# Make your own Stone Blank Recipe?



## civilwartalk (May 11, 2021)

So, if you have some stones or bricks you want to pulverize and turn into pen blanks, is there a process for that?  In my searching I saw a "TruStone Recipe" but was really just a special marbled resin mix. Nothing about "Making TruStone Style Blanks" in the resources....

My first thought was to just mix stone/brick dust to resin, but I'm pretty sure once the mix can rest, the dust will sink, or maybe float if a bubble of air attaches to a clump of dust. I'm thinking that I can't just do this the easy way, or everyone would already be doing it....

I can imagine that if you make resin and let it start to setup and get warm/hot and a little "thicker" that you could add some media like brick dust to it, and it might not settle to the bottom of the blank. That might work, but I imagine it would introduce lots of bubbles too. Maybe a pressure pot could squeeze the bubbles out, maybe not, I'm not sure....

Does anyone currently do custom stone filled blanks like this?

Why?  Well, I have some bricks that I'd like to use in a pen blank. Historic bricks.  I can and will use them in an inlay, but I was thinking, if I was going to make like 10 or 20 pens, it might be easier to make blanks, cut them up, and add the inlays as a segment.....

I dunno, maybe I'm asking for too much


----------



## Joebobber (May 11, 2021)

I would think something soft like gypsum is the rock mix.  Im sure you could mix powder dye with it too.  Or like that Dunhams rock hard putty that's basically gypsum.

But with bricks, I guess you should get plenty of dust from 1 to try adding a little to the resin at a time?


----------



## MRDucks2 (May 11, 2021)

The stone dust content seems pretty high for stone based blanks. I would think the key would be finding the saturation point of stone to the type of resin you using. Likely getting it thoroughly mixed and the dust coated in order to get it to stick is key. 

While I have seen them cracked and broken, I haven’t seen any rounded corners or other surface or edge that you may see from a cast blank. Makes me wonder if it all does since and there is a sacrificial layer.

pressure casting may be key. There are some materials that get made under physical pressure ie. MDF vs just atmospheric pressure.

One other thing to consider would be particle consistency. Obviously the stone blanks use a very consistent very fine particle to give a solid look. Little chunks mixed in results in a whole different outcome.


----------



## civilwartalk (May 12, 2021)

The harder I attempt to come up with a method that this will work with, the more problems I see with it.

I think I'm going to attempt something more like this:





						Wenge, Brass and Soapstone
					

This was a fun one!  I was pulling my summer tires out from under the front porch and an oppossum had found its way under them, made a nest, and subsequently passed on. It stank. So I had the unenviable job of extracting it. In the process of cleaning out the nest, I found a bag with rocks in it...



					www.penturners.org
				




If I get a set of these blades:








						Incredible Blades, Carbide Cutting Rods, 2 Pack
					

Amazing deals on this 2Pk Incredible Blade Carbide Cutting Rods at Harbor Freight. Quality tools & low prices.




					www.harborfreight.com
				




Maybe I can cut the brick into nice size segments, maybe even cut the corners off. The hard part would be drilling a hole in the brick without breaking things... Not sure I can count on cutting them on the lathe. Probably easier and safer to sand them down to the appropriate size...

With patience, and some ingenuity, maybe even a jig, I might be able to pull this off....

I will need to go get a brick to practice with.... before I break a bunch of historic bricks....


----------



## Joebobber (May 12, 2021)

I happen to have a few soapstone blocks cut into pen blanks if you need some.  They are all greyish though...  i have a 20lb chunk from India that is blue and green with some red, but I haven't cut into it yet.  Soapstone is a great way to go.  Or even better Pipestone.  I forget the actual name of it, but it sure looks brick like!  I have a little left if you wanted a picture of it.


----------



## civilwartalk (May 13, 2021)

Joebobber said:


> I happen to have a few soapstone blocks cut into pen blanks if you need some.  They are all greyish though...  i have a 20lb chunk from India that is blue and green with some red, but I haven't cut into it yet.  Soapstone is a great way to go.  Or even better Pipestone.  I forget the actual name of it, but it sure looks brick like!  I have a little left if you wanted a picture of it.


That's actually not a bad idea, I'm willing to attempt anything to practice first before I make a complete fool of myself.  At least if I know someone was successful before me, than I can follow that example, and see what I can learn....

We will have to chat privately and discuss, I'm interested!


----------



## Joebobber (May 13, 2021)

Catlinite is what pipestone is.  It just came to me.


----------

