Pre turning pen blanks...

[arcos]

I am having a mess around with turning some pen blanks ready for some more projects.

Semi dry olive branches that I want to see if they will dry without cracking. I am turning then to varying diameters to see how are I can go with them before they crack.

What I am finding is that once I start getting close to a 'finished' barrel the ends are cracking. I am guessing that, because there is no brass tube, the pressure of the mandrel is too much for the wood, so I need to maintain a larger diameter.

Does the glueing of the brass insert give the wood a better chance of surviving? Just wonder if it is worth buying extra tubes for part turning the blanks... My olive wood is far better than anything I can buy ;-)

[Philip Green]

Drilled pen blanks are not very strong, even if the timber itself is strong so I would always glue the tubes in before turning.

It's always worth while having some spare tubes in case of mishaps when turning.

How big are your olive branches? Can you slice them up so that the your blanks do not contain any of the pith? If you can, they are less likely to split as they dry out. Don't forget to seal the ends of the blanks to slow down the drying out process. I use PVA glue but paraffin or candle wax are also good for this.

[arcos]

Thanks Statsman.

Yeah, I have turned a few blanks now and find that if I go too think then the ends are cracking. The tubes will definitely help! I will order a surplus with my next pen order and have an experiment with drilling and drying.

I have olive ranging from 'perfect' 20mm through to logs so some I can split and some I am trying to drill and dry.

I think some pieces I will leave to dry naturally, especially some of the really nicely grained stuff.