Lapis Lazuli Trustone?

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jrista

jrista

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So, I've been on the hunt for trustone materials. I really love the stuff, I think it makes for some of the best high end rollerball and fountain pen kits. It seems to have become harder to find these days, and if it goes out of stock it is out of stock for quite some time. I found a knife making supply site that had blocks of some styles, 6" long, 1.5" wide, 3/4" tall, which I can cut into pieces...which will end up being particularly cost effective in the long run. I am still looking for some types of trustone though. Mostly jasper types, as well as lapis. I can't seem to find any of these kinds of trustone anywhere.

One in particular is Lapis Lazuli. I have a few pens that I think would go really well with a deep blue, with GOLD veins. I've found some deep blue with either black or white veins (i.e. sodalite), but for some reason its just not the same as more of a true stone type dark blue (but not just one solid color, more like how real Lapis Lazuli is, it can vary in color a bit) with the gold veins. Bear tooth woods has it listed:


As well as rbandcrafts:

DARK LAPIS Tru-stone Pen Blank 3/4"sq x 5.5"

Tru-Stone Blanks,DARK LAPIS Tru-stone Pen Blank 3/4"sq x 5.5"
www.randbcrafts.com

The classic nib had a brighter blue version as well:

Tru Stone Med Lapis with Pyrite

Tru Stone Med Lapis with Pyrite Tru-Stone 3/4 X 3/4 X 5 minimum
www.classicnib.com www.classicnib.com

All of these guys have been out of stock for months and months. Wondering if anyone knows where I can find any of this particular kind of trustone?

Also wondering, on a related note...is trustone still being manufactured? Does anyone know who actually manufactures it, and is that company still around? Or have they been another casualty of the last two years?
 
Last edited:
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Richard's last email had this to say about Trustone:

We got notice last year from the manufacturer that there is a price increase on all future orders of Tru-Stone material and even with the increase, bulk orders may be limited due to difficulty to obtain certain ingredients. Many other suppliers have already increased prices significantly. So, this is just one last head's up that I have not increased the pricing yet, but I'm giving my email list advanced notice that we will be forced to increase pricing very soon. My guess is that prices will go up around 15-20%. Be sure to check out the Odds and Ends section too as I'm offering a sale on those blocks before they go up as well. If you need something that shows out of stock, feel free to email me and I can double check my stock for you.
 
Thanks @kronewi. Is it Richard who runs rbandcrafts? He seems to have the greatest variety of Trustone listed on his site, much greater than any other source out there.

I guess it is not surprising to hear prices are increasing. With the raging inflation we have had, that (and more) is probably to be expected...
 
egnald said:
If you are open to other brands, WoodTurningz carries some SimStone blanks including a Lapis. - Dave
Link: WoodTurningz SimStone Blanks
Click to expand...
I actually found theirs before...but it looks more like sodalite to me, than the Lapis, and real Lapis Lazuli usually has gold, or gold and silver veins in it. Its particularly the gold (according to the RT Research site, its actually Pyrite) that I was looking for.

I have some sodalite trustone blanks. Well, knife scale blanks, I'll have to cut that into pen blanks down the road.

I now know who makes this stuff though. Unless it is particularly prohibitively expensive, I might be able to get some from them. If I have to buy in such bulk I couldn't use it all, I could cut and sell the excess as well I guess.
 
Jay said:
Here is the Truestone source. I can't remember the minimum order required. They are very easy t work with. You will have to cut it yourself.


Jay
Click to expand...
Thanks for this! This is what I wanted to know, at the very least. I'll have to query them and see what the base cost is for...I guess, a sheet? I suspect it is more than I could afford without going into the business of trustone blanks. If rbandcrafts (who seems to sell pretty much everything RT lists on their site) gets more, I can buy from him...if not, I may try to get some from RT Research.
 
jrista said:
Thanks @kronewi. Is it Richard who runs rbandcrafts? He seems to have the greatest variety of Trustone listed on his site, much greater than any other source out there.

I guess it is not surprising to hear prices are increasing. With the raging inflation we have had, that (and more) is probably to be expected...
Click to expand...
Yes, Richard is R and B Crafts. Really friendly and helpful.
 
jrista said:
So, I've been on the hunt for trustone materials. I really love the stuff, I think it makes for some of the best high end rollerball and fountain pen kits. It seems to have become harder to find these days, and if it goes out of stock it is out of stock for quite some time. I found a knife making supply site that had blocks of some styles, 6" long, 1.5" wide, 3/4" tall, which I can cut into pieces...which will end up being particularly cost effective in the long run. I am still looking for some types of trustone though. Mostly jasper types, as well as lapis. I can't seem to find any of these kinds of trustone anywhere.

One in particular is Lapis Lazuli. I have a few pens that I think would go really well with a deep blue, with GOLD veins. I've found some deep blue with either black or white veins (i.e. sodalite), but for some reason its just not the same as more of a true stone type dark blue (but not just one solid color, more like how real Lapis Lazuli is, it can vary in color a bit) with the gold veins. Bear tooth woods has it listed:


As well as rbandcrafts:

DARK LAPIS Tru-stone Pen Blank 3/4"sq x 5.5"

Tru-Stone Blanks,DARK LAPIS Tru-stone Pen Blank 3/4"sq x 5.5"
www.randbcrafts.com

The classic nib had a brighter blue version as well:

Tru Stone Med Lapis with Pyrite

Tru Stone Med Lapis with Pyrite Tru-Stone 3/4 X 3/4 X 5 minimum
www.classicnib.com www.classicnib.com

All of these guys have been out of stock for months and months. Wondering if anyone knows where I can find any of this particular kind of trustone?

Also wondering, on a related note...is trustone still being manufactured? Does anyone know who actually manufactures it, and is that company still around? Or have they been another casualty of the last two years?
Click to expand...
 
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