# Question to the pro's or those who have done fill etc.



## DaveTTC (Jan 30, 2013)

I have some 'Pepper Corn' burl. It looked more impressive when freshly cut but now ..... Anyway, it shrunk and cracked etc. 

Here is the worst that I'm considering trying to salvage. Can anyone tell me how this might be saved, type of fill and method etc

Thx

Dave The Turning Cowboy

[attachment=17568]


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## DaveTTC (Jan 31, 2013)

I would like to use turquoise 

Dave The Turning Cowboy


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## Wildthings (Jan 31, 2013)

That would be a good candidate for filling in with resin in a pressure or vaccuum pot.


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## Jdaschel (Jan 31, 2013)

http://woodbarter.com/showthread.php?tid=4717

Here is a link I posted in the classroom on how I do it. It takes alot of equipment to do a really good job. But, you may want to use PR. Instead of alumilite because you can do it without pressure. Although it will not work nearly as good. It will be in fine. But it may not attach itself to the wood, because it shrinks.


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## Final Strut (Jan 31, 2013)

Definately a prime canidate for the pressure pot and some PR


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## DaveTTC (Jan 31, 2013)

Excuse my ignorance, I'm Australian, what is PR


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## RusDemka (Jan 31, 2013)

DaveTTC said:


> Excuse my ignorance, I'm Australian, what is PR



Polyester resin.


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## jaimesummer (Feb 5, 2013)

Here is a suggestion (I am not a pro). Turquoise or malachite is fairly soft. You can combine powder with epoxy and fill in cracks. Maybe not that giant one on top but anything up to 1/8 wide is OK, haven't tried anything wider. I bought some powder online (can't remember where, I believe some rock dealer). I then have a dedicated mortar and pestle and grind it up as fine as possible. If the cracks are deep, use a less viscous epoxy. Or use a longer setting time epoxy and heat it up to thin it out. Try and keep track of the epoxy/powder ratio. Mix in the powder until you notice it getting thicker and doesn't have any translucency left. Make sure you have enough to do the whole blank or else you might get a slight shade difference if you have to use two different batches. It is a little tricky because it will try and run out as you do the 4 sides. You can use some plastic wrap and tape to keep it in place until it starts to set. Try and fill the cracks from the bottom so you don't include any bubbles. Try and drag bubbles out of the crevices. The thinner the epoxy, the less chance of bubbles. Let it cure adequately or else it will not cut and sand well. Cut the blank to about .01 of the final diameter and check for voids. Make a small batch with the same ratio and fill the few voids. Cure adequately and finish the pen. If buffing, do not overheat and distort the surface of the epoxy. Finished epoxy responds well to micromesh and buffing if it is not overheated. It seems to come out a little darker than I would like. I have experimented with some white/pearl colored Pearlex mixed with the rock to lighten and brighten it a little. Also, the turquoise I got is more green than blue. I guess the blue turquoise is more desirable and less common than the greener stuff (from Kingman, AZ?).


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## DaveTTC (Feb 5, 2013)

jaimesummer said:


> Here is a suggestion (I am not a pro). Turquoise or malachite is fairly soft. You can combine powder with epoxy and fill in cracks. Maybe not that giant one on top but anything up to 1/8 wide is OK, haven't tried anything wider. I bought some powder online (can't remember where, I believe some rock dealer). I then have a dedicated mortar and pestle and grind it up as fine as possible. If the cracks are deep, use a less viscous epoxy. Or use a longer setting time epoxy and heat it up to thin it out. Try and keep track of the epoxy/powder ratio. Mix in the powder until you notice it getting thicker and doesn't have any translucency left. Make sure you have enough to do the whole blank or else you might get a slight shade difference if you have to use two different batches. It is a little tricky because it will try and run out as you do the 4 sides. You can use some plastic wrap and tape to keep it in place until it starts to set. Try and fill the cracks from the bottom so you don't include any bubbles. Try and drag bubbles out of the crevices. The thinner the epoxy, the less chance of bubbles. Let it cure adequately or else it will not cut and sand well. Cut the blank to about .01 of the final diameter and check for voids. Make a small batch with the same ratio and fill the few voids. Cure adequately and finish the pen. If buffing, do not overheat and distort the surface of the epoxy. Finished epoxy responds well to micromesh and buffing if it is not overheated. It seems to come out a little darker than I would like. I have experimented with some white/pearl colored Pearlex mixed with the rock to lighten and brighten it a little. Also, the turquoise I got is more green than blue. I guess the blue turquoise is more desirable and less common than the greener stuff (from Kingman, AZ?).



Thanks, I will definitely follow this one up. If you happen to find where you sourced your powder I would be interested to know. I have had little luck down here in Australia. On top of that I live in a remote town of about 900


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## BassBlaster (Feb 5, 2013)

I use InLace to fill voids and checks in pen blanks and other small items. Thats what I would try. InLace is nothing more than a colored fine stone in PR. I use the turqoise color.


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## healeydays (Feb 5, 2013)

DaveTTC said:


> Thanks, I will definitely follow this one up. If you happen to find where you sourced your powder I would be interested to know. I have had little luck down here in Australia. On top of that I live in a remote town of about 900




Ebay should get to you.


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## ElMostro (Feb 6, 2013)

You can also stuff the cracks with ground coffee and soak the coffee with thin CA, the coffee tends to accelerate the CA's curing so stay away from the fumes. It will take several runs but IMO worth it.
Eugene


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## RusDemka (Feb 6, 2013)

ElMostro said:


> You can also stuff the cracks with ground coffee and soak the coffee with thin CA, the coffee tends to accelerate the CA's curing so stay away from the fumes. It will take several runs but IMO worth it.
> Eugene



Eugene here in my opinion is the pen blank casting king, so take his advice as it will be good... :)


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## DaveTTC (Feb 7, 2013)

ElMostro said:


> You can also stuff the cracks with ground coffee and soak the coffee with thin CA, the coffee tends to accelerate the CA's curing so stay away from the fumes. It will take several runs but IMO worth it.
> Eugene



My friend wants a turquoise finish in the void. Would I use coffee as a base and then something else as I get away from the centre?


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## jaimesummer (Feb 8, 2013)

Here is the place I bought malachite and turquoise 2 years or so ago:

http://www.gilmerrockshop.com/servlet/the-Crushed-Rock/Categories

seems like their prices went up. Also 4 oz is a lifetime supply unless you make 5 pens a day. The turquoise is more green than blue when I bought it. I mix blue pearlex (see below) with the turquoise to make it more blue and make it a little more interesting, just using the rock plus epoxy is a little dull in appearance even after buffing, the pearlex gives it a little more brightness if that is what you are looking for.

Here is the place with the real blue colored turquoise. Not sure how soft it is to easily make a powder like the stuff above:

http://www.sleepingbeautymine.com/sbturquoise.html

another product that works very well mixed with epoxy is Pearlex. It has a mica-like quality that diffracts light in an interesting way compared to "round" particles". They have many colors, I have a 9 pack of mixed colors and other single colors. The copper is also very nice also and I see they do have turquoise (the blue version).

http://www.jacquardproducts.com/pearl-ex-pigments.html


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## DaveTTC (Feb 8, 2013)

Thanks Jaime. That gives me more to look at. Appreciate it.


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