Diamond Cast by Tim McKenzie

1. Will Diamond Cast blanks dull my tools?

Diamond Cast blanks have been tested to not add any measurable difference in wear over traditional alumilite pen blanks. As always, best results are achieved by using sharp tools and turning ANY blank will cause the edge to wear. I use an extremely fine powder to ensure your tools are not damaged. Whether you use HSS or Carbide, you'll find that my blanks turn as smoothly as any Alumilite resin blank. 

2. What is Diamond Cast?

Diamond Cast blanks are Alumilite blanks that contain real diamond dust reclaimed from diamond cutters. Colors are achieved using a combination of mica powder and liquid dyes. 

3. Can I special order color combinations?

Absolutely! I do a minimum order of 2 blanks when doing custom requests. The reason for that is I want to be sure you have an extra in case anything goes wrong. Feel free to use the Contact Form to reach out to me with any requests. 

4. Should I paint my tubes?

I've found that painting the inside of the drilled blank is superior to painting tubes. While most blanks are fairly opaque, it is best to paint the inside to get the absolute best colors and ensure no brass is peaking through to ruin that beautiful new pen. Any number of paints could be used but I tend to use Testors model paint for most of my pens. 

5. How do I finish/polish my turned pen?

Finishing methods are extremely varied and everyone has an opinion on how to best finish a resin pen. Alumilite can be sanded smooth with either traditional sand paper or micro mesh and then buffed for a high gloss finish. If you want to ensure the absolute shiniest finish possible, you may want to consider top coating it with CA glue and then polishing. I personally use high grit automotive wet sand paper (up to 2000 grit) followed by 3M buffing compounds.