega

I have not used a pressure pot, but then again sometimes you will find some imperfections and I just us the shavings and CA to fix


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## PopPop

> _Originally posted by BobNashvillega_
> <br />Pop and Jeff the process is the same as what Curtis O. Seebeck uses for the cactus pens,  he has instructions posted on the home page, I want to especially thank him and others that have posted. The helped me put this different idea on my lathe to turn.
> here are pictures of the finished euro.



Thanks Bob, I'll see if I can find Curtis's website and take a look.  []  
Chuck


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## saftrep

Hmmmmmmmmm, never had to cast the cones I use. Food for thought.

David





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## alamocdc

Bob, you convinced me to try spruce cones again. Now that I have my pressure pot, that is.[]


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## BobNashvillega

David,
not all require using poly, but if you want different affects you can use the smaller cones and the poly and get the snake (so i have been told) appearance.  The trick is in the size of the cone you start out with and the design your looking for.  If all cone is the end look then make sure you pick out a cone that has a center dia. big enough for the pen kit your using. and nice pen you made I might say too.


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## PopPop

> _Originally posted by BobNashvillega_
> <br />David,
> not all require using poly, but if you want different affects you can use the smaller cones and the poly and get the snake (so i have been told) appearance.  The trick is in the size of the cone you start out with and the design your looking for.  If all cone is the end look then make sure you pick out a cone that has a center dia. big enough for the pen kit your using. and nice pen you made I might say too.



David, that is one beautiful pen.  What process did you use to get the resin to flow to the center of the cone?  I just got a vacuum pot set up, but don't have a pressure pot yet.  Dosen't the vacuum pot work as well as pressure for getting bubbles out of the resin?  I checked out the tutorial that CS posted, but he didn't reference the vacuum system. [?]
Thanks,
Chuck


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## saftrep

I don't use resin for the pine cone pens. I find them big enough (most of the time)for cigar sized pens. I could see using resin for smaller cones like Bob did.

David


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## PopPop

Thanks David.  The pine cones that I can find around here are kind of small.  By the time I saw the outside off to make a square blank, there isn't much left in the middle.  I think I'm going to have to use the epoxy to even have enough to turn.  [8D]
Thanks,  Chuck


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## BobNashvillega

Poppop
  Have you tried making a pine cone one yet!


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## PopPop

> _Originally posted by BobNashvillega_
> <br />Poppop
> Have you tried making a pine cone one yet!



No Bob I haven't tried to turn a pine cone yet.  I have looked around for the resin and a pressure pot.  HF has the pressure pot, but I haven't found the resin sited in the tutorial.  I did find another 2 part epoxy resin counter top finish at Lowe's that should work, but it is a little pricey for me.  I'm going to have to sell some regular pens before I try the pine cones.  [8D]

Chuck


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## johncrane

they look great BOB thanks for sharing with us []


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## Skye

> _Originally posted by PopPop_....HF has the pressure pot, but I haven't found the resin sited in the tutorial.....




I donâ€™t want to get into a big.... thing..  but wouldnâ€™t a vacuum setup be better for this?


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## PopPop

> _Originally posted by Skye_
> <br />
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> _Originally posted by Pop Pop_....HF has the pressure pot, but I haven't found the resin sited in the tutorial.....
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I donâ€™t want to get into a big.... thing..  but wouldnâ€™t a vacuum setup be better for this?
Click to expand...


That's the same question I asked myself.  I thought back to when I made crowns & bridges (teeth), and packed the acrylic under pressure to cure it.  We seldom had any problems with bubbles in it.  I think the same principal would apply for this process too.  Vacuum curing would not pull all the bubbles out of the resin.  []

Chuck


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## bob393

Thank you! Very interesting.[]


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## BobNashvillega

Thanks for the reply bob393.  I certainly hope my posting has helped any that have wanted to try making these type of pens. I have noticed the numbers of views has gone up but no comments.  Not sure if that is a good thing or bad.  Here is my latest version of a pine cone that I made for the PITH 2006[] OH and it was my first attempt at this type of pen.



<br />


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## PopPop

Nice job Bob.  These pens kind of remind me of pheasants.  Not the texture but the colors and pattern.  Beautiful!  []


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## BobNashvillega

thanks Pop []


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## BobNashvillega

Here is my latest real Georgia Pine cone pen, I made this for James he saw my pens when I was working on my website 
http://www.home.earthlink.net/~nadawg
it is my first attempt at making a pen larger than a slimline, I think it and the zebra wood pen turned out pretty good.


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