My first pass at a cancer pen...

[Uncle Cracker]

Here's the first try on the cancer pin for my niece... It's a Sierra in black titanium and platinum. The wood is snow white holly and the inlay is crushed pink coral...

[shoottx]

Very Cool

Great effort for a great cause!

[Ed62]

She's gonna love that. Hopefully that will lift her spirits a little. Nice job.

Ed

[crokett]

Cracker, did you do the inlay or do you get the blank like that?

That is a beautiful pen and she will love it.

[Uncle Cracker]

Cracker, did you do the inlay or do you get the blank like that?

Laid the design out in CAD and had the local WC burn it in with the laser. Then I did the inlay and added the finish coat.

[drumpriest]

That's pretty awesome, well done!

[BerniePA]

That's beautiful, simply beautiful!

[Bill in Buena Park]

Awesome job, UC - the inlay is sweet. For this kind of inlay - did you have to make a paste of adhesive and pink coral, pack into the cut, and re-turn to remove the excess?

[Uncle Cracker]

For this kind of inlay - did you have to make a paste of adhesive and pink coral, pack into the cut, and re-turn to remove the excess?

Easier than that... Just packed the dry, powdered coral into the cutout (a little higher than the finished surface), and then added a couple drops of thin CA 'till powder was soaked. A spritz of accelerator, then knocked off the lumps on the lathe. Sanded with 180, then 400 grit, slapped on a couple of coats of thin CA, micro-mesh to 12000, and polish with white diamond on the big lathe.

The powdered coral is a very pale material, but takes on a darker, marbled look when hit with the CA. I like the effect, but it's hard to know what the final outcome will be just by looking at the dry powder.

[Richard in Smithville]

That's really nice UC. Awesome work.

[jking]

Nice job! That is a very neat idea.