Spalted Tamarind 2 pk

Color and spalting were good. This wood is not stabalized, so it is a little punky. After drilling, I soaked mine in a sealer for 48 hours, or until it sinks. After drying, I turned without tearout. Expect a few worm holes. Superglue to fill and sand over. The end result was a very nice looking pen. Nest time I will buy stabilized spalted Tamarind.

Wood is very soft

I love the grain in this wood and it makes a beautiful pen. However, I could get only 1 pen out of this 2 pack because the wood is very soft and when turning near the end, the wood would split and end up in many pieces. I finally got 1 pen by leaving a lot more wood than usual and then taking it down to the finished shape by much sanding rather that turning.

Punky, Holey, but Pretty

Had to douse the thing in CA glue, but after all that, turned well and ended up with a nice finish.

Tamarind spalted pen blanks

This material is difficult to shape. The hole was egg shaped and another piece broke appart when using the barrel trimmer. The wood had such soft spots the cutters will dig into those places. Other areas the wood is harder and requires more force to cut. This is tough when the soft wood is only on one side of the blank. Tools must be sharp and closely control the feed rates.

Good looking but difficult to work with

I found this very difficult for me to work with as the wood was very delicate but the finished result was a very nice product and the recipient was very happy.

tamarind

Very dense wood, yet turns easily with no chipping. Rather pricy, but beautiful finished pens.