Cactus Blanks

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Harley2001

Harley2001

Member
Joined
Feb 13, 2008
Messages
477
Location
Dublin,Ohio
Iam want to cast some cactus who sales it.i have done Cholla Cactus i am looking for the other cactus that looks like webing Thanks
 
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Good luck, I've never seen it for sale and think the guys who make the blanks are harvesting and drying it themselves.
 
Seems that prickly pear Cactus grows in just about every part of the country, of course it is grows much more in this part of the country and the desert, but I know that Gary Max in Kentucky has a patch in his yard... You'll just have to find some.
Your best bet though is to buy the blanks made by Curtis, I do not sell them as I just don't sell blanks of any kind....I sell pens and really don't have time to have enough time to cast for others...But Curtis is in the blank selling business and he would be more than happy to supply your needs....
 
No disrespect to Curtis or anyone selling blanks, but I find it irksome that the response is always "buy from a vendor". I have bought a LOT of stuff through the IAP vendors lately, including several of Curtis' blanks.

However, I understand that a lot of people want to do things themselves. I may not have innovated the processes that I use, but I'd prefer to tell a customer (truthfully) that I made a blank rather than bought one from Rockler or Woodcraft, or an IAP vendor. I understand that a lot of people don't want to spend the time and energy to make their own cactus, money, circuitboard, worthlesswood, Polymer Clay, carbon fiber, feather, snakeskin, or other specialty blank- but if someone DOES want to make their own, we shouldn't discourage them...
 
BigguyZ said:
No disrespect to Curtis or anyone selling blanks, but I find it irksome that the response is always "buy from a vendor". I have bought a LOT of stuff through the IAP vendors lately, including several of Curtis' blanks.

However, I understand that a lot of people want to do things themselves. I may not have innovated the processes that I use, but I'd prefer to tell a customer (truthfully) that I made a blank rather than bought one from Rockler or Woodcraft, or an IAP vendor. I understand that a lot of people don't want to spend the time and energy to make their own cactus, money, circuitboard, worthlesswood, Polymer Clay, carbon fiber, feather, snakeskin, or other specialty blank- but if someone DOES want to make their own, we shouldn't discourage them...
Click to expand...

Travis, I don't think these guys are trying to discourage him. He specifically asked where he could be the cactus itself and the response was that no one really sells just the cactus skeletons, so he would either need to find some on his own or just buy an already cast blank...
 
I belive thats why i posted it under casting.that is to cast my onw if i wanted to buy some i would have posted it under classfied ,that i was looking for blanks.i thoulght this web site was to help out other pen turner .But i think it is to help out vendors.I try to buy thing form vendors on the site and from others.Sorry if i started something.Maybe i'lljust stop posting.Thanks to evey one who help me out.And i did just but some form Curtis.But iam still going to try doing my own Thanks
 
As I recall the process involved is rather long and messy. Basicslly you have to get the get the cacti nd let the start to rot, then remove the slime and clean.n dry them. As was mentioned theu cacti are all over the place you just jave to be willing to do it.

I'm not, so I'll buy them when I want Them.

Sent via android phone
 
I found out one of my friends has a cactus plant that has just the right kind of cactus for this. And, I remember Curtis' process from reading it, years ago. So, it should have been simple.

I got a "cactus pad" and immediately realized they have thorns---LONG thorns. So, I placed it (carefully) on the deck to let it dry out. Every time I have looked at it, since, it doesn't look dry enough (i.e. the thorns are still very much in place and look like my hands would suffer greatly). This started over a year ago.

So, finding the cactus is NOT, in my mind, the difficult part. It grows in Wisconsin---Confused Cactus--this ain't no desert!! MAKING the blank involves LOTS of work (I'm ok with work) and getting punctured by cactus needles (I'm NOT OK with needles).

Just my take on the question---FINDING the cactus should be fairly easy---try an ad in "Craigslist" in your area.
 
Harley2001, I, like you want to try this myself. I have some cactus I have had growing for a long time. Some pieces broke off a long time ago and I put them in a bucket and thought when they dry I will harvest the carcass and give it a try. At the rate they are drying I well be long gone before they are:frown:. I don't know of anyone that sells the skeleton or what ever it is called. You could buy that stuff they sell that people use to wash with, I don't know what it is called, but it looks similar to cactus skeleton.
 
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Some grocery stores specialize in ethnic foods. Look around one and find prickly pear cactus.

Let it dry out and peel/cut the outer layer away. Once completely dry, you can clean the skeleton and then cast it.
 
John, sorry if you and Travis thought my post was for you not to look for cactus yourself, but that I said the ONLY way to get some was to buy a ready made blank from Curtis, it just was a suggestion if you wanted a blank.I think I made it clear that cactus was widely avalible in all states. I've been making my own for about 2 months less than Curtis has. Harvesting the cactus then letting it age (rot), torching the fine hairs off.skinning it,and then bleaching it is very time consuming and that is the hardest part, casting it is the easy part and that is why no one sells skeleton, you said you were looking for a vendor that sold the skeleton and I gave you a vendor that sells the blanks as no one sells the skeleton that I know of. P.M. me your address and I'll send you enough skeleton that is ready to cast for 2-3 pens at N/C.
 
Ed, you need to talk to a lady named Dawn.:rolleyes: I understand she may have a better idea than needles in the hand from cactus:doctor: if you still want to give it a try at casting something like a cactus blank. I don't know for sure, but a little mouse mentioned that you just might know how to get in contact with her.:redface::biggrin::tongue: That way, you can plant that year old cactus you have in the bucket. It is probably ready for a drink right about now.:biggrin::biggrin:
Charles
 
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Harley -- drop me a PM with your address and I will ship you a box of large prickly pear pads from Tucson this spring. We are headed to snobird in mid-january and I expect to have no problem getting a box full from trimmings I see in the curb for the trash man. These will need to be fully processes as they are still green. The variety common grown there as an ornamental has pads about the size of a large hand on up. These are much much larger than the minature variant I have seen in northern states or in the grocers.
 
Cactus skeletons, dried naturally, look like those shown below. The picture on the left is rotated slightly so that you can see that the piece is actually three layers. The actual size of this piece of pad is 6" x 2.5-3", with the layers ~1/16" thick. These are fairly brittle, but are easily separated, and then can be cut with sharp scissors or X-acto knives. The third picture shows a piece of skeleton inlaid into a Kingwood pendant and filled with Turquoise.

If anyone is interested in these, I would be willing to trade. I'm not a pen turner, so I don't need any pen blanks; I CAN use pen blank cutoffs - especially figured acrylics, tagua nuts, palm nuts, small burls, burl cutoffs, small exotic slabs, etc., suitable for turning miniatures and other small pieces. I would send a small flat rate box full of skeletons in return for a small flat rate box containing material I can use.

PM me if you're interested.
 

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