Sylvanite
Member
Please forgive my rant, but I've noticed a growing tendency for posters here to refer to all types of man-made pen blanks as "acrylic". A number of threads started this year are all about how the different "types of acrylic" (from Inlace Acrylester to Alumilite) turn, and the techniques and tools best suited to each.
This looseness of terminology disturbs me. While many suppliers sell blanks made of acrylic thermoplastic, most of the plastics discussed are NOT acrylic. Inlace Acrylester is NOT acrylic. Neither is polymer clay (PVC), RhinoPlastic (polyester), Alumilite (clear or opaque - both urethane), WEST System (epoxy), nor TrueStone (trade secret composite). Bakelite, Ceboplast, casein, polycarbonate, and Ebonite are other non-acrylic materials. Only poly-methyl methacrylate (PMMA - brand name "Plexiglass", "Lucite", and "Perspex)) is acrylic.
Perhaps the distinction doesn't seem important to many, but the turning, sanding, and finishing properties of acrylic are quite different than those of other synthetic pen blanks. Mixing up the terminology when discussing different materials only leads to confusion and error. For example, don't take a polymer clay pen to an engraver and tell him it's acrylic. He'll be very upset with you. Acrylic is easy to laser-engrave, but PVC releases toxic and corrosive gas when lasered. It can potentially damage the laser optics or injure someone.
Think of it this way. What if a penmaker referred to all types of wood as "oak"? If he started a thread about the different properties of various "oaks"? If he said "black palm oak" was much more difficult to turn than "rock maple oak"; how "lignum vitae oak" tends to gum-up sandpaper; how "teak oak" dulls tools; and about wiping oily blanks like "cocobolo oak" with acetone before applying a CA finish? Would you join in and talk about different "oaks", or would you mention that none of the above woods are oak (and that technically, palm isn't even a wood at all)?
I apologize if I'm nit-picking, but it irks me to read that "acrylic is difficult to turn" when the poster is using Inlace Acrylester, or some other plastic that isn't acrylic. Acrylic is one of the easier plastics to turn, sand, and finish.
Regards,
Eric
This looseness of terminology disturbs me. While many suppliers sell blanks made of acrylic thermoplastic, most of the plastics discussed are NOT acrylic. Inlace Acrylester is NOT acrylic. Neither is polymer clay (PVC), RhinoPlastic (polyester), Alumilite (clear or opaque - both urethane), WEST System (epoxy), nor TrueStone (trade secret composite). Bakelite, Ceboplast, casein, polycarbonate, and Ebonite are other non-acrylic materials. Only poly-methyl methacrylate (PMMA - brand name "Plexiglass", "Lucite", and "Perspex)) is acrylic.
Perhaps the distinction doesn't seem important to many, but the turning, sanding, and finishing properties of acrylic are quite different than those of other synthetic pen blanks. Mixing up the terminology when discussing different materials only leads to confusion and error. For example, don't take a polymer clay pen to an engraver and tell him it's acrylic. He'll be very upset with you. Acrylic is easy to laser-engrave, but PVC releases toxic and corrosive gas when lasered. It can potentially damage the laser optics or injure someone.
Think of it this way. What if a penmaker referred to all types of wood as "oak"? If he started a thread about the different properties of various "oaks"? If he said "black palm oak" was much more difficult to turn than "rock maple oak"; how "lignum vitae oak" tends to gum-up sandpaper; how "teak oak" dulls tools; and about wiping oily blanks like "cocobolo oak" with acetone before applying a CA finish? Would you join in and talk about different "oaks", or would you mention that none of the above woods are oak (and that technically, palm isn't even a wood at all)?
I apologize if I'm nit-picking, but it irks me to read that "acrylic is difficult to turn" when the poster is using Inlace Acrylester, or some other plastic that isn't acrylic. Acrylic is one of the easier plastics to turn, sand, and finish.
Regards,
Eric
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