# cholla cactus



## its_virgil (Feb 6, 2011)

I'm getting ready for the Desert Woodturning RoundUP. One of my demos is making pens from alternative materials. I was given two bags of cholla cactus from a good friend from NM at the AAW symposium in Albuquerque two years ago. I took one piece last nite and here is the result. The voids were filled with powdered azurite and thin CA. This will not be the last of these for me.  Comments welcome: good, bad, or indifferent.
Do a good turn daily!
Don


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## greggas (Feb 6, 2011)

Don;

I really like the look of that on the zen..really captures the look of the material..nice job


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## louie68 (Feb 6, 2011)

Nice pen Virgil, Did you use a pressure pot?


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## its_virgil (Feb 6, 2011)

Greg: Thanks for the comment. I wanted to do a one barrel pen and the sierra wasn't the right size and the Zen was the only other I had on hand. Actually, I wish it were the zen because I like the magnetic top. It is actually one of the other Zen types with the screw on cap which I do not like because the caps do like to come off. Anyway, thanks for commenting...I appreciate it.

Louie: Thanks also for the comments. No pressure pot. I just placed the azurite powdered stone in the voids, packed it in and dropped a couple of drops of thin CA on top. I did this for each void. Filling the voids took longer than turning the pen. The stone is quite hard and rough on the tools. I actually used the Easy Wood Tool easy rougher with the r4 tip. Sanded and finished with CA. My next one will be cast with colored PR and then I will use the pressure pot. Watch for the next one.

Do a good turn daily!
Don


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## OKLAHOMAN (Feb 6, 2011)

Don, that's superb and I don't mind the cap coming off every so offten, you know my address:wink:.


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## ctubbs (Feb 6, 2011)

Don, beautiful pen.  So the rock is hard and destroys your tools.  The tools can always be replaced.  That pen on the other hand, well, what can I say!
Charles


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## its_virgil (Feb 7, 2011)

Thanks again for the comments. A customer saw it on Facebook and now wants one...but the filling has to be green...his wife loves green. I may have to try casting with some green PR. 
Do a good turn daily!
Don


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## dozuki (Feb 7, 2011)

That looks great.  I have tried chola cactus a couple times and they all come out looking like well the oposit of yours.  Great work


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## Ruby pen turning (Feb 7, 2011)

That looks awesome, I would love to try some of this stuff out.


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## Mr Vic (Feb 7, 2011)

Virgel, Try using some green colored sand. You can find different colors at Hobby Lobby. A local AAW chapter member does natural edge bowls with turquoise and has started using the sand  I've done a couple Cholla with Turquoise. I think the demension and depth from the crushed stone looks much beter then simple resin


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## its_virgil (Feb 7, 2011)

Thanks Vic.I will take a look and possibly look for other stuff while I'm there. I've had good luck using embossing powder before.
Do a good turn daily!
Don 



Mr Vic said:


> Virgel, Try using some green colored sand. You can find different colors at Hobby Lobby. A local AAW chapter member does natural edge bowls with turquoise and has started using the sand  I've done a couple Cholla with Turquoise. I think the demension and depth from the crushed stone looks much beter then simple resin


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## boxerman (Feb 7, 2011)

A very nice pen.


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## seamus7227 (Feb 7, 2011)

Don,  Nice job! I'm not a big fan of that plating however, it is a nice match. Did you have to drill out the inside at all? Someone cast a piece of that for me once using black PR and all I did was turn it round between centers and then drill my hole, then turn the rest of the way down. If you didnt drill through it, then that must have been a painstaking task filling all of the voids?!


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## its_virgil (Feb 7, 2011)

Thanks Seamus. I don't like the kit either, but I do like the Zen with the magnetic cap.  That (not liking the stretch) is one reason I chose this kit, just in case it didn't work out. 

I found a piece of cactus that was a good fit for the tube but was just a bit too small. I did drill it out, insert the tube and drizzle a little thin CA. Then I individually filled each void...one at a time...   If I cast, I will cast with the tube inserted and plugged and hope the PR fills the voids.

Do a good turn daily!
Don



seamus7227 said:


> Don,  Nice job! I'm not a big fan of that plating however, it is a nice match. Did you have to drill out the inside at all? Someone cast a piece of that for me once using black PR and all I did was turn it round between centers and then drill my hole, then turn the rest of the way down. If you didnt drill through it, then that must have been a painstaking task filling all of the voids?!


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## Glenn McCullough (Feb 7, 2011)

Don,
     Great job...wish I were able to make it to your demo!!


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## thewishman (Feb 7, 2011)

Very pretty blue - that azurite looks good, it makes a nice contrast with the cactus. Thumbs up!


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## wizard (Feb 8, 2011)

Beautiful! Love the contrast. The extra time definitely paid off. Thanks for showing. Regards, Doc


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## johncrane (Feb 8, 2011)

Great looking pen Don! awesome blank, also Don these blanks would look in 3D!!  color the tube and fill with clear resin :wink::biggrin:


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## shadetree_1 (Mar 30, 2011)

Thank you for your posting my friend, now I know what my Cholla looks like in a turning and all I can say is, WOW !!!!! So let me know if you want some folks, I'll be happy to go get more !!!!!!!!!!!
Thanks
Joe


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## workinforwood (Mar 31, 2011)

Looks perfect Don


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## snowman56 (Mar 31, 2011)

Very nice


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## jonrms (Apr 11, 2011)

any advice.. I bought some and decided to cast them in resin... I will show you some photos below.. I guess I will have to place where I want my blank based on when I cut the blank as this is a trial.. I just put them in a mold that I bought from PTownSubbie and then poured in the resin... I had to hold them down as I didnt think about them floating.... I asked Mr Subbie to make me a special mold... to my request.. and I think he is working on it... but here is what I found thus far... I will update my pics later... when I cut one.. and turn one. 





By jonrms at 2011-04-06





By jonrms at 2011-04-07

this last one shows From left to right.. bottom, side and top.





By jonrms at 2011-04-07


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