On Sun, 09 Jan 2005 07:37:02 GMT, "res055a5" wrote:

i've been making pens for a little while now and have been asked questions
about using tagua nuts (natural fake ivory)
for making bands around the middle. one fellow was having two problems with
them...1. they seem to crack a lot. and
2. they chip when being turned. they sand just fine. we tried normal super
glue, but that didn't help the crack problem.
we put the band on the brass tube with 5 minute epoxy...could it be heating
up too much and causing the cracking? Could
chatter while the band is being turned cause the chipping and cracking both?
Any ideas?
rich
how thin are these bands? I have turned Tagua jars so thin light
shines thru them, but if he is using narrow, thin pieces, I suppose
the tiniest mistake could catch and any drying could cause cracking.
(Taguas are subject to distortion, like any vegetable product, and I
never tried using them in that way.)