I dug around a bit and came up with a chunk of red mallee burl, which I think would look pretty good with my last piece of ebony.
Red Mallee burl is fairly hard and flakes off, rather than peeling.
These two blanks are being joined with a small brass tube and this time it is only going 1/2" into the ebony.
Pin jaws worked well last time, but it pays to check for tightness. They can work loose.
Going well enough.
This is being turned at a medium speed because mallee turns better at faster speeds.
Ebony it appears, turns well at just about any speed.
Another longitudinal crack appeared in the ebony half of the blank, which is the other half of the stick with the buried crack.
It appears deeper though. Add some CA glue and see if this turns out as well.
This is turning well but another issue has cropped up - centering the brass tube. Didn't think of that.
I will next time but as luck will have it, this will work.
I was going to use Indian Sand Stone as the inlay for more of a gradual transition but it is translucent, meaning the brass would show through the sand stone. I opted for turquoise, The reason people like Red Mallee is becoming apparent.
One thing I will have to say is I have experienced none of the problems other people have had with ebony.
It polishes up beautifully.
Red Mallee...........pain in the @$$ to turn sometimes, but as an eye catcher, it is hard to beat.
Another hair stick success - finally. Red Mallee, Turquoise and Ebony
And here we have Martina modeling the latest in fall fashion weaponry, the sturdy yet elegant Red Mallee Hairstick.
Hair Sticks in perspective from top to bottom:
Banksia Pod, Malachite and Ebony
Paduak and Malachite
Paduak with a bit of sunburn
Red Mallee, Turquoise and Ebony
