Pen Turning

[ksihawk7]

I know I've seen people on here who said they turn pens as a hobby/for a living. But I don't care to look for these people, so I'm just posting it on here. Does anyone think that this would be suitable for me? I just want to get into it as a hobby, nothing serious. http://www.pennstateind.com/store/CML4SE-B.html I'm not worried about the lathe, but about the stuff that comes with it. I want to be sure that that really is all you need to start. (besides maybe a drill)

[MJ5150]

I think you're going to need some wood to make the pens.

Errr, wait. It includes that too. I don't see any sandpaper in there though. You'll probably want more than three of those knife things to do the carving.

-Mike

[ksihawk7]

Well I've got a lot of various grits of sandpaper, but not more chisels. But from videos I've seen, it doesn't look like people used different types of chisels in this kit.

[neurotictim]

Advice from a guy that's been turning pens for a few years -

That looks like a great place to start - had I seen that 2 or 3 years ago, I probably could have saved a lot of money. :EDIT: I also recommend getting more sandpaper (no such thing as too much, and don't get the cheap stuff - get something that doesn't "load" too much if possible - and some superglue. CA, Cyanoacrylate, whatever it's called, is better than the two-part epoxy they give you for gluing tubes. Medium CA, perhaps the gel form.

You're going to find out, though, that you'll want more wood, and you'll eventually need to get (my recommendation) a good drill press or develop a REALLY steady hand with a power drill.

You'll probably destroy several blanks as you learn how the process works - not intellectually, but as you gain a "feel" for the wood.

As far as chisels are concerned, my honest opinion is that you really only need two - one "flat", and one with a 45* edge. I have a bunch of chisels, but I always seem to go back to the ones I'm most comfortable with. Once you get comfortable with one, you'll find that you can do almost anything with it.

Also, learning how to keep your chisels sharp will save you LOTS of irritation later - a good idea with any bladed tool is to have a good understanding of proper sharpening techniques.


This one is white oak, I made for a guy who wanted to give his dad something special, and handmade. It's finished in CA - superglue - and polished, after pore-filling and sanding sealer was applied.

Penn State is a great website for pen supplies, very reasonably priced and easy to deal with - I've dealt with them on a number of occasions.

Once you get the hang of working with turning wood, you'll inevitably start seeing neat combination possibilities -


This pair is matched purpleheart, with yellowheart and redheart segments and black veneers - made them for a friend's 10th anniversary.



This one is walnut with bolivian rosewood segments.

That sort of stuff requires a good saw and sanding setup, to make sure you have no glue lines.

Obviously, I've put some time into this.

If you have any other questions, go ahead and post em here or PM me, I'd be glad to help.

[Simo98]

I thought this thread was going to be about pen spinning


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1q7s4E94-No

[FL Knifemaker]

Very nice! I know several knifemakers who also make pens. David Broadwells work is amazing.

http://www.david.broadwell.com/pens.htm

Originally Posted by neurotictim

Advice from a guy that's been turning pens for a few years -

That looks like a great place to start - had I seen that 2 or 3 years ago, I probably could have saved a lot of money. :EDIT: I also recommend getting more sandpaper (no such thing as too much, and don't get the cheap stuff - get something that doesn't "load" too much if possible - and some superglue. CA, Cyanoacrylate, whatever it's called, is better than the two-part epoxy they give you for gluing tubes. Medium CA, perhaps the gel form.

You're going to find out, though, that you'll want more wood, and you'll eventually need to get (my recommendation) a good drill press or develop a REALLY steady hand with a power drill.

You'll probably destroy several blanks as you learn how the process works - not intellectually, but as you gain a "feel" for the wood.

As far as chisels are concerned, my honest opinion is that you really only need two - one "flat", and one with a 45* edge. I have a bunch of chisels, but I always seem to go back to the ones I'm most comfortable with. Once you get comfortable with one, you'll find that you can do almost anything with it.

Also, learning how to keep your chisels sharp will save you LOTS of irritation later - a good idea with any bladed tool is to have a good understanding of proper sharpening techniques.


This one is white oak, I made for a guy who wanted to give his dad something special, and handmade. It's finished in CA - superglue - and polished, after pore-filling and sanding sealer was applied.

Penn State is a great website for pen supplies, very reasonably priced and easy to deal with - I've dealt with them on a number of occasions.

Once you get the hang of working with turning wood, you'll inevitably start seeing neat combination possibilities -


This pair is matched purpleheart, with yellowheart and redheart segments and black veneers - made them for a friend's 10th anniversary.



This one is walnut with bolivian rosewood segments.

That sort of stuff requires a good saw and sanding setup, to make sure you have no glue lines.

Obviously, I've put some time into this.

If you have any other questions, go ahead and post em here or PM me, I'd be glad to help.

[neurotictim]

Yup, I'm still a relative noob in the pen turning world, and strictly hobbyist (after I realized it's a break-even business at best).

I've made a few really nice ones, got into casting my own stuff, like this one:









But these folks doing inlay and marquetry have me beaten like an old rug.

The International Association of Penturners (IAP) (www.penturners.org) have some phenomenal artists, definitely worth checking out.

[ksihawk7]

Ok, so what's the best table for lathe work?

[iamlowsound]

My dad turns a lot of pens, he is very good at it. He mostly turns stone pens and they are very nice. He gets all of his supplies from Lee Vally and Pen Craft.

lowsound

[machine gewehr]

Man this sounds like a lot of fun and those are awesome pens you made guys!

Also IIRC there was another thread on this,you could check it out too.

[Joe Nerve]

Originally Posted by Simo98

I thought this thread was going to be about pen spinning


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1q7s4E94-No

Me too. I work in a high school and see that going on every day. all the chinese kids can do it. Very few from other countries, including me seem to have the talent. I'm still working at it though.

Good luck with the pen turning. Seems like it could be fun thing to do.

[neurotictim]

Originally Posted by Simo98

I thought this thread was going to be about pen spinning


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1q7s4E94-No

In the time it would take me to learn to do that, I could surpass Jaco AND Vic on the bass...

...which is to say, 500 years or so...



I'll stick with making the pens.

[MJ5150]

neurotictim makes some most excellent pens. I know from seeing them firsthand.

-Mike

[LiquidMidnight]

Those pens are beautiful!