| Re: Pen turning wood on Raleigh CL
Any wood makes a good pen blank as long as it is dry and approx. 3/4" square. It helps to be at a minimum 5½" long for nice grain matching. What makes a spectacular pen blank is the above plus very tight figure or grain. There ain't much wood left on a pen and the scale is very small. Curly Maple is one of my favorite woods and I love to work with it. But for a excellent pen blank the figure needs to be very tight or it will be lost in the diminutive scale.
A fun thing to do with curly Maple is to dye it. The dye really brings out the curl and can really enhance a less than ideal figured blank. I have used the dyes for casting resin, Sharpie markers and even food coloring with good results.
Dave 
__________________   Nothing left to do but smile, smile, smile
Honestly Honey, that will cost around $100 $150 $200, and I need a few more tools. 
Heard from a client..."If I had your tools and experience...I could do it myself" 
"Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind."
--Dr. Seuss
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Me thinks he has heard a voice from the darkness 
. He has also been seen in public with FredP. hmmmmm..gif "Drogar BigGrin(DBG)")
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