Thread: Fountain Pen Porn

Originally Posted by cannonfodder

Black gemstone with gold veins (that is real stone and gold, very hard stuff, and even harder to turn), buckeye burl, a wood that I dont remember the name of??, red and black dyed boxelder burl, red dyed curly maple.

t

What did you turn the gemstone with? Is it a natural stone??? Diamond coated spindle gouge?
M

They call it gemstone, not sure what it is beyond that. They also have turquoise an other combinations. They look unbelievable, that one took several hours. I used 4 different tools and had to sharpen each one 7 times. I used 4 so I could at least work for 15 or 20 min before I had to sharpen everything. They are brutal to turn and even suggest a metal turning lathe. Sorby makes some cryo treated tools, I may pick up a gouge or two if I turn a bunch of these. I can not stress how awsome that pen looks. Wet sanded up through 12000 micromesh to a mirror polish. Not cheap by any means but worth it.


From the web page...

These blanks are made from 85% real stone that has been beaten to a pulp, reconstituted with resins and formed into blocks and sheets. These blocks and sheets are then cut into pen blanks and that is where we come in - we supply you with this beautiful material! These blanks are not inexpensive - "You get what you pay for". However, you will be be heard saying "Look at this!" numerous times after making pens from this material.

Sharp high speed steel tools are an absolute must. If you have a metal turning lathe - great - you're ahead of the game. If you are impatient and in a hurry - pass on this material. If you want to make pens that will make people stop dead-in-their-tracks and say "I've got to have that!" then this is the material to use. Gemstone blanks are best used for larger pens that have a lot of surface area to show off but they also look good on pens the size of the Baron and Sedona.