Well, I was at Rockler today, and saw a kokopelli inlay kit. I love kokopelli, so I shelled out the dough and bought the kit. Now, these are $50 kits, so you don't want to mess one up. Here's my experiences with this kit. First, use the mini rubber bands. Just do it. Also, don't be shy with the thin CA. Use lots. I glued a 1/4" section, sprayed some accelerator, and glued the next 1/4". I used enough that it filled most of the gaps. Then I put some CA on the ends to hold the tube in place. Using a disc sander, I eyeballed about a 90* angle and rough squared the blank. I used a pen mill by hand to finalize it. Turning was done with a high- tech tool: my homemade "80 grit gouge" followed by 100, 120, 180, 220, and 320 grits sandpaper. Then I wiped the blank with DNA, followed by sanding with micro mesh through 12000. I added a few coats of thin CA, buffed the blank, and assembled the kit. I have to say, it was definitely worth it. This is one of the best looking pens I have made. I'll ad pictures soon. Take your time and I'm sure you can make a great looking pen from one of these kits.
-Nick B.
-Nick B.