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Coolibah Anyone?

Well, after my adventure with a drill press Brush I decided to buy a lathe for fun.
I ended up making another acrylic brush to match the one from the drill press.
While getting to know my lathe a bit I roughed out maybe 5 types of brush handles out of wood but never came close to finishing them. They were just for getting used to the tools for making brush handles.
Thanks to a friend of mine who gifted me a stabilized piece of Coolibah a few days ago (an accomplished pen maker) I set forth to see if I could actually do it.
It is a very dense Australian Eucalyptus wood I believe. This was also my first attempt at a C.A. finish which I tried several times to get right.
Happy with the result.
Here's some photos,

Ready for final sand,

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Ready for finish

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Finished,

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A fun project.

I have enough for another if I don't screw it up so maybe I will order two knots, I'm sure I'll make another at some point if the other piece blows up.
 
Beautiful grain structure. That must have been burl wood. That handle really turned out nice. What are you going to do for a knot?
 
Thanks guys!

Beautiful grain structure. That must have been burl wood. That handle really turned out nice. What are you going to do for a knot?

This is very much like a burl in structure but any Eucalyptus I have seen looks the same. It seems like its end grain everywhere:)
It has been drilled for a 23mm knot.
I was quite happy with the TGN silvertip Premium so probably that again. These knots seem a little scratchy (very little) when dry but when wet they are very soft and smooth.
I've never really been a fan of wood for handles but this is stabilized so probably just fine. It will make a nice show piece for sure but I like using them so....
Gorgeous piece of wood for sure.
 
Nice work , The grain looks nice .
How many coats of CA ?

I sanded it back a few times so not sure how much is on there.
3 good coats for sure. I tried finishing 3 times with 3-4 coats each time. I talked with my friend the pen turner today and he does 8 and another he knows does 12. That seems a little excessive to me. This is stabilized so there should be "sealer" right through the piece. The pen blanks are not stabilized so maybe require more.
I would think - in theory, that it really doesn't need anything but a fine sand and buff but I have no idea. This is all new to me.
I had trouble when finishing. I would get "crazing" after 3 coats. My buddy tells me he will get that if he puts too much finish on at a time so I will dial that back a bit. I intentionally was loading my applicator so it would stay wet while I got into all the crevices . It dries so fast!
I actually like the polyester blanks and such for handles but I don't like the curls of plastic or the smell.
If I am to turn handles for use I will try to use stabilized. My buddy is anxious to see how it stands up to use. I'm trying to talk him into making some:)
There are some seriously beautiful woods out there, I know. I am a "vintage" Carpenter.
 
Well, I still haven't got my knots from TGN. They are due to arrive shortly.
In the meantime I had a friend show up today who I am helping get going on straights and all things related and he gave to me a really nice silvertip knot from a private supplier of his. It has gorgeous hair with ultra fine tips.
Unfortunately the knot was too big for the Coolibah in this thread so.....I turned the remainder(left side second photo) in a slightly heavier pattern and a proper size hole for the new knot.
Shown beside the original,

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and with the new knot,

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Feels great in the hand.
 
Thanks Jim,
1 quick lather on the hand to start and here it is beside my 23mm TGN,

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From the top,

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She's going to be a behemoth!
 
Very nice. I really like the grain in that eucalyptus. Just beautiful. Never turned it myself but I have worked with some different burl woods.
 
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