Are you becoming spoiled....

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Are you turning stabilized pen blanks because:

  • I haven't figured out how to turn one that isn't stabilized....

    Votes: 3 5.5%

  • I see a few high posting people doing it, so I have too....

    Votes: 2 3.6%

  • I 'heard' the only good pens being made are done this way....

    Votes: 0 0.0%

  • The blank costs more, so it must be better....

    Votes: 1 1.8%

  • I do it to increase the sales of the pen blanks I make....

    Votes: 7 12.7%

  • Submit your option here....reply below

    Votes: 42 76.4%
  • Total voters
    55
  • Poll closed .
SDB777

SDB777

Member
Joined
Feb 6, 2010
Messages
6,620
Location
Cabot, Arkansas USA
A thought has just popped into my brain...it has always befuddled me the number of pen turners that are going towards turning nothing but 'stabilized' blanks. And I figured, maybe it was something that I was over-thinking or even under-thinking.....so I pose this question as a 'poll' because they are fun!





Scott (poll is a comin'.....hold on) B
 
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I only stabilize blanks for pens based on need.

If the wood is to punky, but nice looking I'll stabilize it. It's usually the spalted wood I have that wants to fly apart while on the lathe, so that's the kind of blank I stabilize.

I do not stabilize wood that's sound enough to be turned.

Happy turning
 
I use stabilized wood when necessary. I think I've only done a handful of stabilized blanks. Normally I just use a lot of thin CA if I think it needs it. There are exceptions though.
 
Been turning pens for 4 or so years now and never turned a stabilized blank yet. I figure if I don't turn one, I won't get spoiled or let down (whichever the case is). Good discussion point Scott.

Dave
 
I have to admit...

If I had the time, money, and patience to stabilize every blank, I would. Even solid woods that aren't a challenge to turn would turn more easily and polish up better if stabilized. Just the convenience of not having to seal the grain before finishing a pen would be nice. Plus, I'd get to buy more penmaking toys to get myself set up for stabilizing. :redface: Obviously, this is overkill and very impractical, so I don't do it.

Bottom line, I enjoy turning stabilized wood. It's the best of both worlds--resins and woods--with none of the drawbacks of either. If there's one complaint I could make about stabilized wood, it would be that it's TOO easy, and my skillz would suffer for it.

As it is, I proudly blow up many unstabilized burl-thises and spalted-thats. I keep a pile of splintered remains by the lathe as a warning to future turning projects: abandon all hope, ye who enter here.
 
I've never turned a stabilised blank and don't feel that there's a huge gap in my life because of it ... If I turn punky wood I stabilise with CA as I go.
 
I turn stabilized for wood that is punky, though I also use CA for some of that. I have also turned a couple for razor handles from stabilized wood for the water resistance.
 
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When I turn a stabilized blank it's because I like the wood. Most of the pens I turn are nonstabilized but cost and quality doesn't really have a big part. I do realize the difference between the to types of blanks but like I said the beauty comes first.
 
I've turned a few stabilized Buckeye Burls but many more unstabilized BEB. I find that sharp tools, careful turning and a modicum of CA on the unstabilized blanks are well worth the difference in cost.
 
The stabilized wood I've turned has been buckeye burl, afzelia xylay and such. I've done enough turning of burls that I know how they behave in the months after the piece has been finished. My wife has a burl bowl on her dresser that's really had some transformation. The wood was fairly dry when I turned it, but I think during the years it's swollen and contracted enough to pick up a bumpy texture. I really don't want that happening to burls on pens. I don't worry too much about non-burl wood. :)
 
I haven't turned the blanks you gave me yet but I'm looking forward to it.

The only stabilized blank I've turned was a burl from PSI and it was terrible. Sort of just fell apart. But I probably did something wrong. :)
 
I've turned stabilized blanks (not stabilized by me) and they've come out super! In fact, have sold 4 bolt action pens with stabilized blanks for $50 each in the last month...I'm sure the stabilized blanks aesthetics helped a lot!! (Thanks Barry Gross at Arizona Silhouette!!)
 
I can't justify the expense to buy any stabilized blanks, or stabilizing gear, when I can turn unstabilized blanks just fine...and there's a ton of beautiful unstabilized blanks.

If I was turning punky barn-board or redwood burl on a regular basis, I might have a different tune...but then, I DO have CA for those few instances when a blank is too punky to turn without.
 
it is not a question of what you can turn it's a question of vitality and longevity. How can you say you can't justify something when it sounds like you do not fully understand what stabilizing is?

As far as turning nothing but stabilized woods I would have to also follow up and ask what is the intended market for the finished pens? This must heavily be looked at before passing any type of judgement.

CA in all regards is not stabilizing, nor is it a substitute for stabilization as we have heard several times in this thread so far.
 
I like the stabilized blanks but do not think that it is the finest turning material for every wood blank. It has a place just like all other mediums has a place in turning.
 
I set up a stabilizing rig because I have this piece of beautiful burl.. I've only made 1 pen with it and it loves to chunk out. I only have enough to maybe 2 more pens possibly 4 if I had the rest of the block cast into worthless wood style blanks.

Anyway I told myself I wouldn't turn any more of it until I stabilized it..

I wouldn't stabilize just any old blank.. only the burls and punky spalted pieces that truly need it.
 
Since I work as a hardwood lumber inspector.....I have lots of spalted....and I just want to take advantage of it....and therefore I do lots of stabilized blanks....
 
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I stabilize spalted sycamore and maple which is very punky otherwise turn regular local woods unstablized
 
I like to stabilize light colored woods before using them for segmenting. Woods like Ancient Kauri tend to wick glue at the endgrain and darken. Cactus Juice works wonders on Bog Oak too.
 
So many factors. Is it punky, is it a special wood, have I sharpened my chisels, do I want the wood to feel truly like wood, can I get wood that has been stabilized, and so on???
I don't have stabilizing equipment (I know the best place to get it!) so I would have to pay someone to do it for me.
Using care, sharp tools, and CA I have been able to handle almost any blank (boo - black palm!). :eek:
I guess I just enjoy the challenge.
gordon
 
Stabilized blanks

I haven't been turning long, just over a year now, and haven't knowingly turned a stabilized blank. I have turned a few amalga-mutts (sp) but not sure if they are considered stabilized or not. I'll post a few pics in the SOP folder in the forum later.

Jim in
Northern NY
 
I probably have some stabilized blanks and I've probably turned a couple of them too and didn't really make any note of it. If I bought some I'd turn them but at this point.....
 
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Some woods just turn better with the help -- Especially good with dyed woods. Light fast colors and some interesting effects with double dyed.

Also a way to take a weathered antler piece and make it turnable.
 
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