Rhino blanks (polyester)

[Sasquatch]

Just cut a stem from one of the Rhino blanks that Exoticblanks.com has. Really easy to work with - no tendency to melt or pebble like lucite can have. It'll chip a bit if you are too aggressive. But drilling, working and finishing were all easier than lucite, and the final product is certainly softer on teeth. I detect no tendency to crushing - it feels plenty strong, certainly as strong or stronger than ebonite.

So if you're looking for something unusual, these will work.

[taharris]

What a great site.

Thanks for the link.

Todd

[Ocelot55]

That's awesome, Sas. Do you know how well it bends?

At 2.95 a blank that might be worth trying out. It's sure cheaper than premium ebonite.

[Sasquatch]

I haven't bent it, but was assured by the proprietor that it will accept and hold a bend.

[KurtHuhn]

I have found that some polyesters hold a bend, while others do not. But by "hold a bend" I mean over a period of a year or so. Some polyesters slowly return to their original as-cast straightness over several months.

It is excellent stem material though. I love it.

[Sasquatch]

I was nervous, but the stuff worked just beautiful. Definitely will be ordering more.

We need a list of the ones that don't stay bent!

[KurtHuhn]

The faux amber and ivory don't bend, for starters. I suspect the faux tortoise as well, but have not actually made a stem from it, just used it as end caps and rings. I wish I had time to get all the different types of polyester, make a stem from each, then set them all on a shelf for a year.

[Sasquatch]

I just blew up a bronze fire polyresin, so that's out.


But the Rhino worked nice.

[AaronC]

these rhinoplastic blanks are what i've been using in my attempts. so far i've only bent one and it's been holding its shape fine for about 3 months now. It was one of the molten copper ones. i'd also say that in my very limited experience with these and acrylics, the rhino blanks seem to have more depth to them when buffed up. you can also check out www.beartoothwoods.com for them. they have incredible service and give some discounts the more you buy. I'm currently working on one using one of the Moondust blanks, i'll try to post some pics soon. its looking awesome (the material, lol, not so much the pipe at the moment)

[AaronC]

oh ya, i also had a very bad experience trying to cut my tenon into this stuff. it didn't like being twisted in the mortise. i kept chewing it up so i switched to delrin with these. of course it's entirely likely that had more to do with me and less to do with the blanks.

[Sasquatch]

If the tenon's tight, it binds pretty quick - it's not a "slippery" plastic, and delrin makes a lot of sense in this application. I cut my tenon a little looser than I would have done on rubber, and added some wax to keep things a little friendly.

[caskwith]

Never had a problem with bending here, mind you the polyester i use is much more expensive. tenons are out though, delrin is a must!

[Ocelot55]

Does anyone know if the ebonite from Exoticblanks.com is any good, aka suitable for a pipe stem? I was going to order some of the Rhino blanks and saw that they also carried ebonite.

[taharris]

I've had good luck using pen blanks from Woodcraft.com.



Todd

[TRS]

Does anyone know if the ebonite from Exoticblanks.com is any good, aka suitable for a pipe stem? I was going to order some of the Rhino blanks and saw that they also carried ebonite.

I wouldn't risk it. PME sells the same diameter rod, of proven quality and a half inch longer, for the same price as EB. Some of the forum members, myself included, have bought ebonite from AAP, another pen-centric source. Because the rods weren't intended to be turned or filed down as thin as a pipe stem, there are myriad unwanted inclusions towards the center. I'm not saying that EB has the same problem, but it's not worth finding out the hard way when PME or other sources sell good stock for the same price.

[Sasquatch]

Their ebonite is fine - same pedigree as the stuff PME sells I believe.

[TRS]

Their ebonite is fine - same pedigree as the stuff PME sells I believe.

Actually, this is what I meant to say ^

[Sasquatch]

LOL that's what I thought.

Actually I was very skeptical too, and really gave Dawn a rough time on the phone about the stuff she was selling me. "If it's no good, I'm gonna burn your fucking house down and kill everyone you ever spoke to."

The brown stuff they have is cool - very earthy green/brown. Perfect for camouflaged Special Ops pipes.

[Sasquatch]

I've had good luck using pen blanks from Woodcraft.com.



Todd

You call that good luck?

[taharris]

Sas, don't be jealous.

Keep trying and maybe someday you'll make a nice pipe too.



Todd