Casting Jack Daniels Barrel

[Alex D]

I am just getting into pens and have done primarily all wood pens so far. I have a friend that is a big Jack Daniels fan and so I picked up one of the JD blanks to make a pen for him.

As I was getting ready to turn it, I realized that the most distinguishing aspect about the blank is the char.

I then thought about how to save it. I have seen reference to off center turning, but the pictures I have seen really just leave a darker section of wood.

Then I started wondering, is there any reason not to just cast the whole blank in clear resin first, then do the off center turning? That way, you would sort of end up with a mutt blank with one side bare wood and the other side would have the intact char covered by resin.

My next question, assuming I'm not nuts for trying the approach above, is whether I would need a pressure pot to make this work? From what I have read, most wood/resin blanks are pressure cast.

Finally, if a pressure pot is indeed needed, is there anyone that does one off custom pressure casting? I might get into the whole pressure pot idea down the road, but for now I can't justify the outlay just for this one idea.

Thanks!
Alex

 

[maxwell_smart007]

It would not be like a mutt or worthless wood blank, as the char is uniform and not 'craggy' - so it will be peeled off uniformly when turned. . If you want to replicate the char, and are not looking for a slightly darker tone which occurs from off-center turning, you may have to experiment with charring the blank after turning.

Andrew