# Trustone: Black with Gold Matrix



## Aerotech (May 26, 2011)

So i finally made a trustone pen but i did not apply a finish to the pen at all.  I am under the impression that with trustone it only needs to be polished like acrylics and such.  Anyway, the first thing some one of my friends pointed out is that its not as shiny as my CA pens or the Acrylic.  I'm Ok with that but then a closer look revealed tiny little itty bitty pin holes.

So my question.  Will the gold matrix in the trustone tarnish without being protected?  Would you recommend a CA finish over trustone blanks. and lastly, is this normal or did I do something wrong?

Thanks to all for any advice.


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## IPD_Mr (May 26, 2011)

I buff mine with white diamond and finish up with Ren wax.  Shines up fine for me.  Now you will no get the depth of a shine line CA because the product is under a clear coat giving it a depth.  Also the blanks have never tarnished for me.


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## Texatdurango (May 26, 2011)

Based on my own experiences the gold veining in the pens does not tarnish since it's not metal.  I have been turning truestone pens for four years now and still have a couple I made back in late 2007 and they shine just like the day they were made.

I think putting a ca finish over truestone would be the worst thing you could do!  If you are having pits (itty bitty pin holes) then you are turning the pens with the wrong tool which is causing the material to "break out and chip away" rather than turning them off in smooth ribbons.

Truestone will polish up just as shiny as any acrylic blank without the itty bitty pin holes. 

All I have ever done is to turn them to shape, sand up to either 600 or 800 grit then take them to the buffer and buff which produces a brilliant shine.... and that's it!

When I am at a show I have a can of Rennasance wax and will apply a bit to a rag and "dust off" all the pens regardless of the finish.

So, my advice would be to have a look at the cutting tools you are using and how you turn the blank as I think that is where your problem is.

A nice tool to have a look at is one of the "indexable" carbide tipped tools readily found on the site or you can make your own.  This is the tool I use from start to finish when turning truestone.


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## Ruby pen turning (May 26, 2011)

I have turned several of them the exact way I do my acrylic pens in both turning and sanding and polishing. I dont know about your pin holes, but I have not been able to get them to shine as much as acrylic. It is more of a subdued shine. It still looks very nice but not a glass shiny finish.


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## IPD_Mr (May 26, 2011)

Texatdurango said:


> When I am at a show I have a can of Rennasance wax and will apply a bit to a rag and "dust off" all the pens regardless of the finish.


 
Hey George what is that Rennasance wax?

I have been using Renaissance wax.  Is what you have any cheaper?  :biggrin:

Wow I feel like Cav now.


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## NewLondon88 (May 26, 2011)

I've never seen pin holes in TruStone, but I suppose it could happen.
(but i really doubt it)  I wonder if it is really tool chatter or chip-out?
TruStone should polish up to a high gloss just like any other acrylic, 
no CA needed.


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## OKLAHOMAN (May 26, 2011)

IPD_Mr said:


> Texatdurango said:
> 
> 
> > When I am at a show I have a can of Rennasance wax and will apply a bit to a rag and "dust off" all the pens regardless of the finish.
> ...


 
Crap now we have to put up with another spelling and English Gestapo.


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## nativewooder (May 26, 2011)

I hate to say it, but I'm one of those English grammar and spelling Gestapo nuts too.  But it's eezeeer fer me not to say nothing bout bein ignernt cause I cudent make a square corner or tune up a real car if my life depended onit!


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## WHSKYrvr1 (May 26, 2011)

Why are you guys makin fun of the way I talk and write...... Spoken with a southern dawl.

Doug


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## SteveG (May 26, 2011)

I had a similar problem with one tru-stone blank. It also was the black/matrix. The tiny pits actually got more numerous over time in the finished pen. I have done a number of other pens in this same color without this problem. I figured it was a defective blank. I was able to fix it by doing my standard CA/BLO finish.  Had the pen for a while after the "fix"; pitting did not reoccur.


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## turbowagon (May 26, 2011)

I also got "pits" in a black/gold trustone blank.  I assumed they were tooling marks.  This particular color is harder than a lot of the other trustone blanks.


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## wolftat (May 26, 2011)

One of the things I really like about the black with the gold matrix is that if you buff it enough you can get the gold to sit a bit higher than the black and I have found some of my customers really like that.


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## PenMan1 (May 26, 2011)

turbowagon said:


> I also got "pits" in a black/gold trustone blank. I assumed they were tooling marks. This particular color is harder than a lot of the other trustone blanks.


 
The odds are that the pits are tool marks. One thing that I have noticed since the Tru-Stone factory explosion, much more care must now be taken when drilling.

700 RPMS and "cool tool" or PAM works well for me. If the "pit" that you see is in gold, and not black, this could be a product of too much heat when drilling. If there is a "pit" in the gold, this usually follows the web and develops into a crack along the web.

As George and Mike mentioned, CA over black web or matrix would be my last option. I once put a decal over black and gold matrix and CA finished it. BIG MISTAKE! IMHO, buffing and a wax of your choosing is a much better finish solution.


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## Texatdurango (May 26, 2011)

turbowagon said:


> I also got "pits" in a black/gold trustone blank. I assumed they were tooling marks. This particular color is harder than a lot of the other trustone blanks.


 
Joe, as indicated above, look at the tool you are using.  

When I started turning pens my favorite tool was a big ole 1" roughing gouge!  While I still love to turn wood with it, when I turned truestone I would get little tiny pits in the blank since the gouge was actually ripping the material off rather than peeling or shaving it off.  I tried a skew for a while and it worked better but I got tired of sharpening it several times for each blank.  When I switched to the carbide tipped tool however, all that went away since I was creating nice ribbons from start to finish.

These indexable carbide tips stay so sharp, I can turn a dozen truestone pens with the same edge, it beats the heck out of sharpening a skew a dozen times per blank!


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## ed4copies (May 26, 2011)

I have something valuable to add.  But, some will say my input is an "ADVERTISEMENT", so, find it here:

http://www.penturners.org/forum/showthread.php?t=80798


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## chrisk (May 26, 2011)

+1 with tiny white pits on a Black with Gold matrix. I noticed those white marks when the blank was finished (sanded + polished).
As for the tools used: either a skew or Woodchuck Pro. My skew is sharpened on a Tormek grinder and I verify the sharpness by cuting a sheet of paper in half.


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## micharms (May 26, 2011)

Can't say I noticed any pits when I turned the wedding pen set I showed a while back. Not sure if there is a difference between the Gemstone I turned and Trustone though.

Michael


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