# Not Wood Pens



## Tomspens (Oct 17, 2010)

I'm looking to make high quality pens out of materials other than wood
Does anyone have any suggestions for nice pens made out of other materials (trustone etc.)?


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## JBCustomPens (Oct 17, 2010)

Ebonite
Lucite
Bakelite
Exotic blanks resins (www.exoticblanks.com)
Bone
Antler
Gator Jaw Bone
Segmented Resins

This should get you started...


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## penmanship (Oct 17, 2010)

I second all of the listed below.......an extra shout out for Casein from exotics.



JBCustomPens said:


> Ebonite
> Lucite
> Bakelite
> Exotic blanks resins (www.exoticblanks.com)
> ...


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## ssajn (Oct 17, 2010)

Yup, what they said.


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## ed4copies (Oct 17, 2010)

Tomspens said:


> I'm looking to make high quality pens out of materials other than wood
> Does anyone have any suggestions for nice pens made out of other materials (trustone etc.)?




First buy some inexpensive resins---Dawn's PR or other "non-commercial acrylic" blanks.  Learn to turn them---they are NOT the same as wood.

Once you are comfortable that you CAN successfully turn resins and other non-wood, THEN embark on the unusual, exotic and more precise turning.  

Expensive blanks can make NICE pens.  But, they can also be "blown up", if you don't have the "touch".  

Just a word of warning and an attempt to save you some ruined "expensive blanks".


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## PenMan1 (Oct 17, 2010)

i'll put this in boxing terms because that is one of the things I really understand.

Turning most alternative materials is like fighting a left handed boxer. EVERYTHING is different!

The typical advice here is "go slow and be careful". Just like with fighting a left handed boxer, if you go slow, You WILL get your "A$$" kicked, because they know what they are doing and you don't! 

I have found that most of the alternatives that I turn, (some exceptions) repond much better to a fast lathe than a slow lathe. Additionally, carbide tools "ain't no" friend to wood. Conversely, I would NEVER turn most alternative products with HSS tools. This would mean I actually have to sharpen them. I SUCK AT SHARPENING TOOLS. 

If my woodchuck doesn't draw blood when I run my finger across the insert to see if it is sharp, I turn the screw and bring on a fresh edge. Aluminum, stainless, brass, BLACK Tru-stone, jade, soapstone (to some extent). antler, sea shells, concrete (yes concrete), braided copper wire, alabaster , and rebar will laugh at your HSS tools and simply ruin a good tool.

If you are going to "specialize" in alternative materials, first revisit your "fight" plan and get the right tools and the right lathe (or lathe speed) to cut the materials. They ain't your father's oak tree- They are not wood and they take a new set of skills and tools. Additionally, I've found that turning UP the stereo or TV, so that unannounced visitors don't scare the crap out of you, also helps.

Respectfully submitted.


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## ed4copies (Oct 18, 2010)

Well said, Andy!!

I don't turn concrete, but I do use HSS tools.
To each their own, but both of us have turned a LOT of alternative materials and rarely "blow one up".


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## brianp (Oct 18, 2010)

I definetly agree with Andy about the speed, in my opinion alternative materials do turn better at faster speeds, just make sure you dont try to dig in to it too fast.  I suggest a faster speed but with light and slow cuts. 

But i still use HSS tools on alternative materials, i would like to have a carbide tool, but i dont and HSS will suffice, but expect to sharpen it a lot if you use it on most alternative tools.  If you keep it sharp then you can get it to cut ribbons on most alternative materials and have no problems, and they wont mess up a quality HSS tool unless they are dull and you keep using it and really heat the tool up.  But thats easily avoidable.  But if you dont want to shapen your tools then a carbide tool would be a must, a dull tool is a lot more dangerous than a sharp one.  And personaly i dont use a skew on most alternative materials, i do most of it with a gouge (both roughing the blank and shaping it) and a file on metals such as aluminum, but thats just what i have found works for me.


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## PenMan1 (Oct 18, 2010)

Brian and Ed:
We are all on the same page here. I turn quite a bit of Black Gemstone with gold web and Red Gemstone with gold web (16 sticks last week, alone). I live near the University of Georgia and do quite a bit of "Bulldog" work for the various booster clubs,etc.

It just really isn't feasible for me to use HSS when cutting this much tru-stone. I would spend more time sharpening than turning. When you have 2 days to make 20 tru-stone pens, you look for every time-saving advantage that you can find. The Woodchuck is my time saver. And besides, as I said earlier, I really stink at sharpening tools.


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## brianp (Oct 19, 2010)

Oh wow. Yes i have to agree HSS in that case would be rather impractical.  I turn realitevely few pens compared to others.  I keep most of mine (I get attached to each one) or give them to friends.  But i would definetly invest in a carbide tool if I was selling a lot, I want one even now.  So it is feasible to use HSS, but if someone was turning that many alternative blanks then I would agree with you, i get tired of sharpening as is and I only turn about one or two pens a week.


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## ldubia (Oct 24, 2010)

*metal pen blanks*



JBCustomPens said:


> Ebonite
> Lucite
> Bakelite
> Exotic blanks resins (www.exoticblanks.com)
> ...



What he said plus M3 metal blanks as well as copper, aluminum, brass.  There are a lot of alternative materials to use.  Each one has its own characteristics and should be treated carefully lest you "blow up" a blank.


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