heres hoping piccis of my pens

[greggy]

i am hopeing this is going to work

cheera alf for the tutorial

 

[greggy]

sorry they are not very clear but i got piccis, now perhaps photography lessons :lol:

 

[Paul.J]

Greggy.They look really good.Well done
Try re-sizing piccys though in advanced settings to 640x480 when you click open.
Paul.J.

 

[greggy]

cheers paul j i will try that

 

[caretaker]

Greggy the picture is fine, how long to make all them?
I am going to have a go at pens but I got the wrong mandrill size, exchanging it next Saturday then I can start.
Have you any tips for me, I have drilled 4 blanks and glued in the brass tube.
Have been practising with small bits of wood as well.

 

[Paul.J]

No problem Greggy.
I was in same boat a few weeks back,but thanks to Alf's tutorial am able to post piccys too
Paul.J.

 

[greggy]

reg i use a 7mm mandrell by planet, it takes me only 1/2 hour to make a pen now. i also use a piller drill to bore the holes in the blanks, and i use a 7mm spur drill bit, but make sure the blank is parralell and drill nice and slow otherwise the bit will wonder. and thanks all for the encouragement, now time for bed as i am up at 3am.

 

[wood yew believe it !]

nice one greggy you got some lovely shapes on them pens, tried a few the other day, not nearly as good as yours though, what finish did you use as i cant keep a good shine on mine with all the handling they get!!lol

 

[mudman]

Greggy and WYBI,
Some nice pens there, they really are satisfying to make aren't they.

nice one greggy you got some lovely shapes on them pens, tried a few the other day, not nearly as good as yours though, what finish did you use as i cant keep a good shine on mine with all the handling they get!!lol

WYBI,

I don't know what finish you are using but a wax finish will quickly dull and be worn away by handling. You really need a finish that will form a hard durable surface that will resist wear.

I used to use cellulose sanding sealer followed by several coats of melamine laquer that I then burnished with burnishing cream. This is a nice finish but takes a while if you have a few pens to make.

I've since switched to using a cyanoacrylate finish which gives a great finish once you've got the technique right.

Some examples here.
With a bit of explanation here.

It really is a hard durable finish. I carried a CA finished lightpull around in my pocket for few weeks and it is still hard and shiny now (or perhaps I shouldn't go there )

 

[greggy]

hi all, how i got my finish is, in order is 180, 240,360,400 grit paper then 500,1000,2000,4000 grit pads what they use in the auto finishing trade which i got from www. ask tools.co.uk then i got 2 finishing sticks 1 brown which i rubbed on when revolving and buffed it up with kitchen towell. then same with the beige stick. the pen my sister is using is 5 weeks old and used every day cos she is a teacher has not lost its shine so i am very happy :lol:

 

[wood yew believe it !]

yo mudman, good xplanations on the ca fin, only one thing though wot is blo :?: you say u mix it with the ca

 

[mudman]

yo mudman, good xplanations on the ca fin, only one thing though wot is blo :?: you say u mix it with the ca

BLO = Boiled Linseed Oil

You apply it to the wood first before applying the CA. It doesn't seem to matter that it hasn't dried before you apply the CA.

One thing I'd like to stress is that in one of the links from the penturners website explaining the BLO/CA finish, the chap advocates wearing latex gloves whilst applying the CA. I would say do not do this, it is dangerous. I did it once and almost ended up with a broken hand.

Oh, and while I remember, I'd advise against wearing a Trend Airshield whilst applying CA. It seems to concentrate the fumes within the visor and you all of a sudden start to feel 'all wobbly'. :shock:

 

[Taffy Turner]

Oh, and while I remember, I'd advise against wearing a Trend Airshield whilst applying CA. It seems to concentrate the fumes within the visor and you all of a sudden start to feel 'all wobbly'. :shock:

Yes - I found that out the hard way - doesn't half make your eyes water too!!! (homer)

Gary

 

[wood yew believe it !]

BLO = boiled linseed oil........ duh!

cheers mudman! atb dave

 

[greggy]

wybi, there is nothing wrong with your pens, my first couple were cr*p. just take yer time and enjoy it, as i do because it rearly relaxes me.