My last original Apollo , the new ones have triple threads, and my first embedded quarter. I'll tell you what, if you want a challenge, do an Apollo with a hybrid blank. This one had to be put back together twice. Definitely worth the trouble though. Apollo is stabilized cottonwood burl made into a hybrid, resin is Alumilite clear. Knurl GT was cast with liquid diamonds resin.
Two More For Today
- Thread starter KenB259
- Start date
Signed-In Members Don't See This Ad
Signed-In Members Don't See This Ad
rixstix
Member
Good looking pair
sorcerertd
Member
Nice work! I get the impression that those Apollos take a little getting used to. Is that a textured vinyl on the tube with the cast quarter?
Also, the mention of cottonwood made me think... I had forgotten that cottonwood branches have a star shape in the cross section slices of the branches. I wonder how casting a few into a hybrid would work out? I really need to just take the dive into casting.
Also, the mention of cottonwood made me think... I had forgotten that cottonwood branches have a star shape in the cross section slices of the branches. I wonder how casting a few into a hybrid would work out? I really need to just take the dive into casting.
The Apollos are fun to make, once you get them glued up and turned there is no pressing of parts, basically screw in the nib end and you're done. You have to drill them in steps and measure each depth or you can get a special stepped drill from Rick Herell. The ones today only gave me fits because I used hybrid blanks, which can be finicky and unforgiving. Using a hybrid without a brass tube wasn't helpful. The Knurl will probably get disassembled because I overturned it in the top, that one definitely wasn't fun, and not all that impressive when done.
rixstix
Member
Just got my Rev 2 step drill from Rick & works well. The rev2 cap insert OD is larger than the recommended drill sizes, so Rick made a new bit for me to compensate for the larger OD.
KateHarrow
Member
Looks great. I find the ca finish to be the hardest part about a hybrid apollo. I always sand through it at the corners! you did a great job here on both pens
Todd in PA
Member
Nice pens!
Did you just hammer the quarter round and glue it to the tube? Did you thin the quarter by sanding off the backside first? I don't think I'm necessarily going to try it anytime soon but still have curiosity about how you did it.
Did you just hammer the quarter round and glue it to the tube? Did you thin the quarter by sanding off the backside first? I don't think I'm necessarily going to try it anytime soon but still have curiosity about how you did it.
I thinned the quarter, not fun at all l, and the just bent it like a watch dial. There are many suggested ways to thin a quarter here in various threads, none of them worked for me. Any method you see, that requires you to glue the quarter down will fail in a hurry. The quarter gets hot in a hurry and the adhesive just fails. This will probably be a one of for me. I'm sure if I kept trying I could come up with an easier and better way to thin the coin, but the result is just not that impressive, no wow factor. This one I have to disassemble and build up the one end with CA and refinish.
johncrane
Member
both pens are eye catching, good job!
jttheclockman
Member
That was going to be my question on if you thinned the quarter down and how you did it. There was a person here that specialized in thinning quarters and scrollsawing them and doing great work. Here is his link. https://www.penturners.org/members/seamus7227.7912/
You can follow his beautiful work and he has not been here for over a year now, Hope things are well with him. He and I use to kid each other because we both love the scrollsaw artforms. here is a thread that shows one of our little side bets and within it I show 2 methods I use to thin quarters. One being cutting a quarter in half with a scrollsaw and the other by turning it down using a lathe and a jig to hold the quarter. Both worked. The lathe method was alot easier. But scrollsaw I can use both sides of quarter.
https://www.penturners.org/threads/abalone-and-quarter.174734/#post-2162445
You can follow his beautiful work and he has not been here for over a year now, Hope things are well with him. He and I use to kid each other because we both love the scrollsaw artforms. here is a thread that shows one of our little side bets and within it I show 2 methods I use to thin quarters. One being cutting a quarter in half with a scrollsaw and the other by turning it down using a lathe and a jig to hold the quarter. Both worked. The lathe method was alot easier. But scrollsaw I can use both sides of quarter.
https://www.penturners.org/threads/abalone-and-quarter.174734/#post-2162445
egnald
Member
Awesome pens. -Dave
