# 978 Piece 360 Heringbone



## TribalRR (Oct 21, 2008)

This is my entry in a contest on the Eagle forum. I have been working on it for almost 2 months. It is made from 978 pieces of ebony veneer and aluminum. Please let me know what you think about the pen and/or the picture.

Thanks


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## B727phixer (Oct 21, 2008)

Man...that is beautiful!


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## flyingmelon (Oct 21, 2008)

Wow! 978 pieces in that short of space. Very nice looking pen. A bit dark on the photo to see all the detail but WOW great looking pen.


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## workinforwood (Oct 21, 2008)

Photo could be a hair brighter, but it doesn't take away from the incredible craftsmanship!


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## VisExp (Oct 21, 2008)

As I've told you before, my head hurts every time you post one of those and I sit here trying to figure out how you did it :biggrin:

Stunning pen Chip!  The ebony and aluminum work so well together in that kit and your craftsmanship is outstanding.  Very inspiring!


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## mobrackett (Oct 21, 2008)

Fantastic looking pen.  Great job!!!  I don't have the patients


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## twoofakind (Oct 21, 2008)

Outstanding job! My head is starting to hurt just trying to figure out how you did it.


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## thewishman (Oct 21, 2008)

Gorgeous! Beautiful work.


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## marcruby (Oct 21, 2008)

Congratulations, that is simply one of the best pens I've ever seen.  I'm amazed.  I'm going to have to figure out how to do that.  You deserve every bit of credit you get for that pen.

Marc



TribalRR said:


> This is my entry in a contest on the Eagle forum. I have been working on it for almost 2 months. It is made from 978 pieces of ebony veneer and aluminum. Please let me know what you think about the pen and/or the picture.
> 
> Thanks


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## PaulDoug (Oct 21, 2008)

That is just flat TOO much WORK!  But it is also flat gorgeous!


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## karlkuehn (Oct 21, 2008)

Chip, that's outstanding. That picture is the first I've seen of your recent work in months, and I'm speechless. Well...mostly...I don't get speechless much.

Without a doubt, that's the best symmetrically segmented pen I've ever seen, and that's setting the bar way up there..

You've taken it to the next level, man. If Rain Man was to own a pen, I bet it'd be that one! Yeah...definite-definitely 978 pieces in my rollerball pen...yeah...nine hundred...nine hundred seventy-eight...it's very sparkly...very shiny... 

I'm in awe. I revel in just piling crap into a mold and dumping resin on it...I'm pretty sure that's not what you did there. heh


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## papaturner (Oct 21, 2008)

That`s a true picture of patience........Beautiful. Have a:coffeen me.


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## Freethinker (Oct 21, 2008)

That might be the most astounding, most magnificent pen I've seen on here. Fantastic job.

Respectfully though, I tried to count the pieces that would be in each "row" and no matter how I try, I cannot see how there are 978 pieces involved.

Anyway, superb work. Congrats.


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## chriselle (Oct 21, 2008)

I love jig saw puzzles....as long as SOMEONE else puts them together. 

 Man, that's just nuts... and I mean that in the respectful way.  I just spent the last 3 minutes trying to figure out how you made this..  Now I'm just tired and depressed and I gotta go lay down.:biggrin:

Seriously though.  Amazing!


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## TribalRR (Oct 21, 2008)

Wow! Thanks for the compliments, I really appreaciate them!

Karl- If you just pile crap in a mold and dump resin on it, I just stack crap up and soak it with glue... LOL I love your work.

Dan, there is a lot of waste because of the way each piece is arranged at the ends of the blank. This blank has 163 rows before cutting which made the blank about 5.5" long. There are two rows of 1/32" thick ebony to each row of .04" thick aluminum.


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## kruzzer (Oct 21, 2008)

That pen is outstanding..... I would really llike to see a picture of the blank before it was turned.  Did you take one??


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## fernhills (Oct 21, 2008)

wow


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## RMB (Oct 21, 2008)

Looks great! I can't figure out though how there are almost a thousand pieces in there.. looks like max a couple hundred to me. Either way, lots of work.


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## JayDevin (Oct 21, 2008)

Superbly Stunning!!!


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## Jim15 (Oct 21, 2008)

There are not enough nice words to say about the pen, simply outstanding.


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## theartist07 (Oct 21, 2008)

Nothing to say but, fantastic ! Great craftsmanship.

Jim
Lenoir,N.C.


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## darrylm (Oct 21, 2008)

dang!
that's one sweet pen!


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## toolcrazy (Oct 21, 2008)

You have way more patients than I. 

Beautiful pen.


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## Mather323 (Oct 21, 2008)

Great Work on you pen!   Wow!


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## jttheclockman (Oct 22, 2008)

Drop dead gorgeous!!!!!!!! I saw the pen in the latest photos on top of the page when I first got on tonight and said wow to myself and was going to ask who did it but I see you have come forward and say great piece of work and worth every bit of time you put into it.


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## leehljp (Oct 22, 2008)

That is ONE BEAUTIFUL Pen! GREAT WORK!


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## Freethinker (Oct 22, 2008)

Thanks for the response, Chip.

Again.....a terrific display of penturning excellence (not to mention the patience it must have taken!) .

I just wish we could have seen the photos of it 'in progress' as it took form, was cut into a blank and turned.


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## airrat (Oct 22, 2008)

Great job on it.  Very elegant and classy in my opinion.


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## talbot (Oct 22, 2008)

A lot of work but what a result.
Lovely pen.
regards, Bill


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## mrburls (Oct 22, 2008)

*978 pieces*

Awesome Artwork!!! That's not just turning a pen, that's truely a craftsman at his best. Color is striking. Great job. Keith


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## softail_jack (Oct 22, 2008)

Beautiful Pen


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## TribalRR (Oct 22, 2008)

Thanks again everyone for the compliments!

I'm sorry, but I didn't take a picture of the blank before puting it on the mandrel. I usually do too. Just in case it blows up, I have proof... Not that it would matter. 

I'm not sure I can explain where all the pieces are with out explaining how to make the blank... Which I'm not going to do.   To actually look at the pen and count visible pieces there are probably around 600. But to make the blank solid and usuable, more pieces are needed. Obviously, this kit does not require a 5.5" blank (which took 978 pieces) but I didn't want to cut it and square things up to find out it was short.


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## wolftat (Oct 22, 2008)

I love that pen, it's a killer look. I am going to have to give it a try after I make another couple dozen of the other ones. Outstanding job!!!


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## DKF (Oct 22, 2008)

That is a beautiful pen!


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## holmqer (Oct 22, 2008)

Gorgeous work, the more I see of these the more I want to try it, but that many segments... I would loose what little sanity I have left.


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## Darley (Oct 23, 2008)

chip you done well, I still have my pieces in a bag and done 3 rows so far no much time for puzzle right now, very nice pen I'm sure that your worries was the aluminium if it going to holder with the wood while turning the pen


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## Freethinker (Oct 23, 2008)

TribalRR said:


> Thanks again everyone for the compliments!
> 
> I'm sorry, but I didn't take a picture of the blank before puting it on the mandrel. I usually do too. Just in case it blows up, I have proof... Not that it would matter. .



Could I ask what type of glue you used for this pen blank?

I have had some trouble with gluing aluminum to acrylic and making the bond strong enough to survive drilling, even though I was VERY careful in approaching the job of drilling. I prepped the aluminum by scraping and sanding off all coatings, but still have had adhesion problems. Maybe it's the acrylic that's the issue, I don't know.

(Although I must say that I have found that I can get a better hold in gluing aluminum to wood than in gluing it to acrylic.)


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## TribalRR (Oct 23, 2008)

I used thick CA glue during assembly then used thin CA while rounding.  Prior to drilling, I wrap the blank with gauze and soaked it with thin CA (thanks Keith). Finally after I turned off the gauze, I resoaked the blank with thin CA after each 1/16" I removed. Believe it or not I didn't do anything to the aluminum pieces before gluing. I heard that I should after the fact... I haven't tried acrylic yet, but I have seen quite a few of them blown up lately.


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## desertyellow (Oct 23, 2008)

A lot of love and patience.
It shines through!


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## BullDurham (Oct 23, 2008)

WOW, that all I can say!!!!


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## Glenn McCullough (Oct 24, 2008)

*a bit brighter*

I lightened it up to see a bit more detail, it is a stunning pen and an equally talented execution.


workinforwood said:


> Photo could be a hair brighter, but it doesn't take away from the incredible craftsmanship!


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## witz1976 (Feb 22, 2010)

It almost looks like carbon fiber, that is simply amazing work!


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## Ligget (Feb 22, 2010)

Simply stunning, well done!


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## mredburn (Feb 22, 2010)

Great use of the material it really looks good.    Mike


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## Ankrom Exotics (Feb 22, 2010)

absolutely gorgeous! I appreciate the patience and skill it must have taken to make that blank. The fit and finish look to be spot on as well. Good luck with the entry.


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## glycerine (Feb 22, 2010)

Wow, that's nice... and the crazy part is you actualy counted all those pieces!!!


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## Daniel (Feb 22, 2010)

Fantastic pen and a fitting tribute to am amazing artist. You did yourself and Eagle proud. it is amazing how much of his ideology has been so well fulfilled. Thank you for sharing how much he still touches this craft.


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## David Keller (Feb 22, 2010)

Unbelievable...  absolutely one of my favorite pens EVER!  Thanks so much for posting the pics.


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## jttheclockman (Feb 22, 2010)

We are talking about a 2008 entry and I guess it still looks good today. I wonder how he made out in the contest???


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## maxman400 (Feb 23, 2010)

Amazing!


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## johncrane (Feb 23, 2010)

Awesome work and Congrats it gets my vote for front page.


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## Seer (Feb 23, 2010)

WOW


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## Jon-wx5nco (Feb 23, 2010)

That is stunning!  I hope you made a video or a written tutorial with pics on how to do make one.  That is simply amazing :RockOn:


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## PenMan1 (Feb 23, 2010)

Sho is PURDY! I look forward to the tutorial.


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## Rojo22 (Feb 23, 2010)

Nice job on getting the pen pieces and the kit working together in the design.  Very well executed!


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## jimofsanston (Feb 23, 2010)

That is an artist at work. It blows my mind. I wish i had only an 1/8th of your talent.


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## cnirenberg (Feb 23, 2010)

WOW!


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## PR_Princess (Feb 23, 2010)

jttheclockman said:


> We are talking about a 2008 entry and I guess it still looks good today. I wonder how he made out in the contest???



Chip won. :biggrin:


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## Freethinker (Feb 23, 2010)

Thanks for the response concerning the glue, and the trick of wrapping with gauze and soaking with CA before drilling. 

I want to attempt a similar blank. I plan to use a piece of really dark Gaboon ebony I got while in Chicago, cut into approx. 12" X 3/4" X 1/8" strips and then glue 12" long strips of aluminum to the ebony strips before cutting them to length and assembling the individual pieces. 

If it turns out half as spectacular as yours, I'll be happy.


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## theHullTurn (Feb 23, 2010)

That is amazing!


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## PenMan1 (Feb 24, 2010)

Man, If I made pens like that one, I'd need a hobby to get away from the pressure of, well, my penturning hobby.

Very nice work. I still think just piling crap in a mold is easier than gluing a bunch of crap together


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## rudy497 (Feb 24, 2010)

Nice looking pen


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## cschimmel (Feb 24, 2010)

that's a great pen,  nice work.


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## bitshird (Feb 24, 2010)

Chris, that pen is astounding, even Eagle would stare in utter amazement.


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