Get Your Own Fordite?

[penicillin]

I have seen some beautiful pens made from "Fordite". According to what I learned here on Penturners.org, Fordite comes from many layers of paint that build up in automobile factories when the paint is applied to new cars during the manufacturing process. Eventually there is so much paint buildup that the manufacturer must stop production and scrape it off. It is the thick, layered scrapings that are cut into pen blank sizes and become Fordite. Repeating: I don't know if I am missing something, but that is what I learned here. Please correct any misunderstandings.

Here is my question:
There are lots of auto body and auto paint repair shops around the country. Is there any chance that I could go to one of the local auto paint shops and offer to help with the nasty job of scraping off the dried paint in return for a few pieces of the scrapings? Does that yield Fordite? Is local body shop paint different? If the layers are too thin, can I combine them with epoxy to make pen blank sizes?

-> In other words, is this a dumb idea? Are people already getting their pen blanks from this source? What am I missing or misunderstanding?

 

[hooked]

From what I have read, Fordite is a byproduct of hand-painting cars. Cars are now painted by an automated electrostatic process, so old fordite is pretty rare and valuable. Auto body shops still do hand painting, and you can gather it. The problem is that most cars going through body shops these days are black, white, gray, or some variation of it. You don't get much of the intense color layering. It's not the same quality as the crazy colorful stuff that we see on these pens.

 

[EricRN]

You might be able to get some from auto repair and body-shops. From what I have seen, part of the appeal of Fordite is its provenance. It's not just that it makes a beautifully turned pen and other items with swirls of bright color that are unique and uncovered as you turn. It's that the Fordite chunk came from a specific factory. So, for example, Fordite from the Corvette factory (ironic, I know) in Bowling Green can be quite expensive because people like the provenance of something associated with such a historic car. So, if you want the look, you might be able to grab something from an autobody shop. But you likely might be giving someone less than what they are looking for when looking for a pen made of Fordite. Fordite from "Joe's dent repair and auto body" just doesn't have the same cache.

 

[PatrickR]

If you are inclined you could make your own but it will take a lot of time. bags of small pieces can be had on e-bay for a decent price just not from the corvette factory. I wonder how much of it was thrown into the trash before someone got smart.

 

[Joebobber]

I know at Trail King Industries where I worked it would build up on the air lines and saw horses, but at Case/New Holland it was always cleaned up real nice so it never built up. I guess it just depends on each places cleaning standards. Thr build up at Trail King was never enough to make a pen with, and people kept picking it off to throw at us welders... lol

 

[sorcerertd]

It is funny that the name Fordite is used more often than the other name of Detroit Agate. Especially since most of what we see isn't really from Fords. Still, it's beautiful stuff even without a name or story behind where it came from.

 

[leehljp]

Start looking now. They are going to become more rare in the future. A body shop owner that I know says that he paints less than half the amount that he did 7 to 8 years ago - because many body panels are now plastic and most come in the color needed. I was somewhat shocked as I didn't realize this. But it is cheaper to replace plastic panels in the color of the vehicle than repair a metal panel and then paint it.