Peacock or if abalone came in a color - Hemp

Signed-In Members Don't See This Ad
See more from Hippie3180

Hippie3180

Member
Joined
May 30, 2023
Messages
1,265
Location
Texas
This is an experiment to see if I can load this small clip, the light was still not like I would have preferred, we're a bit hazy today.

I struggled and in the end had to have help from my husband, but we got through this stabilized dyed hemp blank for the most part (there was a crack on the cap end and a chip out on the cap end.). Hemp blanks are a challenging medium, I watched all the videos and asked all the questions before I attempted, but still there's nothing like experience is there? I wanted to get through one of these because I think they are beautiful and I felt like I could attempt a challenging blank. I think I will attempt one again down the line with more experience and better quality tools. I also received advice from the very generous and kind Kate Harrow @Bullseye turning.

What I learned about turning this blank.

1) Very sharp tools are needed
2) this material chips out easily due to it's construction - think particle/wafer board
3) I smoothed the material often by sanding-there was a lot of sanding involved
4) this stabilized dyed material was hecka hard, harder than acrylic I've turned, allow plenty of time, don't rush it.
5) when I got to the bushings and sanded, there were some voids, I filled them with a few coats of ca and then sanded back down almost to the hemp...voids filled.
6) This blank is stunning if you can get through it
7) If all else fails I guess you can do like the one man I saw who turned on his lathe and used a rotary sander the whole way through. lol!

 
Signed-In Members Don't See This Ad
Well, dang. I thought I was done buying new blanks for a while.

What a wonderful piece. Thanks for sharing it with us.

The finished product appears to be worth the extra effort and fussiness.
 
Well, dang. I thought I was done buying new blanks for a while.

What a wonderful piece. Thanks for sharing it with us.

The finished product appears to be worth the extra effort and fussiness.
Haha! You better get ya a few, can't wait to see how yours comes out. I've not seen many folks turning them on You Tube, I think there's a reason for that, but darn it, they are just so pretty. Lol!
 
Haha! You better get ya a few, can't wait to see how yours comes out. I've not seen many folks turning them on You Tube, I think there's a reason for that, but darn it, they are just so pretty. Lol!
I definitely will. I'm prepping for a couple of upcoming shows so I'm all about volume and ease of turning at the moment.

Sounds like a fun fall project once the snow flies here.
 
I definitely will. I'm prepping for a couple of upcoming shows so I'm all about volume and ease of turning at the moment.

Sounds like a fun fall project once the snow flies here.
I'm sure with having more experience than I do you'll do great. I had an idea of what I was getting into, but ya know, it takes experiences to gain experience. I don't think this is a blank if you're prepping for a show or if you're trying to utilize your time in the most practical way (selling pens.) It is a really fun challenge pen though.
 
This is an experiment to see if I can load this small clip, the light was still not like I would have preferred, we're a bit hazy today.

I struggled and in the end had to have help from my husband, but we got through this stabilized dyed hemp blank for the most part (there was a crack on the cap end and a chip out on the cap end.). Hemp blanks are a challenging medium, I watched all the videos and asked all the questions before I attempted, but still there's nothing like experience is there? I wanted to get through one of these because I think they are beautiful and I felt like I could attempt a challenging blank. I think I will attempt one again down the line with more experience and better quality tools. I also received advice from the very generous and kind Kate Harrow @Bullseye turning.

What I learned about turning this blank.

1) Very sharp tools are needed
2) this material chips out easily due to it's construction - think particle/wafer board
3) I smoothed the material often by sanding-there was a lot of sanding involved
4) this stabilized dyed material was hecka hard, harder than acrylic I've turned, allow plenty of time, don't rush it.
5) when I got to the bushings and sanded, there were some voids, I filled them with a few coats of ca and then sanded back down almost to the hemp...voids filled.
6) This blank is stunning if you can get through it
7) If all else fails I guess you can do like the one man I saw who turned on his lathe and used a rotary sander the whole way through. lol!

View attachment 355129
Lovely pen , you done a great job turning that pen , I have to try a blank
 
Back
Top Bottom