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Mazzucchelli - Green (Poseidon)

ValleyBoy

Graduate Member
Joined
Jul 9, 2019
Posts
647
Location
Cardiff
First Name
Ash
Hi All

I recently got hold of some of the blue/green (Poseidon) Mazzucchelli Ceboplast and made quite a few pens from it. This material is becoming increasingly scarce so its nice to have some again.

It has a couple of properties that are a little different compared to other plastics. First of all the blank isn't square or round but comes in an oval with "fins" that run the entire length of it. They are also slightly irregular, so getting the widest round blank from it is the first task.

This material also heats up very quickly when being worked, meaning you need to go a little slower or it can crack or melt onto the tool. The fact that it's scarce means it's also very expensive. So it does heighten the whole experience a little, I often refer to it as the Pen Turners' equivalent of an extreme sport. I suspect those who spend hours making intricate segmented blanks experience a similar feeling when turning them into a pen. Anyway I have been fortunate so far and none of it has ended up in the bin. Yet.

That said, once you do make a pen, there are few other synthetic materials that come close in my opinion. It's a type of cellulose acetate so it has that same warm, soft feel, but there's a colour depth that the Mazzucchelli company managed to achieve that really is exceptional.

Anyway some pictures below, including the funny shaped blank I mentioned.

This pen has black acrylic finials and sterling silver accents. Fitted with a Jowo no 6 nib. I use 13mm triple lead cap threads and there is a small <1mm step between the threads and the barrel. Overall length when closed is 140mm.

Cheers
Ash

IMG_9934.jpgIMG_9951.jpgIMG_9949.jpgIMG_9946.jpgIMG_9939.jpgIMG_9930.jpgIMG_9929.jpgIMG_9985.jpg
 

flexi

Executive Member
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6,160
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Maidstone
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mark
That's an absolute stunner, your pictures try to show depth of colour, but that's just a pen you want to have in your hand... Stunning... Thanks for sharing :drool::drool:
 

Curly

Graduate Member
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Nov 3, 2019
Posts
421
Location
RM of Aberdeen, Saskatchewan, Canada
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Peter
Sweet pen as to be expected of you. In my small stash of old materials I have a 14" blank of Ceboplast very close to the same colour. It has a small thin third ridge so maybe not the same one as yours, pretty close though. Amazing how much it transforms in your hands.

Pete
 

ValleyBoy

Graduate Member
Joined
Jul 9, 2019
Posts
647
Location
Cardiff
First Name
Ash
Sweet pen as to be expected of you. In my small stash of old materials I have a 14" blank of Ceboplast very close to the same colour. It has a small thin third ridge so maybe not the same one as yours, pretty close though. Amazing how much it transforms in your hands.

Pete

Hey Pete

Thank you. Yes this stuff has the third fin too, its on the bottom of the photo so you cant quite see it. So it very likely is the same but they do (did) another quite similar. Here's a photo of them both together as banks and as finished pens.

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As I learn more about them I realise they are issued with reference numbers, rather than names, but I believe a guy in the UK started naming them when he sold them and the names have somewhat stuck. So these are Jewel of Poseidon (left) and Sapphire Dreams (right).

Cheers
Ash
 

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Curly

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RM of Aberdeen, Saskatchewan, Canada
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Peter
Here is a picture of the one I have and his buddies from the drawer. It's the one on the right you call Jewel of Poseidon. The others are a mix you will recognize. Long slim ones are hollow and the square blank is a Tortoise Celluloid. I have some black Niko ebonite and old Cumberland ebonite not pictured.

Pete
 

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ValleyBoy

Graduate Member
Joined
Jul 9, 2019
Posts
647
Location
Cardiff
First Name
Ash
Here is a picture of the one I have and his buddies from the drawer. It's the one on the right you call Jewel of Poseidon. The others are a mix you will recognize. Long slim ones are hollow and the square blank is a Tortoise Celluloid. I have some black Niko ebonite and old Cumberland ebonite not pictured.

Pete
Very nice! I've never had the other two ceblox materials (2nd and 3rd from the right). If you know of anybody who has them for sale, or if you ever wanted to offload any yourself, then I would be very interested. And that tortoise cellulose... Well, I would love some of that. We don't get a lot of it over here which is a shame.

Thanks for sharing!

Cheers
Ash
 

Curly

Graduate Member
Joined
Nov 3, 2019
Posts
421
Location
RM of Aberdeen, Saskatchewan, Canada
First Name
Peter
Very nice! I've never had the other two ceblox materials (2nd and 3rd from the right). If you know of anybody who has them for sale, or if you ever wanted to offload any yourself, then I would be very interested. And that tortoise cellulose... Well, I would love some of that. We don't get a lot of it over here which is a shame.

Thanks for sharing!

Cheers
Ash

To be honest Ash I don't remember for sure what they are anymore. The tag on the blue one says 79205_BMBL-L Blue Marble $14.25 and was turned round on a metal lathe and the second says 79205_ICK Iridescent Chunk $14.45. Also turned round. I got them at the Mid Atlantic Penturners Gathering (MAPG) about 9 or 10 years ago from Richard Greenwald.

The Cellulose I got from Jonathon Brooks at that same MAPG. He showed it to a couple of us and said he was thinking of selling it and I said "Done!" and it was mine. It's the only piece I have ever been close to as it is pretty scarce here too.

Mike Redburn (mredburn) on the IAP used to regularly put up rare blanks for sale and occasionally still does. Contact him and see what he has available.

Pete
 

Penpal

Grand Master
Joined
May 26, 2013
Posts
25,340
Location
Canberra AUSTRALIA
First Name
Peter
Chosen blanks...Tick. turned blanks many ticks. Surprising before and after,I also appreciate the end inserts. Altogether so well done.
:thumbs::thumbs:
 
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