Tom:

I saw your recent photo on the Moment of Fame photo site. The marble work looks fantastic -- very unique.

A few questions:

Is it true marble or synthetic; and what are some details of cutting the stuff, if it is actually stone (cutting speeds, tooling, etc).

Of course, this questions assumes these aren't trade secrets! If they are, I understand.

Merry Christmas

Scott Brockwell

I have not seen it. But on one of these rod boards Tom said he was turning some real marble with water for a lubricant. I think he said he didn't like the weight and was looking for a substitute synthetic that really looked like marble. I'd be interested to know if he found any.

Now you can see it at: [www.momentoffame.com]

That picture should be a RodMaker cover for sure. I would urge anyone to view the page Billy mentions. Simply expert!

Rich

I don't have any trade secrets. Two of the seat inserts in the photo are real marble. They were cut with a carbide bit and water for the lubricant. Then sanded down thru 800 grit wet silicon carbide paper. Took a few days to get them sanded and polished to a high luster, although I think they looked better without the high degree of polish - just left smooth but sort of matte looking.

And yes they are heavy, thus the split inserts. I have been looking for something in a synthetic material, a phenolic or plastic, that would closely mimic real marble. Most of what I have tried is very disappointing. They look fine for what they are, but they also look like plastic.

One of the inserts in the photo is cut from something called Tru-Stone. It is not plastic but rather a combination of stone particles compressed into a block. To tell the truth, it is very close to the look and unfortunately, the weight, of real marble. Oh well. I will just have to keep experiementing with new materials.

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I second Rich's opinion. This is definite cover material! WOW Tom, very cool!!!