Well, today was the day. We were away for a week, and I wanted to try to turn the combo broker pen that I have been preparing. Last night, I poured glue on all of the pen so that the wood would have more strength (a tip I got from one of my woodturning books), and today I trimmed the ends of the blank (no problem) and turned and sanded. One thing I noticed while sanding was that the surface, while smooth, was not turning smoothly on the lathe. I could not figure out why, and only when I sanded and polished the blank, and pressed the tip into the tube (unfortunately, once you have pressed one part of the pen together, you have reached the point of no return in terms of reusing the kit), did I notice that the holly wood had come apart from the rest of the pen. So...I pretty much had to give it up. It was an interesting idea, and one that I may come back to at some point, but the first try was a failure.
Monday, July 30, 2007
Saturday, July 21, 2007
Another visit to the office, another pen sold...
I went to my company's office yesterday (as I do every 2-3 weeks), and my one paying customer came through again! I have given away quite a few pens to co-workers, but I have also sold several pens to this one woman who buys them as presents for her family members (mainly). Yesterday, she bought the cocobolo click pen (which came out nicely - I will have to make more of those) and the olivewood click pencil, both as presents for her daughter. If nothing else, she helps me to figure out which styles of pens might be popular.
This afternoon, I also started work on another combination pen. I decided to try a pen with two different woods stacked vertically in the pen blank, rather than horizontally (the way the padauk and purpleheart were glued together). I have no idea if it will work, but I am trying a combination of bloodwood and holly (red and white) in a striped formation. I have cut the pieces, and I have glued them together, and they are currently clamped together while the glue sets. If it works, I should be able to drill the hole in the blank this evening. The final pen, if it comes out, will either celebrate Canada Day or the barber shop. :-)
This afternoon, I also started work on another combination pen. I decided to try a pen with two different woods stacked vertically in the pen blank, rather than horizontally (the way the padauk and purpleheart were glued together). I have no idea if it will work, but I am trying a combination of bloodwood and holly (red and white) in a striped formation. I have cut the pieces, and I have glued them together, and they are currently clamped together while the glue sets. If it works, I should be able to drill the hole in the blank this evening. The final pen, if it comes out, will either celebrate Canada Day or the barber shop. :-)
Friday, July 20, 2007
The combo pen finished
The first truly SLT designed pen has made it through to fruition! It is not easy to capture in a photograph, but you can see where the purpleheart is joined to the padauk at each end:
Now that we have finally finished one of these types of pens, it will be easier to design others. There is a noticeable thinning of the pen in the lower half - this happened, I think, because the padauk is a softer wood than the purpleheart, so the chisel cut deeper into the padauk. As I work more with different woods on the same pen, I will get used to this and the pens should turn out better.
I also made a bloodwood pen last night, to go with the letter opener. That one came out fine:
One issue that I have been running into lately is that the top of the pen is not as flush with the kit (at the middle, where the center band is). I think that this is because I part off the 1/8 inch of wood before sanding down to the bushing. Then, when I do the sanding, I am not as accurate in terms of leaving the wood level with the bushing. I think, next time, I will do the rough sanding before I part off the wood, and see if this makes a difference.
Now that we have finally finished one of these types of pens, it will be easier to design others. There is a noticeable thinning of the pen in the lower half - this happened, I think, because the padauk is a softer wood than the purpleheart, so the chisel cut deeper into the padauk. As I work more with different woods on the same pen, I will get used to this and the pens should turn out better.
I also made a bloodwood pen last night, to go with the letter opener. That one came out fine:
One issue that I have been running into lately is that the top of the pen is not as flush with the kit (at the middle, where the center band is). I think that this is because I part off the 1/8 inch of wood before sanding down to the bushing. Then, when I do the sanding, I am not as accurate in terms of leaving the wood level with the bushing. I think, next time, I will do the rough sanding before I part off the wood, and see if this makes a difference.
Wednesday, July 18, 2007
Progress of the combination pen
So far, so good...the combination padauk/purpleheart pen made it through the next stage. I was able to trim the barrels without any splitting of the wood. The next stop is the lathe.
Something intriguing in the ongoing mystery of the colour change of purpleheart: Trimming the ends of the blank introduces a lot of heat (via friction) to the wood. It seems that the introduction of that heat deepens the colour of the purple in the wood. It is possible that introducing heat to the blank after it is turned on the lathe (and after sanding, I guess) would deepen the colour on the finished pen.
To test the theory, I may turn a purpleheart-only blank to where it is brownish, and then put it in the microwave or oven to see if I can induce a change.
Something intriguing in the ongoing mystery of the colour change of purpleheart: Trimming the ends of the blank introduces a lot of heat (via friction) to the wood. It seems that the introduction of that heat deepens the colour of the purple in the wood. It is possible that introducing heat to the blank after it is turned on the lathe (and after sanding, I guess) would deepen the colour on the finished pen.
To test the theory, I may turn a purpleheart-only blank to where it is brownish, and then put it in the microwave or oven to see if I can induce a change.
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
Sharp tools make all the difference
Tonight, before turning the cocobolo ballpoint twist pen (which came out very well), I sharpened the roughing gouge on the wheel and then sharpened my skew chisel on the diamond stone for the first time. What a difference! Using the skew chisel on the cocobolo was amazing. It cut so easily and so smoothly...I think it is more than ever my favourite tool.
Here is the pen I made tonight:
Another first-time experience: I had heard that when you drill out a pen blank, you should put a block of wood under the blank so that the blank does not split as the drill bit comes out the bottom. I had never run into this issue, so I did not think much of it...until tonight. I was drilling out the bloodwood blank that I had cut earlier in the evening, and the blank split because I drilled it too fast and there was no piece of wood under the blank.
Of course, now that I have a band saw, it was a matter of about 5 minutes before I had another bloodwood blank to drill. This one I drilled much more slowly, and it worked a lot better. I still (full disclosure) did not put a piece of wood under the blank, but I think that the slow drilling helped a lot. If there is a need to drill quickly, I should put the block of wood under the blank, I guess.
I decided to try the bullet tip pen again. I have tried two of them, and they both came out well in their own way. Hopefully the third one will come out VERY well. I will be using cocobolo for it.
Here is the pen I made tonight:
Another first-time experience: I had heard that when you drill out a pen blank, you should put a block of wood under the blank so that the blank does not split as the drill bit comes out the bottom. I had never run into this issue, so I did not think much of it...until tonight. I was drilling out the bloodwood blank that I had cut earlier in the evening, and the blank split because I drilled it too fast and there was no piece of wood under the blank.
Of course, now that I have a band saw, it was a matter of about 5 minutes before I had another bloodwood blank to drill. This one I drilled much more slowly, and it worked a lot better. I still (full disclosure) did not put a piece of wood under the blank, but I think that the slow drilling helped a lot. If there is a need to drill quickly, I should put the block of wood under the blank, I guess.
I decided to try the bullet tip pen again. I have tried two of them, and they both came out well in their own way. Hopefully the third one will come out VERY well. I will be using cocobolo for it.
Another shot at the designed pens
In addition to cutting a pen blank out of bloodwood, for a Classic American pen that will complement the letter opener that I made a while back, I am making another attempt at a pen that my wife designed. This will be a Classic American pen too, but it will have purpleheart at the top and bottom and padauk in the middle. If all goes well (the last such attempt did not make it past the drilling stage), it will be a neat orange and purple pen. Well, orange and brown until we find out exactly how purpleheart actually turns purple again.
[Edited later at 8:33 p.m.]
Well, the padauk/purpleheart pen passed the next stage. The glue held, and I was able to drill through the components of the blanks without any splits or tearout. I also drilled and glued the tubes, so the next step is to see if I can trim the barrels and turn the pen.
[Edited later at 8:33 p.m.]
Well, the padauk/purpleheart pen passed the next stage. The glue held, and I was able to drill through the components of the blanks without any splits or tearout. I also drilled and glued the tubes, so the next step is to see if I can trim the barrels and turn the pen.
Three successes!
Last night I made my first fountain pen! Made from padauk, it came out really well (I am using the picture of the open pen as the background to my title at the top of the blog):
I also made an Olivewood click pencil. This one looks a lot like the Olivewood click pen that I made a while back, but unlike that one, this one actually works. Some nice grain in this one, even though my photography does not do it justice:
Here is the Classic American click pen that I made over the weekend. It looks a lot like the other Classic American pens (the ones that twist), but on this one you press the top to get the point of the pen out:
The interesting thing about that one is that I used the new reddish piece of cocobolo for it, and yet it came out brown (with interesting grain, but still...). Just goes to show that you can never really tell what the inside of a piece of wood is going to be like, in terms of colour. You can tell what the grain will be like, but that is it.
I also made an Olivewood click pencil. This one looks a lot like the Olivewood click pen that I made a while back, but unlike that one, this one actually works. Some nice grain in this one, even though my photography does not do it justice:
Here is the Classic American click pen that I made over the weekend. It looks a lot like the other Classic American pens (the ones that twist), but on this one you press the top to get the point of the pen out:
The interesting thing about that one is that I used the new reddish piece of cocobolo for it, and yet it came out brown (with interesting grain, but still...). Just goes to show that you can never really tell what the inside of a piece of wood is going to be like, in terms of colour. You can tell what the grain will be like, but that is it.
Sunday, July 15, 2007
Catching up on the week
I was in Toronto last Tuesday and Wednesday, and not feeling well on Thursday, so I did not really get to do anything related to pen turning until the weekend.
Friday I sharpened the barrel trimmer on the diamond stone, and that worked pretty well. No more tearout (so far) from the barrel trimming.
Saturday, I went to a demo on dust collection at the Woodcraft store. Most of the discussion revolved around how to do dust collection efficiently in woodshops that are considerably larger than mine, but it was interesting nonetheless. I DID learn that what I am doing in my shop (wearing a respirator, using the shopvac to clean up) is basically what I should be doing, based on the machines I am using and the layout of the shop. That was a relief - I want to stay safe (no wood dust in the lungs and such), but I did not want to shell out for a dust collection system at this point.
After the demo, I hung around the store for a bit, and bought some reddish Cocobolo wood. I found out that you can get smaller pieces of the various wood types, instead of having to buy the entire piece that the store has along the wall. As long as you leave them at least 4 feet of wood, you can take a smaller piece. This is great - it will enable me to try different woods for my pens without making major purchases.
On the way out, I got into a discussion (not the first time) about purpleheart with the people on the staff. They seem to think that once purpleheart turns brown, it cannot turn back to purple. This is contrary to my own experience, so basically I am convinced that no one knows what to do to make sure that the finished product comes out purple.
I worked on a few different pens yesterday and today:
1. A cocobolo Classic American click pen - I cut and drilled and glued this one yesterday, and made it this morning. It looks like the other Classic American style pens, but drilling and turning it is a lot different because the tubes for the two halves of the blanks are actually different sizes. Instead of twisting, the pen clicks. It came out pretty well, and my wife says that she may prefer this style to the Classic American twist pen.
2. A padauk Classic American fountain pen - I cut and drilled and glued this one yesterday, and trimmed the barrel today. I will probably make the pen tomorrow night when my wife is at her choral group practice. This was made from a blank that my wife said looks almost like a sunset (padauk is basically orange).
3. An olivewood click pencil - the counterpart to the olivewood click pen that I made (the one that looked fine but was inoperable because I messed with it). This one had already been drilled and glued. I just trimmed the barrel, and I may work on making that one tomorrow night too.
4. A cocobolo click pen - This one I cut and drilled, but I am not going to glue it yet. I was advised by my guru at Woodcraft to drill cocbolo twice if the tube is a tight fit the first time. Let the wood dry out and shrink, and then drill it again. So, I will drill it again tomorrow night, and then glue it to work on later.
My brother told me that his co-workers really like the pens, and that they may want some for themselves. Not holding my breath, but that would be pretty cool. I gave him the two online sites that I use for kits, and figure that they can pick one out if they want, as long as they understand that the price goes up a bit if it is not a kit that I have already or can get in bulk.
Friday I sharpened the barrel trimmer on the diamond stone, and that worked pretty well. No more tearout (so far) from the barrel trimming.
Saturday, I went to a demo on dust collection at the Woodcraft store. Most of the discussion revolved around how to do dust collection efficiently in woodshops that are considerably larger than mine, but it was interesting nonetheless. I DID learn that what I am doing in my shop (wearing a respirator, using the shopvac to clean up) is basically what I should be doing, based on the machines I am using and the layout of the shop. That was a relief - I want to stay safe (no wood dust in the lungs and such), but I did not want to shell out for a dust collection system at this point.
After the demo, I hung around the store for a bit, and bought some reddish Cocobolo wood. I found out that you can get smaller pieces of the various wood types, instead of having to buy the entire piece that the store has along the wall. As long as you leave them at least 4 feet of wood, you can take a smaller piece. This is great - it will enable me to try different woods for my pens without making major purchases.
On the way out, I got into a discussion (not the first time) about purpleheart with the people on the staff. They seem to think that once purpleheart turns brown, it cannot turn back to purple. This is contrary to my own experience, so basically I am convinced that no one knows what to do to make sure that the finished product comes out purple.
I worked on a few different pens yesterday and today:
1. A cocobolo Classic American click pen - I cut and drilled and glued this one yesterday, and made it this morning. It looks like the other Classic American style pens, but drilling and turning it is a lot different because the tubes for the two halves of the blanks are actually different sizes. Instead of twisting, the pen clicks. It came out pretty well, and my wife says that she may prefer this style to the Classic American twist pen.
2. A padauk Classic American fountain pen - I cut and drilled and glued this one yesterday, and trimmed the barrel today. I will probably make the pen tomorrow night when my wife is at her choral group practice. This was made from a blank that my wife said looks almost like a sunset (padauk is basically orange).
3. An olivewood click pencil - the counterpart to the olivewood click pen that I made (the one that looked fine but was inoperable because I messed with it). This one had already been drilled and glued. I just trimmed the barrel, and I may work on making that one tomorrow night too.
4. A cocobolo click pen - This one I cut and drilled, but I am not going to glue it yet. I was advised by my guru at Woodcraft to drill cocbolo twice if the tube is a tight fit the first time. Let the wood dry out and shrink, and then drill it again. So, I will drill it again tomorrow night, and then glue it to work on later.
My brother told me that his co-workers really like the pens, and that they may want some for themselves. Not holding my breath, but that would be pretty cool. I gave him the two online sites that I use for kits, and figure that they can pick one out if they want, as long as they understand that the price goes up a bit if it is not a kit that I have already or can get in bulk.
Sunday, July 8, 2007
Two more pen kits, please...
So today I went to Woodcraft (big surprise there) and got the bushings and a kit for the Classic American Fountain Pen. I also got another kit for the regular click pen, so I can try it out with cocobolo or bloodwood.
I also asked how to sharpen the pen mill (barrel trimmer). It seems that I can do that on the diamond stone sharpener that I bought for the skew chisel, so I am going to give that a try.
I also asked how to sharpen the pen mill (barrel trimmer). It seems that I can do that on the diamond stone sharpener that I bought for the skew chisel, so I am going to give that a try.
Saturday, July 7, 2007
Another giveaway, and another commission
It is a good thing I saved a picture of the latest acrylic pen for posterity, because we got together with a friend of mine from Chicago today (she was in New Hampshire) and she really liked it, so I gave it to her. I have no problem with doing that if the person is likely to use the pen themselves.
My friend also gave me a commission - her husband (also a good friend of mine) collects fountain pens. I have never turned a fountain pen, but now I have a reason to. Since he reads this blog occasionally (or so I have heard), I will post my attempts at fountain pens here, and he can see if there are any that he might like.
A bit of a bummer regarding the first team-designed pen: The gluing went fine, as did the cutting of the blank, but the drilling resulted in a split of the cocobolo wood at one end. While the resulting cocobolo/ash combo blank is viable, I think I will waste the wood rather than waste a kit seeing if I can make the pen. Back to the drawing board for us. My wife had some other ideas for combination-wood pens, though, so it should not be too long before we try another one.
My friend also gave me a commission - her husband (also a good friend of mine) collects fountain pens. I have never turned a fountain pen, but now I have a reason to. Since he reads this blog occasionally (or so I have heard), I will post my attempts at fountain pens here, and he can see if there are any that he might like.
A bit of a bummer regarding the first team-designed pen: The gluing went fine, as did the cutting of the blank, but the drilling resulted in a split of the cocobolo wood at one end. While the resulting cocobolo/ash combo blank is viable, I think I will waste the wood rather than waste a kit seeing if I can make the pen. Back to the drawing board for us. My wife had some other ideas for combination-wood pens, though, so it should not be too long before we try another one.
A visit to the office, two visits to Woodcraft, some success, some failure
Last night I went to Woodcraft and bought the bushings and a kit for a Classic American "click" pen, which is different from the twist pens that I have been making. Unfortunately, I did not realize that the "click" pen requires a different drill bit as well (11 mm), and I had to go back tonight on my way home to get that. I also applied for a Woodcraft Visa card (about time - I should have done that ages ago!) and picked up the kits and bushings for a regular ball-point click pen - not Classic American style.
Last night, after getting home, I made a Bocote Classic American pen that came out pretty well. It is the same wood that I used for my brother's pen and pencil set.
Today, I went to my company's office in Burlington and brought my pens with me (as I always do). I ended up giving away a pen that I thought no one would want - a pen/pencil combo that was made from two woods (Redheart on top and Cocobolo on the bottom). I always kind of liked that one, but I never thought that anyone else would. One of my co-workers really liked it, so I gave it to him. He wanted to pay me, but I stuck to my "free to friends, sold to friends who want to give it as a gift to someone else" policy. He wanted to use it himself, so it was free.
Tonight I tried to make two pens. I used Olivewood to try to make the regular click ballpoint pen, and it did not come out quite right, so I tried to fix it and ended up breaking the mechanism. So, it looks good but does not operate. The look of it is such that I may make more in that style, though, and I can show it to people as a prototype as long as they do not try to write with it:
The second pen was an acrylic that was the most expensive pen (in terms of materials) that I have made so far. The kit was platinum instead of gold (my wife picked out the acrylic and the kit to go together), and went nicely with the black, white, and red of the acrylic. The sanding was not a perfect job. It falls just short of my last attempt with acrylics in terms of the look and feel of it. I could probably sell it, but we'll have to see:
The first "team-designed" pen was glued together tonight as well. My wife designed a pen that is part cocobolo and part ash. We cut the pieces and glued them together, and tomorrow we will (hopefully) cut and drill the resulting blanks, and then glue the tubes. If THAT goes well, we will later make the pen. The first combo experiment! I am excited, but a bit nervous about the process, as it is the first time.
Last night, after getting home, I made a Bocote Classic American pen that came out pretty well. It is the same wood that I used for my brother's pen and pencil set.
Today, I went to my company's office in Burlington and brought my pens with me (as I always do). I ended up giving away a pen that I thought no one would want - a pen/pencil combo that was made from two woods (Redheart on top and Cocobolo on the bottom). I always kind of liked that one, but I never thought that anyone else would. One of my co-workers really liked it, so I gave it to him. He wanted to pay me, but I stuck to my "free to friends, sold to friends who want to give it as a gift to someone else" policy. He wanted to use it himself, so it was free.
Tonight I tried to make two pens. I used Olivewood to try to make the regular click ballpoint pen, and it did not come out quite right, so I tried to fix it and ended up breaking the mechanism. So, it looks good but does not operate. The look of it is such that I may make more in that style, though, and I can show it to people as a prototype as long as they do not try to write with it:
The second pen was an acrylic that was the most expensive pen (in terms of materials) that I have made so far. The kit was platinum instead of gold (my wife picked out the acrylic and the kit to go together), and went nicely with the black, white, and red of the acrylic. The sanding was not a perfect job. It falls just short of my last attempt with acrylics in terms of the look and feel of it. I could probably sell it, but we'll have to see:
The first "team-designed" pen was glued together tonight as well. My wife designed a pen that is part cocobolo and part ash. We cut the pieces and glued them together, and tomorrow we will (hopefully) cut and drill the resulting blanks, and then glue the tubes. If THAT goes well, we will later make the pen. The first combo experiment! I am excited, but a bit nervous about the process, as it is the first time.
Wednesday, July 4, 2007
My first commission, and a design partner
Today, at our July 4th gathering, I received my first commission for a particular type of pen. A friend of our family, seeing the different types of pens that I can create, requested a click-pen made out of cocobolo. I have not yet done any pens made from kits for click pens (as opposed to the slimline and CA pens, which twist to open and close), so I will have to look when I next go to Woodcraft to see what kits they may have. My wife may pick out the acrylic blank for her requested pen, as well. I will also be on the lookout for the blue wood or acrylic, as stated earlier. I am still feeling patriotic, and I still think that a red, white, and blue segmented pen could be fun.
On the way back home tonight, my wife commented that it might be fun to design some pens together, which I think is a very cool idea. I have many different types of pens to attempt, and I think it would be great to have her come up with some design ideas for combination (more than one type of wood/acrylic/colour) pens of various styles. That way, the finished product could be the result of teamwork.
With the latest success with acrylic, and the way it was received, I may attempt to do more with them. We will have to see.
On the way back home tonight, my wife commented that it might be fun to design some pens together, which I think is a very cool idea. I have many different types of pens to attempt, and I think it would be great to have her come up with some design ideas for combination (more than one type of wood/acrylic/colour) pens of various styles. That way, the finished product could be the result of teamwork.
With the latest success with acrylic, and the way it was received, I may attempt to do more with them. We will have to see.
The secret is out
Yesterday, we had a great visit from my brother and his girlfriend, and at long last my brother was made aware of what I have been doing these last several months. It was kind of fun to wait until I had some real successes to show him, and to keep him in the dark until now. He seemed to like the Bocote pen/pencil set, and also seemed kinda surprised that his little brother could be doing all of this stuff with machine tools. His girlfriend seemed to like her pen too (the Olivewood pen with the organic citrus wood polish). All in all, a good time was had.
Today I will present the acrylic pen to the hostess of our July 4th gathering. That should be fun too. This weekend, I will make more of the olivewood pens and maybe a bloodwood Classic American. I need to think of what kind of pens I will make next. Maybe more slimlines and regular CA pens...or maybe I will try a segmented pen of some kind. If I can find a blue wood (or even a blue acrylic, though it would be harder to work with), I could combine it with bloodwood and holly to make a red, white and blue pen. That might be cool.
Today I will present the acrylic pen to the hostess of our July 4th gathering. That should be fun too. This weekend, I will make more of the olivewood pens and maybe a bloodwood Classic American. I need to think of what kind of pens I will make next. Maybe more slimlines and regular CA pens...or maybe I will try a segmented pen of some kind. If I can find a blue wood (or even a blue acrylic, though it would be harder to work with), I could combine it with bloodwood and holly to make a red, white and blue pen. That might be cool.
Tuesday, July 3, 2007
Fixing the inoperable pen, and some thoughts on cleaning the lathe
At my wife's suggestion, I tried re-gluing the tube into the top of the olivewood pen that had come unglued. It worked, after a fashion. The tube was, strangely, a bit long for the blank anyway, so while the pen now works, it does not QUITE fit together at the middle. Not an unqualified success, but better than it was. Another "office pen", I suppose. One that I can use, but maybe not one I can give away...and definitely not one that I can sell.
The wet sanding that I did yesterday left some residue on the lathe. I am not quite sure what the best technique is to clean it. I looked it up online, and people seem to use kerosene or WD40 to clean the lathe, but I think they are more talking about the moving parts and such. I may try WD40 and a rag just to see how well it works.
The wet sanding that I did yesterday left some residue on the lathe. I am not quite sure what the best technique is to clean it. I looked it up online, and people seem to use kerosene or WD40 to clean the lathe, but I think they are more talking about the moving parts and such. I may try WD40 and a rag just to see how well it works.
Monday, July 2, 2007
Acrylics, Part Deux
So, in need of additional inventory (read: I needed to make at least one more pen, as a gift for a friend on the 4th of July), I decided to finally attack the acrylic pen blank that I long ago cut and drilled. I looked up some tips on how to deal with acrylics, and people seemed to think that wet sanding the acrylics and using light pressure when sanding would make a lot of difference. For one thing, the wet sanding and the lack of pressure would keep heat from building up, and heat is the #1 thing to look out for when working with acrylics, since the plastic can bubble up and rip. This is what happened with my first try with acrylics.
I turned the pen differently this time around. I used much more of the roughing gouge, and a lot less of the skew chisel. With wood, the skew chisel can save a lot of time and effort. With acrylics, the skew chisel creates spinning loops of plastic that then have to be removed from the lathe.
Then came the sanding: I had never done any wet sanding before. I looked up how to do it, and the instructions seemed fairly simple: Fill a small bowl with water, and put a couple of drops of dish detergent in it. Then dip the sandpaper in the water before using it on the acrylic. I wet-sanded for the 150 grit and the 320 grit, and the results seemed to be a lot better than my first try. What was coming off on the sandpaper was a kind of mud (a slurry would be the technical term, I suppose), and the heat was not building up. The wet sanding took a lot longer due to the lighter pressure, but it seemed to be worth it. I even wet-sanded for the first piece of MicroMesh (1500 grit), but after that I figured light dry-sanding would work just as well.
And it did! I finished with the MicroMesh and polish, and put together the pen:
I am using the picture with the flash, since it shows better the shiny aspects of the pen. I think this will be a cool addition to my inventory, if only for a couple of days. Of course, once my wife saw this one, she said that she wanted a red one. So, I guess my days of working with acrylics are not over.
This one seemed less of a pain to do, but I still think I enjoy working with the wood more.
I turned the pen differently this time around. I used much more of the roughing gouge, and a lot less of the skew chisel. With wood, the skew chisel can save a lot of time and effort. With acrylics, the skew chisel creates spinning loops of plastic that then have to be removed from the lathe.
Then came the sanding: I had never done any wet sanding before. I looked up how to do it, and the instructions seemed fairly simple: Fill a small bowl with water, and put a couple of drops of dish detergent in it. Then dip the sandpaper in the water before using it on the acrylic. I wet-sanded for the 150 grit and the 320 grit, and the results seemed to be a lot better than my first try. What was coming off on the sandpaper was a kind of mud (a slurry would be the technical term, I suppose), and the heat was not building up. The wet sanding took a lot longer due to the lighter pressure, but it seemed to be worth it. I even wet-sanded for the first piece of MicroMesh (1500 grit), but after that I figured light dry-sanding would work just as well.
And it did! I finished with the MicroMesh and polish, and put together the pen:
I am using the picture with the flash, since it shows better the shiny aspects of the pen. I think this will be a cool addition to my inventory, if only for a couple of days. Of course, once my wife saw this one, she said that she wanted a red one. So, I guess my days of working with acrylics are not over.
This one seemed less of a pain to do, but I still think I enjoy working with the wood more.
One thing about Olivewood...
Though it looks really nice, and turns really well...the waxy surface means that it does not adhere very well. On my second try at an Olivewood slimline pen, I created a nice-looking pen that is completely non-functional because the brass tube inside the top of the pen came unglued (as I almost did, when I saw it). So, you can twist the top of the pen all you want, but the pen will not work.
*sigh*
Well, if all of my attempts were perfect, I would have nothing to write about.
*sigh*
Well, if all of my attempts were perfect, I would have nothing to write about.
More things to solve, and using a different polish
Well, after a week away, I finally returned to the pen blanks that I had cut and drilled before my trip. I keep forgetting how long it takes to trim the barrels of several pen blanks before getting them to the lathe. As an added wrinkle, today I had some tearout in one of the olivewood blanks when I was trimming it. I am not sure if it was because the blank itself was small (little room for error) or the barrel trimmer was dull (I probably do need to sharpen it) or the wood itself was weak. Following a tip from one of my books, I took the piece that came off, pressed it into place (a wood with grain helps with this, as you can see how the wood aligns), and applied thin CA glue to the whole area. Hopefully, the piece will stay put now, and when the glue dries, the wood will be stronger and I can finish the trimming and make the pen. I like it when I can salvage pens even when something goes wrong. The pencil I made for my wife, which came out REALLY well, was initially an instance where the tube got stuck on its way into the blank. Doubly satisfying.
My brother and his girlfriend are coming to visit tomorrow, so I finally get to show him the present I made. His girlfriend is EXTREMELY chemically sensitive, so when I was at the grocery store today, I picked up some organic citrus wood/furniture polish. I thought that I could make a slimline pen for her, and use that polish in case the other polish would cause problems.
I made the pen without too much of a problem, but one thing I did NOT realize is that the organic polish takes a VERY long time to dry. I am used to the Myland's polish, which dries very quickly. As a result, I was putting the pen together while it was still wet. I think it still came out okay, though. I just need to watch that if I polish other stuff with that same polish.
Speaking of pens and such made for specific people, I finally got to give the magnifying glass to my father-in-law last weekend. That was cool - he really appreciated it. I also gave my mother-in-law a cocobolo pen that I had made a while back, which had come out really well.
My brother and his girlfriend are coming to visit tomorrow, so I finally get to show him the present I made. His girlfriend is EXTREMELY chemically sensitive, so when I was at the grocery store today, I picked up some organic citrus wood/furniture polish. I thought that I could make a slimline pen for her, and use that polish in case the other polish would cause problems.
I made the pen without too much of a problem, but one thing I did NOT realize is that the organic polish takes a VERY long time to dry. I am used to the Myland's polish, which dries very quickly. As a result, I was putting the pen together while it was still wet. I think it still came out okay, though. I just need to watch that if I polish other stuff with that same polish.
Speaking of pens and such made for specific people, I finally got to give the magnifying glass to my father-in-law last weekend. That was cool - he really appreciated it. I also gave my mother-in-law a cocobolo pen that I had made a while back, which had come out really well.
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