Thank you all!!!

["Patricia Lawson" <patlawson@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

Wow! I am overwhelmed with all your wonderful responses to my drilling
alabaster question! Thank you all so very much for taking the time to offer
me your advice and suggestions

A few days ago, I was standing alone in my workshop staring at a fractured
piece of alabaster in frustration, and feeling like the only person in the
world who has ever had the strange idea of drilling a hole through a rock -
now I feel like I have 20 stone artists standing out there with me offering
advice and support! I am printing out all of your suggestions and will
probably try all of them until I find a method that works. All of your
suggestions are very much appreciated!

I will try my wood cutting drill bits before I open the package with the new
glass/tile bit that I bought (it was an expensive bit and not quite the
right size, so if not needed I'll return it.) I will also try drilling from
both ends of the piece. I'm very familiar with the problem of particles
building up in the hole and causing wood blanks to split,  so am used to
drilling slow and careful, and removing built up debris from the hole. Also
I know that not drilling all the way through the bottom often helps.

Tom - Regarding the Dremel tool. Would I be able to find any type of cutting
burrs that would be large enough for the holes I need to drill? (Such as 1/4
inch up to 1/2 inch and 2 inches long.)

Tomas - your idea of drilling several blanks at once out of a larger piece
sounds good too.

Billy - I don't know if I completely understood your description, but I
think I did. It sounds like a neat little centering jig for drilling - is
this right? Is the wooden jig supposed to fit over the top of the alabaster
piece with the small pilot hole at the top? I wanted to let you know that I
have a wonderful centering vise especially made for drilling pen blanks that
works great for centering the hole, but your jig might come in handy for
some odd type blanks that don't work well in my centering vise. It sounds
like a handy device.

Susan - Thanks for your tips and onyx sounds intriguing. I do have a
beautiful piece of Calcite that is supposed to be harder than alabaster and
may try that too.

Scott - I also hope to prove you wrong  (:-), if not I'll stick to bowls.

And Doctor Ron - If I actually succeed in making an alabaster (or other
stone) pen, I will no doubt be shouting it from the rooftops, (or at least
putting lots of  pictures of it up online), so you can bet that I will send
you all a URL where you can see it!

Pat L.