Pen turners please read - UKW mini competition!

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Can't argue with that. Well done Nick - an impeccable job, couldn't find fault with that if I tried. =D>

To save people scouring back through the thread - it's this one...

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Si.
 
I've just PM'd Roger a BIG thank you.....


This truly was/is unexpected as i was convinced 'someone' else was going to grab the prize.... :shock:


Having never won anything in my life.... well ok, i did win an Observers Book of Motor Cars when i was 8 at school :? , it's taken another 46 years to win errr a box of wood.... but a wonderful box of wood it is :D seriously... i am really really pleased..!!

Like Roger has said the level of entries has been quite amazing (i was going to put phenomenal but i cant spell it...) well done everyone....


Nick


got to dash.... i have an Oscar to go and accept and an after dinner speech to give as well..... =D> =D> =D>
 
Well done to all entrants and the WINNER =D>

As others have said very good quality entry's

And a big well done to Dodge for his commitment and funding of this comp =D> =D> helping to motivate and keep the turning section alive

:mrgreen:
 
Congratulations, Nick - a worthy winner indeed.

Thanks again, Roger. This was fun!
 
Well done everyone who entered but especially Nick =D> Indeed a worthy winner.
and what a job judging :shock: Some cracking looking pens in there. I would have had to resort to the dartboard and blindfold method if it were me!

=D> =D> And of course a big up for Dodge, most generous (and not only with his time and effort). =D> =D>
 
Yay, I picked the winner!!
Any tips on the finish of it nik nak would be good!!!

Well done it was a truly beautiful pen, absolutely beautiful, 1st class.

Thanks again dodge for organising this. I do love turning pens!!
=D> =D> =D> =D>
 
Well done to everyone who entered and a particular well done to Nick. A fine presented pen,indeed a worthy winner, =P~

and to Rog, who without, none of this would have happened a hearty thank you. =D> =D> =D> =D> =D>

John. B
 
It was a pleasure to organise - you never know I might be tempted to do another one in the future.
 
Melinda asked for tips re finishing.....

So here we have....

Hints'n'tips from Nicks lips.... (homer)


Having seen Mark Sanger work his wonders with hollow forms and how he always uses the 2/3rds rule, i thought i'd try the same with a pen.

Normally i just curve/bulge them slightly in the middle of the shaft to give them a bit of shape. But this time i thought i'd try an everso slightly different technique, and try and get the curve 2/3rds up the shaft i.e. a bit fatter near the nib end. I think i sort of managed to get it right(ish), and hopefully this is what kept Roger coming back to mine.... i.e. the 2/3rds illusion... :?

As for finish..... sand it, fill it, sand it some more, fill it some more, sand it yet again.... until you've filled ALL those little voids (fill using CA and fine sawdust). Note... when i'd finished roughing the nib half down to the sort of shape i was after, the voids in my blank were soo severe you could see through to the brass tube..!!

When you've done that, keep sanding through the grades right down (or up, which ever you prefer) to 800 grit. Then hoover (or Dyson) it off, followed by a clean cloth, then... sanding sealer. Let it dry, de-nib and repeat. At this point it should look and feel great, almost like it doesn't need anything else. Above all else.... DON'T BE TEMPTED TO RUSH..!!

Choose your finish.... wax, stick, friction etc. For this particular one i wanted a high gloss finish and i'm not keen on using the CA method, so i chose Melamine Lacquer. This stuff (according to the tin) takes up to 7 days to fully cure and harden. I cheated slightly and stuck it in the airing cupboard over 2 night to speed things up a little. I'd managed to get a couple of minute bubbles and a hair in the resin so decided to lightly rub down apply some more and repeat. After a further 3 days in the airing cupboard a quick wet and dry using micro mesh pads finishing with a piece of 30,000 grit glass polishing paper i've got. Then a final buff using (cant think what its called now) the white polishing compound used for acrylic blanks.

Carefully assemble the bottom half first. Push in the top and clip the the upper barrel. Screw the upper barrel fitting onto the lower half first.... then offer the cap to it and slowly rotate to align any grain you wish to see together... then gently push top on until it just holds, remove from lower barrel and push all the way home. Finally screw together and see that the whole jobby looks like.... :D

Well thats how i do (did) it.... some may do it differently.... (hammer) (hammer)


Hope this helps....?? :)

Now, get out there and try with another of Rogers blanks... (hammer)


Nick



Next week we'll cover "Taking a 'better' photo of your pen..." :wink:
(mine was taken using a small hand held Canon Ixus and 2 pieces of white A4 paper, and nothing else...)
 
Can I first of all congratulate Dodge on thinking up this competion. It is great to see what a group of people will come up with when all are given the same basic materials to work with. What a collection for someone to own .
As a non pen turner I must say that it gave me great satisfaction seeing everyones entry and trying to figure which ones were in with a shout , I have to admit ,to me they were all winners . It is a bit of an art turning pens (reason I gave it up :oops: )
I would agree with Dodge that the No 1 was as he picked but it must have been very diffacult to make his choice .

To NikNak well done ,a beautiful pen and a worthy winner . What I find even more pleasing is that when asked you shared your finishing tips with an other member, and that to me is what this forum is all about. "Well done that man"

Dodge Thank you for your organisation , Penturners , thank you for showing your work .
 
Well done Nick, beautifully finished pen a worthy winner. Regards Dave.
Many thanks to Roger for the blanks and the opportunity to enter my first pen competion...
 
Just to say that as Roger promised... the parcel arrived today :D



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with a 'congratulations' card inside...

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I excitedly opened it in the sun this afternoon......

and found....

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and like a box of chocolates.... a second layer too....

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I think my favorite piece of the whole lot has to be....

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the Ropala Lacewood.... shall be keeping that for something really special :)



A really big thank you to all the kind words from everyone, this really did come as quite a shock to win this mini competition.... I might have the prize, but remember, in this year of the Olympic Games... "It's not the winning, it's the taking part..." and there were very nearly 20 magnificent entries, well done to everyone for taking the time and effort to make this forum what it is. And of course the biggest thanks go to Roger for thinking the whole thing up, and spending his own time and money making the whole thing worth while..... =D> =D> =D> =D>



Nick



oh..... as an 'edit' i meant to say that i was also very surprised to see all the differing colours that everyone came up with. When you look back at all the little bundles of wood being made ready to go out by Rog, they all looked very similar in colour. But the pics of finished pens posted really did range from the almost yellow to a very dark brown (my own by the way isn't as dark as the pic makes it out to be.... but very nice, even tho i do say so myself :wink: )
 
Well what can I say - apart from a huge thank you to Nev - on arriving at my workshop this morning had a parcel awaiting me and found Nev's pen entry from the competition beautifully packaged and sent to me as a thank you for organising the pen competition.

In no way did I expect anything for arranging this but have got to say I was quite touched to receive this and I will use it with great pride.

the pen I received is the one shown below.


Thank you one more - and again, and again :D :D

Rog
 
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