Which Kits?

[Mr Finch]

I have been given some very special pieces of wood and have a couple of questions:

They are very soft, very old wood and need to be stabilised, either before or during turning. What's the best way to do this?

Which pen kits would you put them on? The wood is either elm or oak.

Pics below show the dimensions and the last photo should give a clue as to why they are special. ;)









Thanks in advance

Coll

 

[silver]

With the quality of wood, personally I would put it on a fountain pen as I believe that will command a good price and the right type of buyer.

To stabilise I would turn it partially down to nearly the size you need then I would use CA to stabilise it.

Look forward to seeing it finished..

 

[Woody]

I would say it is Oak the only two types of woods that were on the market from the Victory were Oak and pine as for stabilizing I use the thin super glue just the cheep stuff when to use it depends how bad the rot is if your not sure then it wont hurt to apply some before you start and at different stages as you turn it stop the lathe very often just to check on its stability and apply more as needed the last kit I used on the same wood was the Jn gents which sold for £75 but anything of that sort of size will do good luck and enjoy

 

[Grump]

I don't wanna poop your party at having such special wood but.
As Woody says there were only ever two woods sold from the Victory, Oak and Pine.
They were each piece sold with a certificate of authentication and didn't just have a name scrawled upon it.
They were also already stabilized or of a merchantable quality so should need no further attention until on the lathe.
I still have some pine from the Victory which I have been reliably informed has all been sold, After all steps and ladders only have so much timber in them.

 

[Mr Finch]

Ok, so it's oak or pine. :) I can guarantee the authenticity I the wood so I am not worried about that. :)

CA seems to be popular, and I have to say I had some success with CA on bog wood a couple of weeks ago so will try with that. The thin piece is over 300mm long so I have a couple of goes. :)

Don't know if I want to sell then finished pen though. Hmm...

Thanks all. :)

 

[Mr Finch]

Apparently all the "trafalgar" wood from the ship is gone, lots of it before the ship even got home from the battle as she stopped at a Dutch port for repairs.

But, I know the history of these bits of wood and know (even though there's no certificate) that it is authentic. :)

 

[Jim]

Regarding the kit, i am sure you will come up with the right choice Coll ..

Stabilizing the blank is different, and i can see why you want to get this right .. If you decide to choose a Barron or similar i would reduce the size of the blank on the bandsaw to the kit. If you don't have the right equipment to stabilize the wood, then you can do this as you go by using "Very Thin CA" not "Thin" .. After you have drilled the blank i would also dip the ends of the blanks in the CA, giving them a good soak. Use very sharp tools and use the CA as you go, and do not be afraid of using it along with the accelerator .. Look forward to seeing the final result ...

 

[Woody]

Looking at the end grain I would say it definitely is Oak without a doubt and please dont forget to show us the end result

 

[Mr Finch]

Awesome, thanks gents :)

Now to decide on the kit. The big bit is only long enough for a Sierra or similar I think, but it'll have to be an FP kit for the other bit.

:)

 

[Terry]

Regarding the kit, i am sure you will come up with the right choice Coll ..

Stabilizing the blank is different, and i can see why you want to get this right .. If you decide to choose a Barron or similar i would reduce the size of the blank on the bandsaw to the kit. If you don't have the right equipment to stabilize the wood, then you can do this as you go by using "Very Thin CA" not "Thin" .. After you have drilled the blank i would also dip the ends of the blanks in the CA, giving them a good soak. Use very sharp tools and use the CA as you go, and do not be afraid of using it along with the accelerator .. Look forward to seeing the final result ...

This is a new one on me Jim. Where do you get "very thin CA" from??????

 

[Woody]

This is a new one on me Jim. Where do you get super thin CA from??????

Most pound shops only sell the thin Axminster sell titebond CA in Gel, Thick, Med and thin

 

[Terry]

Most pound shops only sell the thin Axminster sell titebond CA in Gel, Thick, Med and thin

I use thin CA Woody but Jim says there is a "very thin" CA which is new on me !!!!!

 

[paulm]

Looking at the end grain, I would say that's oak and would definitely put it in a fountain pen. My choice would be a Sedona.

Where does all this wood come from? Is there any more up for grabs does anyone know? One of the things I'm doing is making pens for the Vernon Project to try and raise funds for a monument (same as my avatar) where HMS Vernon was, the home of Diver Training and Minewarfare. Unfortunately this place no longer exists and we would like a monument to remember it by. Vernon Monument

If anyone knows a any Naval wood available at any time, would you please let me know? Thanks

 

[Mr Finch]

Ooh, not tried one I those Paul, thanks for the suggestion.

I don't have access to any more but if I hear of any I will let you know.

Now I want to try and get hold of some Mary Rose... Might take a while to dry and stabilise though, ;)

 

[Woody]

Looking at the end grain, I would say that's oak and would definitely put it in a fountain pen. My choice would be a Sedona.

Where does all this wood come from? Is there any more up for grabs does anyone know? One of the things I'm doing is making pens for the Vernon Project to try and raise funds for a monument (same as my avatar) where HMS Vernon was, the home of Diver Training and Minewarfare. Unfortunately this place no longer exists and we would like a monument to remember it by. Vernon Monument

If anyone knows a any Naval wood available at any time, would you please let me know? Thanks

Try Nauticalia that is were I used to get mine but they have stopped selling it now but they may be able to help you Nautical Gifts, Unusual Gifts, Collectable Models, Outdoor Clothing - Nauticalia UK

 

[edlea]

Would love to see it Coll ,when it's finished .

 

[Grump]

Try Nauticalia that is were I used to get mine but they have stopped selling it now but they may be able to help you Nautical Gifts, Unusual Gifts, Collectable Models, Outdoor Clothing - Nauticalia UK

That's where I used to get mine from too.
Don't expect it to be an outstanding pen Mr Finch, in my experience all the Oak I had was quite plain and the pine was just a load of splinters which was hard to get smooth and put a finish on.
I only did them for ex colleagues whom I am no longer in touch with.

 

[paulm]

Thanks Woody, I'll give them a shout.

 

[rowdyyates115]

I use thin CA Woody but Jim says there is a "very thin" CA which is new on me !!!!!

Terry, I think Jim might be refering to this stuff which is bloody thin.
BondFix Super Thin Super glue Industrial adhesive cyanacrylate 50g bottle! | eBay

 

[Neil]

The keel of the Victory was Elm but I checked and there's none missing. They are replacing some timbers with Teak and Iroko as they have a problem with worm in the dockyard. They reckon that only about 20% of the current hulk is original. A lot of Victory wood never actually made it aboard the ship but was part of a consignment that was acquired by the Ministry of Defence in the 1930s shortly after the extent of the necessary restoration was ascertained after she was docked in the mid 1920s. This Oak was placed in one of the then numerous sheds within the dockyard and subsequently forgotten about until the MOD started selling off "Victory Oak" about twenty years ago.