M3 Metal Pen Blank: Classic Mokume

This material was originally engineered for pen makers and wood turners, so it is easily workable with wood tools while obtaining a gem metal finish that will look great forever. This material is very strong and resilient once it is finished and in place. If you are going to break M3 Commercial grade you are going to do it by getting it too hot while working on it, press fitting misaligned parts or dropping it in the shop. Once it is assembled in the finished piece it will look great forever.

As strong and hard as this material is, it is susceptible to chipping or cracking if it is dropped, abused or over-stressed.

Engineered to be dense and stable, M3 works easily with traditional wood working tools and will hold the finest of detail. Colors and patterns run completely through the material and the M3 PMP (premium metal polish) finishing system makes the famous M3 gem quality finish easy to achieve. The finished product is beautiful, lightweight, scratch resistant, very strong, comfortable to wear and to touch and will last for many generations.

No special tools are required to work with M3. It will cut, turn, sand, grind, carve and drill with standard wood working tools.
Drill speed should be set low at around 600rpm and you should back the bit out every inch in order to control heat buildup. Using a sacrificial backing to drill into will stop any chipping at the exit hole.
M3 will turn on any lathe; wood or metal. It is perfect for milling and CNC machining.
Set lathe speed around 3000rpm and use sharp tools. Carbide tipped chisels will require less sharpening.
Different M3 metals exhibit the surface hardness associated with the source metal. Titanium and stainless steel will be a little harder on the tools than copper and aluminum.
Use a light touch and take the material down in thin layers using care not to build up too much heat.
M3 will sand aggressively so be careful with the lower grits.
Hold sandpaper and polishing cloths with your hand so that you can control the heat buildup.
M3 needs to be finished. It can be sanded wet or dry and will achieve a high gloss, scratch resistant surface. Follow the polishing instructions for the PMP (premium metal polish).
You should polish this material as “Metal” using appropriate metal polish. M3 Premium Metal Polish (PMP) is matched to M3 and creates a gem finish after sanding down to only 600 grit.
M3 will glue or laminate to itself as well as to most other metals and materials using any good Epoxy or CA glue. Stone setting epoxy should be used when mounting precious and/or semiprecious stones.
M3 metal will patina with standard metal patina chemicals that are readily available.
The metals used in producing M3 maintain a very high level of purity and some will patina naturally over time and with use.