Two new woods for me….

[Gadget-UK]

Turned African Blackwood & The Palm Wood today.
Both turned very nicely and just love the finish of the Palm.
The African Blackwood does have grain though very difficult to see unless it’s in the light, again another beautiful wood.

 

[Hallelujahal]

Lovely couple o pens

 

[flexi]

Very nice mate, lovely finish too

 

[alpha1]

Nice looking good well done.

 

[Tom.1946]

Beautiful pens very well done
Haven't tried a fountain pen yet, so will have to wait for a while.....

 

[DuncSuss]

These are great!

The two extremes of my wood preference. African blackwood is at the top end of my list (along with the other Dalbergia "true rosewoods" like Honduras Rosewood, Kingwood, and Cocobolo).

Black palm, on the other hand ... Yours must have been stabilized or I think you'd have a completely different option of it. In its natural state, it is like a bundle of very brittle wheat straws that aren't even glued together well. (It's technically a grass, not a tree.) Even with a honed skew, it tore out - forget about scraping or using carbide tools. If it weren't for the fact I was making the pen at the request of my teacher/friend/mentor using a blank she supplied, I would have quit. But it was to be a birthday gift for her husband so I stuck with it. Never again.

 

[Adal6]

Beautiful pens colin

 

[silver]

Well you have done a great job of them Colon. Two superb pens with a great finish as well.

 

[Bill Mooney]

Two beautiful pens there. Well done.
I agree with Duncan about the timbers. African Blackwood is an oily timber & depending on your finish it sometimes pays to wipe it down with meths before applying your finish.
For Black Palm I start sanding at100 grit. I put a spot of ca on the abrasive & with the lathe running I wipe the abrasive along the blank from one end to the other to make sure the whole blank is covered with ca then sand the blank in the normal way going through the grits to 600 grit. This fills the open grain to a smooth finish so you can apply the finish of your choice. When you get to 240 grit if the grain is still open re-apply the ca on your abrasive & continue sanding.
I’ve always got a good finish as the ca & sanding dust mix & fill the grain nicely.

 

[TVS]

Two very nice pens something to be proud of well done

 

[Terry Q]

Lovely pens, well done. I have a technique thats a bit dodgie to learn but works well with porous wood. I wet sand the blank with thin CA &180 grit paper. The trick is to know when to wipe off the excess slurry before it hardens. I use the little nylon cones so I don't bugger up my bushings. Sand the blank smooth and apply your finish.

 

[howsitwork?]

Two beautiful pens there. Well done.
I agree with Duncan about the timbers. African Blackwood is an oily timber & depending on your finish it sometimes pays to wipe it down with meths before applying your finish.
For Black Palm I start sanding at100 grit. I put a spot of ca on the abrasive & with the lathe running I wipe the abrasive along the blank from one end to the other to make sure the whole blank is covered with ca then sand the blank in the normal way going through the grits to 600 grit. This fills the open grain to a smooth finish so you can apply the finish of your choice. When you get to 240 grit if the grain is still open re-apply the ca on your abrasive & continue sanding.
I’ve always got a good finish as the ca & sanding dust mix & fill the grain nicely.

Thanks for the tip Bill. I’ve been struggling with Palm and have tried stabilizing some but as yet unturned , I will report back later in year

 

[RobR]

Love the blackwood. How hard is that to turn?