Simple Tips to Get Better Results When Making Hybrid Pen Blanks

In today's video, I show you how I make my hybrid pen blanks. If you follow the 10 steps below, you should have better results turning your hybrid pen blanks. You may wonder why you need to stabilize the material prior to casting in resin. The material such as wood or pinecones, are going to be much softer than the resin. When you go to sand the pen blank after turning, you will notice that you can feel the difference between the two materials. You will also likely feel a dip on the softer wood or pinecone. The reason is that resin is harder than wood or pinecones. When you stabilize prior to casting in resin, you make the material as hard as the resin.
1. Dry the material in a toaster oven at 200F for an hour if you feel like there is
any dampness to the material. Make sure that you remove any loose material such
as bark.
2. Submerge the material in Cactus Juice. Make sure that the material is completely
submerged and is not above the surface of the Cactus Juice.
3. Run the vacuum pump until there are no more bubbles.
4. Turn off the vacuum pump and leave the material soaking in the Cactus Juice for the
same amount of time it took to be bubble free.
5. Preheat the oven to 200F and verify the temperature with an external temperature
gauge. I use a couple of old toaster ovens I got at yard sales. Don't use the
oven in your kitchen unless you want your spouse mad at you.
6. Remove as much of the Cactus Juice as you can before putting it into the oven.
Do not place the material directly on aluminum foil. If you do, the Cactus
Juice will stick to the aluminum foil and it will be a nightmare to get off.
7. Leave the materials in the toaster oven for at least 2 hours. For thicker
pieces of wood, you will need to keep it in the oven for more than two hours.
The goal is to get the internal temperature of the material up to 200F to
allow the Cactus Juice to cure.
8. After the Cactus Juice has cured, be sure to remain any of the cured Cactus
Juice from the out side of the material. Some will come off easily and others
may need to be removed with an old chisel.
9. Drain the Cactus Juice back into the original container. The Cactus Juice
will have changed color, but it is still good. Store the Cactus Juice in
your refrigerator and it will last longer.
10. Clean up you supplies with soapy water and dry.
If you would like to purchase pens or pen blanks, please follow the links below.
Pens in my store: www.wolfridgewoodworking.com/...
Pen blanks in my store: www.wolfridgewoodworking.com/...
I hope you enjoy this video. Leave a comment if there are any questions you have. Please let me know if there is a project you'd like to see me make and I will do my best to do it. Thank you for all the support you have shown me and the channel!
Psalms 5:12 (NIV)
Surely, LORD, you bless the righteous; you surround them with your favor as with a shield.
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Jacquard, 8-Colors Pearl Ex Mica Pigment Set: amzn.to/36o5LRe
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Ed Parker
P.O Box 1893
Queen Creek, AZ 85142
#penblanks #hybridpenblanks #alumilite #cactusjuice

[@jackthompson5092]

Beautiful pen blanks Ed.

[@DoreWoodworking]

I too live in Arizona. It would be great to meet sometime.

[@vernsteinbrecker3759]

Nice job

[@WoodturningWithJohnMarro]

Nice pen blanks. I haven’t turned any pens yet, but they are on my list of things to learn. Thanks for sharing!

[@TheMessyStudio]

Good looking blanks, Ed!

[@Gaylynne1]

Fantastic looking blanks. I hadn't thought of using cactus skeletons. I live in AZ too, so have plenty around. I have a question on resins to which I haven't seen good answers. You use Alumlite which I believe is a urethane resin. Others use epoxy resins. Still others use the term resin and epoxy interchangeably, which adds to my confusion. Some sites even call Alumlite "epoxy". I know that in flooring materials epoxy is a harder material and urethane is more flexible. Do you have any experience with what resins do and don't work?

[@williamellis8993]

Interesting, Ed. I don’t do any turning but I'm here to support your channel.
Bill

[@WolfRidgeWoodworking]

Thank you Bill! I've got a pretty cool project coming up next. Hopefully it turns out as good as I have it in my mind. Take care brother! - Ed