some vintage material

[duncsuss]

A while back I got some vintage galalith -- it's one of the first manmade materials, created by extracting casein (a protein) from milk and processing it with formaldehyde. Usually it has pale "stripes" of opaque and semi-clear cream shades along the length of the rod, but this particular batch has a beautiful added twist to the pattern. I've never seen anything quite like it.

Anyway, a friend from high school asked me to make a pen for him to give his wife as an anniversary gift ... here's what I came up with.

 

[rdabpenman]

Interesting looking material.
Is the black color seen in the blank in the material or is the tube painted black?

Les

 

[duncsuss]

Interesting looking material.
Is the black color seen in the blank in the material or is the tube painted black?

Les

There's no tube -- the barrel is simply the galalith drilled through then threaded with taps and dies. The black inside the tube is the piston screw on the ink cartridge-converter (there's no ink in it yet -- when there is, you'll be able to see some of that colour showing through the forward end of the barrel.)

 

[barry richardson]

That is some neat looking stuff! I guess it comes in different colors? My brother showed me a Le Blanc pen he has that is a vintage reproduction made with red bakelite. Ever use any of that stuff? I think your material looks better though....

 

[duncsuss]

That is some neat looking stuff! I guess it comes in different colors? My brother showed me a Le Blanc pen he has that is a vintage reproduction made with red bakelite. Ever use any of that stuff? I think your material looks better though....

Galalith does come in different colors, but I haven't used any of the other rods I got. (Some examples in the photo below -- this rod is on the left hand end.)

I've got some yellow/honey/amber translucent bakelite rods but haven't dared put them on the lathe yet -- being see-though means there has to be a lot of internal sanding and polishing, which is a royal pain in the you-know-what, but the results can be spectacular.

 

[Nature Man]

Awesome pen! Exquisite presentation! Chuck

 

[DKMD]

That's cool! Never heard of that material, but I love the look.

 

[NeilYeag]

Very interesting material, it looks organic to me.

 

[duncsuss]

Very interesting material, it looks organic to me.

Yes, it reminds me of sea sponges and dried cholla cactus -- at least, the swirly-spirally one does.

 

[Herb G.]

That material reminds me of whale baleen. Very nice pen, BTW.

 

[ripjack13]

Very cool. I like the red colored rod....
That pen is stunning Duncan. Well done sir, well done....

 

[duncsuss]

Very cool. I like the red colored rod....
That pen is stunning Duncan. Well done sir, well done....

Thanks, Marc.

It's hard to say for sure, but I think the other rods will lose some of their saturation as they are turned down to pen-barrel diameter -- it looks that way from the ends. I don't want to leave the best part on the floor, so I'm planning to try turning down a very short piece before committing to how I'm going to use it. Caps are normally thicker than barrels, so that might be the way to go.

 

[NeilYeag]

Yes, it reminds me of sea sponges and dried cholla cactus -- at least, the swirly-spirally one does.

Ah yes cholla- @rocky1 favorite material.

 

[ripjack13]

Thanks, Marc.

It's hard to say for sure, but I think the other rods will lose some of their saturation as they are turned down to pen-barrel diameter -- it looks that way from the ends. I don't want to leave the best part on the floor, so I'm planning to try turning down a very short piece before committing to how I'm going to use it. Caps are normally thicker than barrels, so that might be the way to go.

What about making cigar tubes? Those need to be a good size. Maybe one would be good. Or a christmas ornament...

 

[rocky1]

Beautifully done Duncan, she's going to love it!

 

[gman2431]

Incredible Duncan!!