# Soapstone Sedona



## KDM (Jun 7, 2012)

Possibly my favourite pen yet. Soapstone on a Sedona fountain pen.

Loads of photos...











Component parts...





On the turn...


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## maxman400 (Jun 7, 2012)

Very Cool, Looks Great.


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## KDM (Jun 7, 2012)

Lovely stuff to turn and polishes up beautifully.


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## Ruby pen turning (Jun 7, 2012)

Very nice, there are a lot of colors going on in there  I didn't even know the stuff could be turned. I always thought it was a soft material.


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## Displaced Canadian (Jun 7, 2012)

I like it. Soapstone makes a nice looking pen.


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## Rick P (Jun 7, 2012)

That is one of the nicest hunks of soap stone I have seen in a long time! Very colorfull, well turned and just beautiful.


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## Jim Burr (Jun 7, 2012)

Fantastic Ken!!! I have a lot of soapstone for just this purpose...just lacking the guts! Any tips or tricks you can pass on?


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## George417 (Jun 7, 2012)

I have never done soap stone, yours looks great


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## bobjackson (Jun 7, 2012)

Looks fantastic.


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## TexasTaxi (Jun 7, 2012)

Very nice!

Where do you get the soapstone?


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## longbeard (Jun 7, 2012)

Great looking pen Ken
i've had 5 pieces of soap stone for awhile now, just not sure how to cut it, and turn it. Drilling it should'nt be to bad, any insight on how you done this would be great.
Thank you


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## crabcreekind (Jun 7, 2012)

Wow, soapstone is awesome. But since when did sedona's have metal threads?


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## KDM (Jun 8, 2012)

Jim Burr said:


> Fantastic Ken!!! I have a lot of soapstone for just this purpose...just lacking the guts! Any tips or tricks you can pass on?


Same advice any turner gives to any other turner: Take the plunge, use very sharp tools and go easy!

I used the heel of a skew in quite a shallow rake and sort of scraped it more than shaving it. It makes a shedload of powder dust: wear a mask.


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## KDM (Jun 9, 2012)

crabcreekind said:


> Wow, soapstone is awesome. But since when did sedona's have metal threads?



Looks like some do and some don't.


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## KDM (Jun 9, 2012)

longbeard said:


> Great looking pen Ken
> i've had 5 pieces of soap stone for awhile now, just not sure how to cut it, and turn it. Drilling it should'nt be to bad, any insight on how you done this would be great.



What do you meant by "cut it?" I was fortunate enough to be able to buy this one on eBay as a 20x20x130mm piece so it didn't need major cutting. To cut the cap from the barrel, I used a fine-tooth jr. hacksaw.

I admit to a small cheat for drilling: I was too scared of going off-centre, so I roughed it round between a 3-jaw chuck and a live centre, then centre drilled it in the lathe.


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## hewunch (Jun 9, 2012)

Sweet! I like the looks of that. Any finish?


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## KDM (Jun 9, 2012)

hewunch said:


> Sweet! I like the looks of that. Any finish?



None whatsoever. 400, 600 and 1000 grit wet and dry paper, then 1800, 3600, 8000 grit pads.

...and I think that was overkill. There's not a scratch on it.


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## longbeard (Jun 9, 2012)

Well, my pieces are from 3'' to 5'' wide and 7'' to 8'' long. So, i need to cut it.


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## sfallsguy (Jun 9, 2012)

longbeard said:


> Great looking pen Ken
> i've had 5 pieces of soap stone for awhile now, just not sure how to cut it, and turn it. Drilling it should'nt be to bad, any insight on how you done this would be great.
> Thank you


 

I have cut it, I had a 3x3 x6 block that was a carving block, but I cut blanks from it with a table saw and a combination blade, and no problem.  It was probably the third pen I tried, I had it drilled and mounted on the lathe, but was going too fast and it blew apart.  Haven't tried the others since, but I did learn from it.


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## longbeard (Jun 9, 2012)

sfallsguy said:


> longbeard said:
> 
> 
> > Great looking pen Ken
> ...



Thanks for the info. Dont have a TS but i do have radial arm saw.


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## KDM (Jun 10, 2012)

longbeard said:


> Thanks for the info. Dont have a TS but i do have radial arm saw.



That might be a bit harsh. I predict lots of chips flying! What size are your pieces? Depending on the density, it might not take too long with a hand hacksaw.


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## longbeard (Jun 10, 2012)

Stuff i have looks and feels like a rock but was told it was soapstone???
Told it was used for around the kithen sink from an old house.
I will take pics later today and post, 4 or 5 pieces, 3'' or 4'' wide & 5'' to 7'' long?, 3/4'' thick maybe. Thought of using a grinder with a cut-off wheel with a little water to hold the dust down.


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## KDM (Jun 11, 2012)

Please do! Would they use soapstone on a sink? It might be fairly easily damaged if you dropped a pot on it, for example. I wonder is your stuff Corian, but maybe in a soapstone pattern?


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## longbeard (Jun 11, 2012)

Got the pics, but gonna try to down load from phone in just a bit. Stuff i got feels and looks like stone, couple pieces have cut marks in them but yes, the guy said that they were from around a sink. ???


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## longbeard (Jun 11, 2012)

here is what i have


View attachment 76591

shoulda been 3 pics there ???? dont know what happened


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## longbeard (Jun 11, 2012)

So, you guys tell me, is this soapstone?


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## KDM (Jun 11, 2012)

Could be. Soapstone tends to come in different patterns. If you were able to cut it easily, it probably is. I'm no expert, but if you're able to cut into it with a sharp knife, I'd guess it almost certainly is.


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## longbeard (Jun 11, 2012)

i'd hate to see the knife that would cut that 
this stuff feels and looks like stone. As you can see in the first pic, the ends of it. If i had a small piece, i would send it to ya. Gonna try the grinder with the cuttin disc on it and see what happens tomarro.


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## KDM (Jun 12, 2012)

Nah, nah, nah. If it needs a grinder, it ain't soapstone. Soapstone is so called because it feels like soap. Sort of smooth and alkaliney.


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## MrWright (Jun 12, 2012)

Go heavy on the resperators as Soapstone has ASBESTOS in it and is highly toxic.  Check it out first before you start.  BUT, I do like those colors and the pretty pen.


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## MrWright (Jun 12, 2012)

I dug some SOAPSTONE just out of Cleaments, CA when I went to a Lapidary Show in Valley Springs, CA.  I carved some a Indian Head with a knife, and was told it had ASBESTOS in it.  It will feel like a piece of dry soap, with maybe powder on it.  Check out the make-up on SOAPSTONE to make sure.  If those pieces were on a counter top I doubt hey were real soapstone, just Acrylic to like like it.  I may be mistaken, but please be careful.


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