budnder
Member
Despite the warning in this recent post Colored pencils - "Never Again Project", the resulting pen was so cool I couldn't resist having a go at it.
I acquired some black filled pencils at amazon and cut them up into little 3/4" lengths. Figuring that getting them cast together nice and tight was going to be important, I built a little sarcophagus to hold them and give me something to clamp while the epoxy set. I used Liquid Diamonds Epoxy, and would have used black alumilite dye, except I discovered at the last minute I didn't have any. So to make the epoxy black I mixed in a liberal amount of Harbor Freight Black Powder coat. It took three vertical rows of pencil nubs to get to 3/4" tall. After layering in the epoxy and nubs, I put the lid on the sarcophagus and affixed a couple of clamps to it, then put it in the pressure pot overnight at 35psi or so.
I turn my blanks round and then drill them using a collet on the lathe - the last pic is after I turned it round, but before I drilled it. I put a thin coat of CA on it before the pic, just to get a better idea of what it was going to look like finished.
It turned and drilled ok, though it felt somewhat "chalky/crumbly". I had a little chip out on the end, but nothing that I think will affect the result. I've got the tube glued in and am letting it set overnight. I'm doing a PROX kit with it.
I'll post again on this thread after I get a chance to turn it - hopefully this weekend.
I acquired some black filled pencils at amazon and cut them up into little 3/4" lengths. Figuring that getting them cast together nice and tight was going to be important, I built a little sarcophagus to hold them and give me something to clamp while the epoxy set. I used Liquid Diamonds Epoxy, and would have used black alumilite dye, except I discovered at the last minute I didn't have any. So to make the epoxy black I mixed in a liberal amount of Harbor Freight Black Powder coat. It took three vertical rows of pencil nubs to get to 3/4" tall. After layering in the epoxy and nubs, I put the lid on the sarcophagus and affixed a couple of clamps to it, then put it in the pressure pot overnight at 35psi or so.
I turn my blanks round and then drill them using a collet on the lathe - the last pic is after I turned it round, but before I drilled it. I put a thin coat of CA on it before the pic, just to get a better idea of what it was going to look like finished.
It turned and drilled ok, though it felt somewhat "chalky/crumbly". I had a little chip out on the end, but nothing that I think will affect the result. I've got the tube glued in and am letting it set overnight. I'm doing a PROX kit with it.
I'll post again on this thread after I get a chance to turn it - hopefully this weekend.
