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.)

slimline ink pen bands.. the idea is to cut and sand the proper width
of nut the same as the pen band....drill the proper sized hole in the nut
slice
so that it fits over band and use an adhesive to keep it on. then turn the
nut
band on the lathe. this way we can use a slimline pen kit to make a
"fatter"
style of pen with an ivory look to it. we have been using CA glue. the
fellow
that has been doing the turning is a beginner, old, and doesn't have the
best eyesight.
that is why i thought that he might be causing the chisel to chatter or put
too much
pressure on the chisel or might not have it sharp enough.

Another use for the nut is when a blow out occurrs in the pen while turning.
we have
been turning the wood down to the tube and gluing on a nut band to bring it
back to
the proper length....with the same problems.

i have also been making checkerboard patterned pen blanks...sometimes in a
spiral
pattern. I would like to use tagua nut for the white color occasionally,
horn for its
colors, antler, ivory, and possibly eventually turquoise chips in epoxy.
all just experiments
that are fun to try out. And then I will try personalizing pens by sawing
bronze or silver
sheet into letters and forming them around the proper diameter cylinder
before epoxy
holds them on and sanding smooth.

pushing the limits in experiments is more fun for me than making the same
pen all the time...no matter
how good the pen style looks, how good the wood looks, or how much
practice/skill i acquire
turning the same style over and over until i can do it in my sleep.
rich