Spalted sycamore pen blanks - question & proposal...

[D Hagens]

Checked the mail this morning Herb, still no mail. Guess the dogsleds are running a bit behind or they can't find my igloo. :D :D
Maybe with the tariffs they might be hold em at the boarder trying to figure a way of jacking the price of the stamps up! :D :D

[PC-Urban-Sawyer]

Checked the mail this morning Herb, still no mail. Guess the dogsleds are running a bit behind or they can't find my igloo. :D :D
Maybe with the tariffs they might be hold em at the boarder trying to figure a way of jacking the price of the stamps up! :D :D

D Hagens,

Maybe the Canadian Customs Agent thinks they're small skis and is waiting for snowfall to test them before forwarding them to you.

On the other hand, they were just mailed last Friday and between the US Post Office, Canadian Customs and Canada Post, you'll be lucky to see them by Victoria Day...

Don't wear out the pathway to and from the mailbox looking for them.

As they say in Newfoundland (my wife's a Newfie) "Stay where you're too til they comes to where you're at!"

Herb

[zopi]

SWEET!  They got here today...those are gorgeous!  I have stashed them with my pen stuff...I picked the one out for your pen too...THANKS!

I hauled what I thought was a rotten mimosa stump out of a friends yard...tossed it out in the millyard..until it got in the way...didn't want to fool with moving it, so I rolled it up on the mill to slice up...turned out to be the prettiest spalted holly you have ever seen...it is stashed with my special stuff...curly maple and whatnot...waiting for the right project..

[PC-Urban-Sawyer]

Zopi,

Glad you got them and like how they look.

Take your time. I know how hectic things can be when you're doing workups coming out of upkeep in the yards.

Be careful.

Herb

[Patty]

I received mine as well Herb, thank you! The pieces are just beautiful! Time to get to work  8)

[PC-Urban-Sawyer]

Patty,

You're welcome.

I look forward to seeing how you bring out the beauty that is inherit in the wood.

Herb

[shinnlinger]

THe blanks arrived today.  The woodshop claases had already gone, but my building construction classes are jealous.  They called in the Resource officer to open "the suspicious package of powder from Panama"before it got to me though.

PRetty funny.

Thanks Again, we will get some pens turning tomorrow.

Dave

[PC-Urban-Sawyer]

Dave,

Glad they got there OK...

Hope the students enjoy using them. I look forward to seeing their pens.

Herb

[D Hagens]

  I'm starting to think that someone opened the package at the border and whittled some toothpicks for themselves.  :D

[PC-Urban-Sawyer]

  I'm starting to think that someone opened the package at the border and whittled some toothpicks for themselves.  :D

D Hagens,

Well, since they didn't make it there by Victoria Day, maybe they'll get there by Canada Day  :D

Perhaps they sensed that my wife's a Newfie and sent them by way of Gander...

Worst comes to worst, I'll send you another set.

Herb

[Jeff]

I have had items I've sent to Paul_H  take over a month to get to B.C. when an identical package sent to Ianab in New Zealand took less then a week.   I don't know why but most anything I send to Canada takes forever.

[D Hagens]

I have had items I've sent to Paul_H  take over a month to get to B.C. when an identical package sent to Ianab in New Zealand took less then a week.   I don't know why but most anything I send to Canada takes forever.

When you sent these items Jeff did you have tracking numbers for them?

Herb did you send them through UPS or ground mail?

It always seems that the bigger the item that I ship or that's shipped to me seems to be on either end with in a week.
The smaller stuff seems to get caught up in the shuffle.

[PC-Urban-Sawyer]

D Hagens,

I sent them via US Postal Service. They were mailed International Priority Mail (only thing available any more). Delivery confirmation is not available for this service and I did not insure the shipment because of the low value...

If you don't get them soon I'll try sending another set and insuring them...

Herb

[D Hagens]

Hey Herb

  Well the mail came today and there was a notice from the post office that I have a parcel to pick up so I'm thinking the blanks are in. 8)
Here's a Canadian stupid post office thing! I can walk to the end of the street and there's a small post office there. As we just moved here I'm thinking that's the place.
Get there and they tell me I have to go to the other post office which is all the way across town! They said that I'm not in their mail area! :D :D
So on my to to the bank in the morning I will stop in and pick them up. 8)

[PC-Urban-Sawyer]

D Hagens,

Glad to hear that they have probably arrived. Hope they came though the ordeal undamaged.

I look forward to seeing what you do with them.

Herb

[D Hagens]

Hey Herb those were the blanks that showed up. 8)
So far there's about 6 of them that can't be turned as their too punkie, 4 of them are a bit iffy as they will have a burred look to them when turned. Two of them should turn out well I hope, gonna find out at some point during the week when I get back to my shop.
I have this funny feeling that when the blanks were shipped there was still a trace of moisture in them and being wrapped up in an air tight envelope it really dried them out and the moisture that was there created them to create dry rot if that makes sense?
I'm not sure about this or if it can actually happen. I would like to know what others think.
Also has anyone else started turning the blanks?
It's really nice looking wood, my dad took one look at it and knew what it was right away.
My dad also wanted me to ask you guys if any of you have turned zebra wood. He wanted to know as he seems to have major breathing problems while handling this stuff.

[PC-Urban-Sawyer]

D Hagens,

Sorry to hear that some of the blanks are too punky.

You probably know all about this but one turner has mentioned that applying a coat of CA glue sometimes stabalizes the softer spalted blanks...

Well, good luck with them. Don't worry about sending me a pen but I'd love to see a photo or two if things work out.

Herb

[Radar67]

Another way to stabilize the blanks is to soak them in polyurethane, even better if you can use a vacuum on them with poly. It will make all usable.

[metalspinner]

Didn't someone make themselves a pressure canister to do this, Radar?  I remember that from somewhere...

[Radar67]

Yes Metalspinner, I have an article here somewhere that shows how to use a mason jar with a vacuum lid to make the poly penetrate the wood. A Foodsaver with the mason jar lid kit works too.  ;)

[metalspinner]

Here's a discussion about the topic using plexi glass and acetone.

https://forestryforum.com/board/index.php/topic,32396.0.html

Radar,
I remember something about a mason jar.  I'll keep searching...

[Radar67]

Here is the article Metalspinner,

http://content.penturners.org/articles/2004/polyurethane1.pdf

It was listed in the link you provided, relpy 4 from Beenthere. I saved the article when I read it long ago.

[PC-Urban-Sawyer]

Radar & MS,

Thanks guys, you show one of the reasons why the Forestry Forum community is so great. Helping dig out useful posts from the past that may provide answers to current issues is a priceless capability that is almost impossble to build into the software but is so abundant amoung the friends here at FF...

Herb

[metalspinner]

Thanks, Radar!

Remember the time I mentioned looking for my tape measure for 20 minutes and it was on my workbench the whole time... :

I'll need to try that vacuum trick.  Now I'm wondering just how far I can take it. : :D

[Radar67]

Read this link and you'll be able to take it further than you think.

http://www.joewoodworker.com/veneering/welcome.htm

I have the start of this vacuum press and have a lot of ideas for how it could be used to help drying small quantities of wood and such.