Woodturning | From scrap wood to a beautiful resin pen

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Today's video:

The pens in this video were made from scrap pieces of oak, maple, and jatoba cut-offs I had lying around my workshop. To turn the cut-offs into thin strips that would fit into my pen moulds, I took a chisel to the pieces and sort of split them like you would with an axe to make kindling (not shown in video). I did my best to place the wood pieces in the moulds in the most haphazard way I could, although I probably could have still done a better job with that; I think the more random the placements, the more beautiful the final piece will be. For resin, I used Alumilite's Amazing Clear Cast epoxy resin, and for the dyes, I used Black Diamond's mica pigments. In hindsight, I should have used more pigment than I did, as in certain light and at certain angles, you can see a shimmer of the brass tubes beneath the epoxy. Always use more pigment than you think is necessary when casting pen blanks! The blanks then cured in a pressure pot for 24 hours (not shown) before I cut the blanks in half, bored out the tube holes on the lathe (if you don't have a drill press, this method works really well, and it's a lot cheaper than buying a quality press; see equipment below for the chuck I use), and then set them up with their brass tubes. After waiting 24 more hours for the CA glue to be fully cured, I turned the blanks down on the lathe to their approximate shape and then sanded them down to 600 grit. Wanting a glossy finish, I finished the pens with thin CA glue, wet sanded down to 12000 grit with micro-mesh, and then ended by polishing them with some plastic polish. Which one is your favourite, and which wood/resin combo do you think I should use in the future? Comment down below!

If I were to do things differently:

Because the resin gets so thin towards the ends of the pen blanks (the tip of the pen and the end), it's very easy to see the brass tubes beneath if you don't use enough pigment. To make sure you have enough, I think when mixing, you should be able to withdraw your stir stick from the resin and still not be able to see the wood (or silicone) showing through beneath. I know some people also try painting their tubes a similar colour as the resin they'll be using. Admittedly, I haven't tried this method yet. If you have, let me know in the comments if it's worked for you. What kind of paint do you use?

Key equipment/products I used:

Rikon 70-220 VSR Midi Lathe: https://www.leevalley.com/en-ca/shop/...
Pen Mandrel: https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B004...
Woodstock 1/2 inch bowl gouge: https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B005...
Alumilite clear cast: https://www.alumilite.com/resins/amaz...
Black Diamond mica pigments: https://www.blackdiamondpigments.com
Ballpoint pen kits: https://www.penblanks.ca/Budget-Strea...
Pen Blank Chuck: https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B07C...
Pen Press: https://www.amazon.ca/gp/product/B005...


Music provided by Epidemic Sound

On a clear morning - Sunfish Grove
The end - Sture Zetterberg
Running Circles - Cody Francis