Ebony and .....

Bill Arnold

1974
Staff member
Messages
8,622
Location
Thomasville, GA
...not quite Ivory.

After posting a few turned items on Facebook several weeks ago, an acquaintance in Texas asked if I could turn a pen for her using ebony keys from an old keyboard. I asked her to measure one for me; the dimensions are 3/8" x 1/2" x 3.25". The cross-section being a little more than a slimline, I gave her that option, which is what she wanted anyway. She also wanted plain chrome - she prefers the silvery look.

So, this is what I ended up with after some nervous moments getting pieces drilled for the tubes.

Ebony_MW_wb1.jpg

It takes two keys to make one pen because of the length. One blank had a small crack after drilling, so I had to use another one; I didn't want to try gluing the split, although I might use that blank for myself. I made her two pens which took five keys.

Then, I had a thought about using the shavings from turning the ebony for a bottle stopper. I took about a 3oz cup of shavings and added them to about 2.5oz of resin, stirred the mix and let it sit a while so the shavings would absorb the resin. In the meantime, I took another 2.5oz of resin and added pearl white powder dye to it. After adding the catalyst, I stirred each blend until it seemed ready for the mold. Below is what I came up with along with both pens.

Ebony_MW_wb2.jpg

These will go in the mail to her tomorrow. She asked if I wanted the remainder of the keys. Who am I to refuse?

By the way, the ivory keys went to her son; he does scrimshaw, then adds it to other items. She got the keyboard from an upright piano made circa 1850, so the keys are real ivory and ebony. I'm not real familiar with ebony; the keys she went me are very dark with some faint brownish streaks in the grain.
 
Oh, ya, collect all the ebony you can, no matter the size. even if you just use it as accents for your pens it is worth it. The stuff is like buying gold! Good for you. I have an old up right piano. I better check the keys. Not sure they are ivory and ebony, but if they are I am going to quit trying to get my wife to get rid of it. It will just start disappearing,,,, one key at a time....:huh::thumb:
 
Oh, ya, collect all the ebony you can, no matter the size. even if you just use it as accents for your pens it is worth it. The stuff is like buying gold! Good for you. I have an old up right piano. I better check the keys. Not sure they are ivory and ebony, but if they are I am going to quit trying to get my wife to get rid of it. It will just start disappearing,,,, one key at a time....:huh::thumb:

It's been nice knowing you, Paul!

Here's an example of what her son does with the ivory. Ain't no way I'm in that league!!!

Ivory_MW.jpg
 
Great work Bill, I haven't done anything in ebony in years as it's hard to come by and as Paul said pricey .... last time I turned some was about 2002 or 2003 while I was still in Houston... it was the middle of the summer - hot and sweaty in my shop and between the turning and the sanding dust when I finished I looked like I was in black face... I made a couple of beautiful pens and a set of 3 darts...

Cudos on the pens and the bottle stopper.
 
Those came out great...and I really like the way you used the shavings. Once in a while an old piano gets posted on our local craigslist/freecycle. If I had a partner in crime I'd go pick one up just to see what kind of a job it would be to take apart. I don't guess there's much salvageable wood in one other than the keys?
 
Those came out great...and I really like the way you used the shavings. Once in a while an old piano gets posted on our local craigslist/freecycle. If I had a partner in crime I'd go pick one up just to see what kind of a job it would be to take apart. I don't guess there's much salvageable wood in one other than the keys?

Thanks, Ted.

This is a photo of what one of the pianos looked like originally. My friend said the owner of the one she got the keyboard from used the top to make a coffee table. The rest of the piano must have been in really bad shape for it to have to be broken apart like scrap. Being a Steinway, this probably has some decent wood in it.

-tmp.jpg
 
Got so excited about the thought of stealing keys from my wife's old unused piano I forgot to comment on the beautiful pens and bottle stopper. Nice work on those. I gave up making pens, the hardware just kept going up in price. But, I still like to see ones others have made. I love that bottle stopper. Really an eye catcher.
 
Those are exquisite. :thumb:
ebony keys from an old keyboard
That is good. Ebony is available, albiet, expensive. And most, if not all, on the market is very green. Ebony, if not aged for years will (not MIGHT but WILL) crack when worked. I have a small hunk I have used a couple times, it is older than me and dry.
 
Very nice, Bill. :thumb: Ebony is both a challenge and a joy to work with. I love working with the extra hard woods that don't need a finish other than sanding and buffing.
 
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