turning Fordite on a wood lathe

Fordite is also known as "Detroit Agate". It's chunks of layered enamel paint overspray from when cars were hand-sprayed and baked in Detroit automobile plants. The chunks look like this:

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The overspray built up on painting racks and was repeatedly baked along with the painted car bodies. Cars were painted in batches of similar colors, so 50 layers of overspray of the same color paint would be thick enough to form a discernible layer in the final chunks. Like crispy burnt bits stuck to a barbecue grill, the layered chunks of overspray would eventually have to be removed. They were beautiful, machinable, and fortunately, tasted like paint.

Fordite is fairly rare. The supply is fixed, and most of the pieces are small. Here's a piece the size of a large egg on eBay for $1,850:

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Very RARE Large Fordite Piece for Custom Gear Shifter Detroit Agate Shift Knob | eBay

I knew that Fordite chunks were cut and polished, and formed into basic pendant jewelry that sold on Etsy. Hotrodders also use them for gearshift knob inlays and dashboard buttons.

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I didn't realize that Fordite was also turned. I don't know if there are any existing Fordite pieces large enough for turning a vase or even a bowl. However, they can be turned into things like small finials and pens. There are very few videos of turning Fordite, but most of them are the work of Carl Jacobson:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vngSEGEGv1s

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rR68KuJq4t8